A while back I asked, Are You a Flexaholic? The pattern of flexor muscles overpowering extensors happens throughout your body, including your forearms.
This exercise to strengthen your forearm extensor muscles can help restore balance to your forearm and wrist.
I’ll write more in the future about different options for gizmos – including weights, resistance tubing and similar stretchy materials, and found objects – that you can use in resistance exercises like this. For today, I’ll assume that you have access to a pair of light (1- to 3-pound) hand weights.
Strengthen Your Forearm Extensors
- Sit in a sturdy chair with your forearms resting palm-side down on your thighs.
- Hold a hand weight in each hand with an overhand grip.
- Extend your wrists back as far as you can comfortably.
- Slowly lower the weight to your starting position (with your wrists comfortably flexed).
- Slowly extend and flex your wrists like this for about a minute.
Notes
- An alternative position for this exercise is to sit at a narrow table, one you can easily reach across, and rest your forearms so that your wrist is at the opposite edge of the table with your hands hanging over the edge.
- As your strength increases you can use heavier weights.
- In the weight room or your home gym, you can use a barbell instead of two hand weights.
Today’s Sources
Wrist Extensions, MyFit.ca
Tennis Elbow Exercises, Tennis Elbow Treatments
Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow), Merck Manuals
About the Author
Larry Swanson is a massage therapist in downtown Seattle, WA. His practices focuses on the unique needs of office workers and also includes injury treatment for sports and car-accident injuries as well as massage for wellness and athletic performance.