A common climbing problem is pain on the inside portion of the wrist. Sometimes this pain can be a result to damage to the red circle – or TFCC, which is a cartilage structure on the pinky finger side of the wrist. It&;s function is to support and cushion the small bones of the wrist and stabilize the bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) when the hand grasps or the forearm rotates. It&;s important to strengthen the wrist in more than just flexion and extension. When doing this exercise you are working your wrist using radial and ulnar deviation. Keep in mind the following:Stabilize the forearmSmooth, steady controlled motionGrab closer to the CENTER of the stick for an EASIER exercise Grab closer to the END of the stick for a HARDER exercise Rinse and repeat 20 times as part of your warm up or for sets as an integral part of wrist maintenance series

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Broomstick rotations or Pronation and supination of the arm.Another wrist mobilization and a strengthening exercise I use as part of my wrist sequence. Supination is the motion similar to if you were to try and scoop up some water with your hand and have a drink or to tighten a screwdriver (Righty tighty). Pronation is the opposite motion.Using a broomstick perform this action in a SLOW and controlled setting and you&;ll feel your forearms working hard. The more midline to the stick you are grabbing the easier the movement. The closer to the end you grab, the more resistance you will feel. This happens because you are changing the centre of gravity of the object. Do sets of 20 reps for both arms and enjoy your bulletproof wrists. series

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Life is better upside down. I&;m starting a challenge for myself to see how much I can improve. This is day one (I&;ve been training for a few months already but not consistent!) Most of my improvements have come from wrist and shoulder mobility drills such as the ones I&;ve shown in my and skin the cats for my shoulders. The handstand requires both good awareness of where your body is in space and is a feat a muscular endurance. Try it out after a wrist warm up (find a soft surface or kick up against the wall). It&;s a great shoulder and core workout! culture

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Ulnar / radial deviation fist or patent pending URDF! This is both a wrist mobilization and a strengthening exercise I use as part of my wrist sequence. It is using what&;s known as a closed kinetic chain (the hand is fixed against the ground) eccentric movement(you contract your muscles while they lengthen) The more weight you apply with your body the more tension there is on your muscles. Start off with minimal bodyweight and slowly progress through the motion feeling the end ranges of your wrist. This exercise is great used as a warmup before crushing and to bulletproof your wrist. You can also use it after the sharp pain subsides with a series

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This is a basic wrist flexion stretch which will help build the foundation of mobility required in the wrists for things such as on the rings. This stretches out the extensor group of muscles and tendons located on the outside and backhand side of your arm. The tendons responsible for extension of your fingers and wrist originate at a common origin known as the lateral epicondyle of your arm near the elbow. This is the overused muscle group in or lateral epicondylitis! Here I&;m performing 5s hold with pulses and slowly changing the angles at which I press at to target different areas of the wrist. I do this by rotating my elbows slightly further or less. You can also try and perform 3-5 reps of 15s isometric contractions and relax periods of 30s. (Once again you want to try and spend a minimal total of 90s in the stretch)When performing a static isometric stretch you assume the position of the stretch to target the muscles of the forearm, then you tense the muscle against the floor (without actually moving!) Hold that muscular tension for 15s, then relax for about 30s. Rinse and repeat until your desired length! Happy stretching. series

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This is a basic wrist extension stretch which will help build the foundation of mobility required in the wrists for things such as . This stretches out the flexor group of muscles and tendons on the palm side of your arm. I like doing 5s hold with pulses and slowly changing the angles at which I press at to target different areas of the wrist. I do this by rotating my elbows slightly further or less and with most of my stretching I try and perform 20 reps of 5s pulses or a minimal total of 90s. This is a type of stretching that encorporates what&;s known as proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching or PNF. It enhances both active and passive range of motion in order to improve motor performance and aid rehabilitation. The specific type of PNF I am using here is a &;Contract Relax&; technique. practor series

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The wrist is a complex joint that bridges the forearm to the hand – a collection bones from the forearm (radius, ulna), 8 carpal bones, and 5 metacarpal bones, an articular disc (Triangular fibrocartilage complex or TFCC) and a plethora of ligaments. Then throw in muscles that all have very specific attachment points. Let&;s not forget about nerves arteries and veins. As you can see the wrist is a quite complicated. In the following weeks I will be posting 5 stretches and mobility exercises but if you have an ongoing issue this is not to replace a wrist assessment by a health professional! Work smart. Loose ligaments need muscular strengthening, tight muscles need stretching, weak muscles need strengthening, focus on each exercise to maximize your motor control and don&;t just go through the motions. practor series

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