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When it comes to calisthenics training, the injuries I see most often are in the hand, wrist and forearm areas. Overexertion and trying and failing at calisthenic abilities that you haven’t yet progressed to are more common than I would like. It is great to be gung-ho about calisthenics, but knowing your limits is so important if you truly want to progress. That said, I strongly suggest performing hand-wrist-forearm stretches on a regular basis. It is natural to try harder than you should on occasion, but doing so increases your risk of injury. For me, my handstand training is probably the most dangerous progression I am working on, and there is no doubt in my mind that I have prevented some serious hand-wrist-forearm injuries because I always make sure to stretch those areas.
These hand-wrist-forearm stretches do not take up too much time, and can be done either during a warmup, during a cooldown, or even while you’re resting in between sets. Keep reading below for some great hand-wrist-forearm stretches to keep yourself safe and always moving forward.
Hand-Wrist-Forearm Stretches – Palms Down
The first and most natural-feeling hand-wrist-forearm stretches I do involve having my palms flat on the mat.
First Set: Fingers Pointing Away
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place your palms flat on the mat, fingers pointing away from you.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly “rock” your body forward and back, feeling the stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms. You will notice it every time you rock forward. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Repeat 10 times or more.
Second Set: Fingers Pointing Towards You
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place your palms flat on the mat, fingers pointing towards your knees.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly “rock” your body forward and back, feeling the stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms. This time, you will feel the stretch when you rock back. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Repeat 10 times or more.
Hand-Wrist-Forearm Stretches – Palms Up
The next pair of hand-wrist-forearm stretches requires your palms to face up, with the backs of your hands flat on the mat. This feels very awkward, but once you begin the stretches it feels great.
First Set: Fingers Pointing Away
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place the backs of your hands and wrists flat on the mat, fingers pointing away from you.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly “rock” your body forward and back, feeling the stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms. You will notice it every time you rock forward. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Repeat 10 times or more.
Second Set: Fingers Pointing Towards You
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place the backs of your hands and wrists flat on the mat, fingers pointing towards your knees.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly “rock” your body forward and back, feeling the stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms. Now you will feel the stretch when you rock back. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Repeat 10 times or more.
Hand-Wrist-Forearm Stretches – Palm Lifts
This type of hand-wrist-forearm stretch also involves a pushing motion.
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place your palms flat on the mat, fingers pointing away from you.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Using the strength in your hands, wrists and forearms, slowly push your palms up so that only your fingers are still on the mat. You will feel both the stretch AND the resistance of your bodyweight in your hands, wrists and forearms.
Step 4: Once the palms are lifted, hold that position for one-to-two seconds.
Step 5: Slowly lower your palms back to the floor.
Step 6: Repeat 10 times or more.
Hand-Wrist-Forearm Stretches – Rotations
These motions are meant to be down slowly – the gifs are slightly faster than the normal speed.
First Set: Palms Down, Fingers Pointing Away
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place your palms flat on the mat, fingers pointing away from you.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly rotate your body in a clockwise motion, feeling more stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms the more forward you are leaning. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Once you return to the original position, repeat the same rotation counter-clockwise.
Step 5: Repeat 2-3 times.
Second Set: Palms Down, Fingers Pointing Towards You
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place your palms flat on the mat, fingers pointing towards your knees.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly rotate your body in a clockwise motion, feeling more stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms the more backward you are leaning. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Once you return to the original position, repeat the same rotation counter-clockwise.
Step 5: Repeat 2-3 times.
Third Set: Palms Up, Fingers Pointing Away
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place the backs of your hands and wrists flat on the mat, fingers pointing away from you.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly rotate your body in a clockwise motion, feeling more stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms the more backward you are leaning. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Once you return to the original position, repeat the same rotation counter-clockwise.
Step 5: Repeat 2-3 times.
Fourth Set: Palms Up, Fingers Pointing Towards You
Step 1: Kneel on your knees and place the backs of your hands and wrists flat on the mat, fingers pointing towards your knees.
Step 2: Outstretch your arms and keep them straight.
Step 3: Slowly rotate your body in a clockwise motion, feeling more stretch in your hands, wrists and forearms the more forward you are leaning. If you feel pain, then you are leaning too far.
Step 4: Once you return to the original position, repeat the same rotation counter-clockwise.
Step 5: Repeat 2-3 times.
Remember to Stretch Your Hands, Wrists and Forearms!
Despite being smaller muscle areas, the hands, wrists and forearms are still very prone to injury if you’re not careful. Make it a habit to practice at least one of these hand-wrist-forearm stretches on a regular basis – you can thank yourself later once you finally achieve that handstand. Think of the injuries you’ll prevent! While you’re working on your wrists, check out my post on how to build wrists of steel.
Do you have your own hand-wrist-forearm stretches that you like to perform, but weren’t included in this post? Let us know in the comments below!
