Need a Substitution for Planks and Pushups

[Shelbygirl]

Hello Cathe and Educated Crowd.

I would like to get suggestions on substitutions for planks and pushups. I suspect that I have a ganglion cyst in my right hand (my diagnosis will be confirmed by a doctor later this week), and I am completely unable to do pushups, planks and tricep dips (they are all just way too painful). As long as I keep my wrist straight, I can pretty much do everything else, without modification. I just can't put any weight on my wrist when it's in a bent position. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Shelbygirl

 

[Aquajock]

Do planks and push-ups with your hands fisted, resting your weight into the fists as they point straight down keeping the wrists straight. Depending on your flooring, you may need to place cushions under your hands. I've seen this push-up hand-position variation in at least one of the "Powerstrike" workouts (Ilaria did these on hardwood floors; she's a braver soul than I). If wrist flexion is your only problem, this is the solution.

A-Jock

 

[DawnB]

Try doing planks with your hands and forearms flat on the ground. That will keep the weight off of your wrists and still work your core.

Dawn

 

[kathryn]

Hold a dumbbell in each hand to use as a push-up bar. That way you can keep your wrists straight (you could also wear one of those elastic wrist supports that they sell in pharmacies, to help remind you to keep it straight).

Substitutions:
For push-ups: bench presses
For planks: as another poster already mentioned, use the "forearm on floor" version.
Tricep dips (these can be tough on the shoulders anyway, so I usually avoid them): overhead presses, lying tricep extentions (my favorite substitution).

 

[dss62467]

I also have pain in my wrists when I put weight on them, so I find that using dumbells as one would use pushup handlebars helps. As far as doing planks, I haven't tried using the dumbells, but I imagine it would work. Definitely doing them on your elbows, as Cathe does in Power Circuit, is better for your wrists.

 

[Shelbygirl]

Thanks, everyone for all your very helpful responses. I'll be giving each and every one of them a try. I guess next I'll have to figure out (with the doctor's help, of course) what to do to fix the problem. Hopefully it can be treated with a needle rather than a knife!

Thanks again,
Shelbygirl