Wrists & Forearm Strengthening
As aerialists / pole dancers, we use our wrists and forearms constantly so they're very easy to injure and they're often overlooked during our training. Strengthening our wrists and forearms can help to avoid having trouble with things like tendonitis and carpel tunnel syndrome but it's also an important part of ensuring we have a long, healthy relationship with our discipline.
Cross training from hoop to silks to pole can be a really great way of becoming more aware of your grip strength and what is in it's comfort zone and what isn't. If you think of the positioning of your hand, wrist and forearm in the grip used in each one of these disciplines, due to the varying size of equipment diameter, you'll notice the different muscles you're working. Personally I notice that my grip strength and forearms tire far quicker during aerial hoop classes than in pole classes. This is because I'm conditioned for gripping a pole, my muscle memory understands and endures longer periods of time doing this grip as opposed to a smaller grip; it's working different muscles.
By exploring a variety of exercises, you may notice improvement in your range of motion, your forearm/hand/wrist endurance, your wrist stability, you may notice better dexterity of the fingers or less aching after training. There's lots of benefits of dedicating just 10 minutes a day to some new exercises, so let's get started!
#1 - Wrist Circles
Suggested: 3 x 10 Reps (1 Rep is 1 full circle, Left > Up > Right > Down)
- Ensure you reverse the direction after 5 repetitions
- Try to maintain a straight arm, shoulders back and down
- See if you can build up to a smooth circular motion rather than resetting as shown in the video
#2 - Wrist Curls
Suggested: 5 x 20 Reps (10 Forwards, 10 Backward)
- Try to maintain a straight arm in line with shoulder
- Shoulders back and down
- Sit up nice and tall with good posture, alternatively, try it standing
#3 - Wrist Twists
Suggested: 2 x 20 Reps (10 Forward, 10 Backward) One set for the right hand, one for the left!
- Try to keep the non-moving hand stable
- Shoulders back and down
- When twisting forward, ensure the hand starts slightly turned slightly under to increase resistance
- Likewise when twisting backwards, ensure the hand starts slighting rolled forwards, giving you good range of motion when rolling the wrist backwards and towards you
#4 - Claws
Suggested: 2 x 10 Reps (Each arm - 10 fingertips to the floor, 10 fingertips to the ceiling)
- Ensure the elastic band you're using isn't too tight as your forearms and fingers will tire very quickly
- Don't overdo this one! It can feel ok at the time but you'll notice it later if you do overdo it
#5 - Table Flex
Suggested: 3 x 10 Reps (Each arm - 1 Rep is 1 of each direction, Up, Down, Left, Right)
- Try to keep the elbow pressed into the table
- This can also be repeated palm up to ceiling
Let us know if you're adding any of these exercises into your training and how you get on with them!
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C x