Wrist strengthening for handstands

Hi all,

I recently had these questions:

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I had a tiny bit of pain in my wrist while doing a set of handstand wall runs, which got worse while just going about my day-to-day. I've rested/mobilised my wrist for about 2 weeks now. I guess the other exercises in H1 will help strengthen my wrists, so I should keep working on those, even if I can't do handstands?

It's somewhat frustrating because handstands look cool and I want to be able to do them, haha! People make it look so effortless, but there's a serious amount of load going through that wrist joint. I have tiny wrists; will they just get used to it over time, or do I need to do extra wrist strengthening on the side?

 

Since my leg injury is prohibiting me from doing a lot of exercises, it can be extra frustrating when I can't do the "fun stuff". I've been training seriously for about 7 years though, so I know I need to be patient and it will all be worth it.

 

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Oh, and... do you think it is worth getting some paralettes to practice my handstands on, so that I can still work on the shoulder stability aspect of it, even if my wrist isn't 100%?

 

My wrist feels 100% again now, and I did some (low rep) wall runs this week.

I'm going to keep doing the other exercises in H1, because I know they are strengthening my wrists. 

As for the parallettes, I'm not sure of the answer. I'm guessing most people on here will probably say I should hold back and nail the basics. I do agree, but there's a definite balance between having fun and being military-strict about everything, especially when I am limited in pretty much all lower body movements.

Hi Maria,

Just like with your quad, any time you experience joint pain you should immediately stop training and strongly consider consulting a medical professional. Training through pain is a bad idea. 

As for progressions, the plan is already there for you. Start with PE1, master your PE and iM form (submit form checks to be sure), and then move to the next progression. Jumping ahead to wall runs or parallette handstands when you're not yet ready for them may just cause another setback like you experienced with your wrist. The progressions will let you know when you're ready for a certain exercise. 

I agree that handstands are awesome but a lot goes into preparing for them. When you see a great handstand, you can guarantee that a lot of steady, patient effort has gone into it's development. 

Hi Everett,

thanks again for your advice.

I completely agree training through pain is a bad idea. I have learnt that the hard way, hence why I have a severe leg injury in the first place. That's a lesson I don't need to re-learn, ever.

I did stop training anything wrist-related once I had that slight sprain. It feels great again now though. And I did start from PE1 initially, and I have progressed up to wall runs. I think I just did a couple of extra reps because it felt good, but it was just a tad too much for my wrist. I've brought the reps right down again now, and I'm going to build it back up.

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When you see a great handstand, you can guarantee that a lot of steady, patient effort has gone into it's development.

Couldn't agree more. I'll get there.