Wrists hurt more and fingers weaker in handstand position

[mpatryluk]

When starting back into gymnastics movements 2 weeks ago, i felt fresh, and within a few days felt myself attain a higher degree of handstand control and balance than i had previously had (which i felt was from increased finger strength).

 

The only problem was that i needed to work on my wrist flexibility, as forward rolls out of handstand tended to be a bit painful on the wrists.

 

I have been doing heavy stretching in my wrists for all ranges of motion for the last week, but have noticed my handstand balance/stability declining. My fingers no longer feel up to the task of applying the necessary downward force to balance my body.

 

Furthermore, rather than feeling easier, going into handstand is feeling progressively more taxing on my wrists and hands.

 

I try to condition myself to do handstand work every day, but i cant imagine that im pushing myself too hard, because i never do a cumulative total of more than 5 minutes in the handstand position per day, as my shoulders are still getting tired fast.

 

I cant tell if i've stretched too hard or if im not stretching enough, nor do i know how to resolve my wrist issues.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[David McManamon]

Give yourself and your body more than 2 weeks to adjust and to determine the effectiveness of any changes to your training.  If you think you may be over training your wrists then consider contrast baths or handstands on parallel bars or another surface that is easier on your wrists.  You basically always want more strength and more flexibility so over stretching is never a problem unless you are risking injury.

Also you might explain more about the wrist exercises you are doing, my personal favorite is a rice bucket although there are a lot of other great options.

[Fred Mak]

here's a thread about wrist exercises

 

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/543-question-about-wrist-pain-incl-wrist-pushups-pt-2/

 

sounds to me like you need to increase your wrist and finger strength.

 

in addition to the exercises in the thread i provided the link to, i'm sure you can find some other wrist/forearm exercises.  (the wrist strength comes from the forearm muscles).

 

to increase finger strength, one thing you can do is do pushups on your fingers.