6 Drills for Better Wrist Mobility

6 Drills for Better Wrist Mobility
Written by: Coach James

To continue with the last article on “Warming Up for the Warm Up“, this article will touch base on wrist mobility and what you can do to improve it before/after class. Wrist mobility is majorly overlooked and rarely does anyone do anything about it. Poor flexibility in this joint can lead to an imbalance in your squat (front squat, overhead squat), handstand pushups/walk, and your presses (push press, push jerk, split jerk). If you’re anything like me, you want to move the most weight you can, but also be efficient and comfortable in these positions. Let’s look at some exercises you can do before the warm up that help loosen up the wrist.

1. Wrist Rotations. This is a very simple but effective exercise. Interlace your fingers and move your wrist in every direction. If one position feels better than another, hold it for a few seconds.

2. Prayers. Place your hands together so that your palms are touching, fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Now lower your hands down as far as you can until your palms start to come apart. The further your able to make contact, the better your stretch.

3. Static Holds. Pull your wrist back into extension and/or flexion and hold for at least 20-30 seconds.

4. Planche Pushup Position. Start in the push up position, once you’re set, shift your weight forward so that your shoulders end up in front of your wrist. Hold this position for 20-30 sec. If this is too intense, drop down to your knees.

5. Wrist Walks. Place your hands on the wall with your fingers pointing towards the ceiling. Keeping your arms locked out, walk your hands down the wall making until your hands start to come away from the wall. Once you’re unable to move down any further, rotate your hands so that your finger tips are now pointing down towards the floor and walk your hands back up to the original starting point.

6. Waiter’s Carry with Plate. Start with a lighter plate in the palm of your hand with full extension of the arm. Start with only one arm as it is easier to control and once you’re comfortable with one arm move to a plate in both arms. The goal of this exercise is to keep the plate parallel to floor while keep a good overhead position.

All of these movements can be done on your own with minimal equipment and space. There is no reason why you shouldn’t be doing these exercises on a daily basis. Doing them will greatly increase your wrist flexibility which, in return, with help you get into a better front rack position and increase the weight in your front squat and clean. These exercises will also allow you to receive the bar better in the bottom of your snatch and overhead squat, as well as put you in a better position for handstand pushups and handstand walks.

Hope this helps you all reach your goals and become better athletes. As always, do not hesitate to ask questions if you are unclear on one of the movements.