heavy weights hard on my hands

L

LGB

Cathlete
I'm really increasing the weights but I've got a problem.

My hands can't handle the weight. It's not a problems of slipping, so gloves won't work. The problem is that my hands hurt terribly when I'm doing the exercises.

For example, if I'm doing chest presses, my chest and arms do OK, but my hands kill me. I have to stop the presses to let my hands rest.

Any suggestions?

Thanks Laura
 
Hi Laura, Sorry to say I have no answers for you on this, but I have the same problem sometimes. When I first got the Slow & Heavy series, I actually traded it off because of this problem. I couldn't lift heavy enough to feel the exercise as it made my wrists and hands hurt. I decided to give it another try, so I bought it for a second time and for some reason it wasn't so bad and now I'm hooked on it. I think gradually upping my poundage really helped and really focus on keeping the wrists straight. I upped my poundage again a couple of days ago and felt pain, so I only did one set with the heavier weight. Next week I'll try two sets. I hope this helps and I'm sure you'll get more input from others. I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone.

Kelley
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-23-02 AT 12:26PM (Est)[/font][p]I too get sore hands. I also get sore forearms. I have a condition called carpal metacarpal joint instability. Translation: loose thumb joint. The ONLY thing that has worked for me to help is strength training. It's not always comfortable, but the type of pain i feel from the work is the good kind; the kind that says I am strengthening the muscles, etc. all around my joints. I actually kind of like the pain now because I know it is good for me. Is your pain the good, well-worked muscle kind of pain, or bad pain, like there is something wrong?
Kathy
edited to add: especially with S+H I've noticed that it tends to work supporting muscle groups in ways that they don't regularly get worked. So I did my biceps yesterday, and my shoulders were sore all day. With this series I particularly feel sore in my hands on chest and back day. I think it also works those little stabilizing muscles that might normally not get worked very well, hence more soreness. Just a thought.
 
Hey Laura,
I think the same thing happens to most of us in varying degrees/locations. What you are doing- stopping for a while to let your hands rest- is right. I think your grip strength, and with it, comfort, will increase as you continue through your rotation.

I have read about special grip exercises but I think that just doing the presses (or whatever) is the best exercise to strengthen grip. Otherwise you have to stop your progress with the larger muscles and also delay things while resting between workouts.

One technique I read about that really works, is tensing up all your muscles when lifting: grip, supporting muscles, everything (not hunching up the shoulders, but tightening the pelvic floor and the stationary muscles during a dynamic lift) increases your ability to lift, stabilizes you, and maximizes the benefit of the workout. Pavel Tsatsouline writes about this.
 
Hi Laura!
Have you tried loosening your grip just a bit? Perhaps not squeezing as hard will lessen your pain in your hands/wrists.
Also, what about trying a false grip, where you have your thumbs on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers instead of wrapping it around the bar? I use this grip for barbell and machine weight work. I also use it for bench moves with the dumbbells. Obviously there are moves where you need to wrap the thumb around and cannot use a false grip.
One other suggestion is to get a pair of hand grips and work on strengthening your hands/wrists/forearms using those.
For squats with dumbbells I use wrist straps, which take most of the pressure off of your hands. These work great.
Good luck and I hope you find something that works!
Trevor :) :-jumpy
GO 24! Drive for 5 in 2003!
 
Wow Thanks guys!!

Glad to hear I'm not the only one with this problem. Also glad to see there are things I can about it.

I've really noticed the pain in the hands since I increased the weights. I want to lift the amounts Cathe lifts on the tapes (primarily the chest presses, triceps and biceps, and this is when I feel it most in my hands).

Thanks, Laura
 
You can strengthen your hands by holding a heavy dumbell in each hand by your sides for a minute, then putting them down and resting before repeating. Over time, gradually increase the amount of weight you can grip. I would do this at the end of a workout or on a different day - otherwise your hands will be too tired do do your workout.
Sharon.
 
I've recently discovered I have the same problem. The palms of my hands actually hurt. I use padded weight training gloves, but it's the weight increase. I sometimes can't take it and have to lower. I guess that's why machines are good, but I can't afford a gym. The only thing I try to do that will help my wrists more is that exercise Cathe does at the end of S&H Tri and Bi. It's for forearms. I was thinking of getting one of those things people use to strenghten their hands by squeezing it. You prob could get it at a weight training supply store or Modells or something. I'll have to check into it. I would think that will help.
Faythe
 
Hi, Laura!

I'm re-reading a really good book right now, "The Kinesiology of Exercise" by Michael Yessis, Ph.D, and professor emeritus at Cal State University Fullerton, that has at least two chapters on strengthening the muscles of the forearms and hands, two areas that are very neglected in strength training. Mr. Yessis, contrary to what another poster suggested in this thread, states that going through your normal lifting routine will not in and of itself strengthen the hands and forearms, so targeted strengthening of these areas would benefit not only those areas but also your whole lifting routine.

Again, the title of the book is "The Kinesiology of Exercise", Michael Yessis PhD, copyright 1992, Masters Press.

Hope this helps -

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
Hi Annette,
I believe I was the poster that said weight training helped my forearms and hands. The reason I feel lifting weights has helped my hands and forearms is because I feel measured success lifting weights; the measure is that as long as I consistently strength train I physically do not feel the need to do my concentrated hand and forearm exercises that I obtained through my physical therapist. I feel that the weights do for me what my specific hand and forearm exercises did for me. Maybe I already had a substantial base of strength in those areas due to the site-specific exercises, and the strength training keeps those areas strong but doesn't increase strength in those areas...or maybe I should start to do those specific exercises again!
In any case, I should read that book, I am going to look it up on Amazon. It sounds like a very good read.
Thank you,
Kathy
 
RE: Hey Kweller / Kathy -

I think you and I are in the same boat forearm-hand-wise. It took a long time for me to get to this point, but I've started to feel like my hands and forearms are The Weakest Link, and if I don't start doing some targeted stuff for them, my form in my lifting is going to suffer, my ability to increase weight loads is going to suffer, and my hands, wrists and forearms are going to suffer the most!

"Kinesiology of Exercise" is really good. There are a few assertions in it that I want to run by our beloved Maribeth for her "second opinion", and each chapter is structured the same way so that you get the anatomy of the muscle group, the exercises and execution, and then side comments sometimes about safety issues, effective reps/sets, etc. The prose is a tad dusty and dry, butcha can't have everything!

A-jock
 
hands

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll check the book out. Just this weekend I saw something in a magazine sold by Nike - it looks like a cool transparent soap, but you squeeze it and it strengthens your hand muscles. It's much more attractive than the old squeeze gizmo men use. Also, it doesn't stink like the little rubber balls. Yucko.

Laura
 
RE: Hey Kweller / Kathy -

>I think you and I are
>in the same boat forearm-hand-wise.

Hee hee (blush) I'm 'in the same boat' with Annette on something!!!
(brag, brag)


Laura,
not to help you spend your money or anything, but I have a great hand exerciser that I really love, it is called the Power Web and it allows a good range of motion, and many different exercises to be done with it.
http://www.performbetter.com/catalog/dept.asp?dept_id=40

I have the large one so I can do both hands at once(i think the small one is only for one hand at a time) and the color I have is red, which is (I think) medium strength and works well for me.
HTH
Kathy
 
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