Need advice for lifting weights with arthritic hands

S

SRP

Cathlete
I’m 50 years old, which doesn’t seem all that old to me. But some body parts seem to think I’m lots older! I have in my arthritis hands, wrists, hip and big toe. I can work around the lower body stuff. What’s really giving me trouble are my hands. It’s becoming very difficult to strength train.

I have successfully used lifting hooks for several years, but now as they transfer weight to my wrists, it’s causing more problems there, as well. Basically, I’m getting to the point where holding heavy weight is a very bad idea.

I want to lift and I know how important it is to maintain strength as I get older. I’m wondering if anyone has experience here, and if you' be willing to share what's helped you. I also posted this in the Ask Cathe forum in hopes of hearing from her from a trainer's perspective.

Thank you!
 
SRP 50 is not that old. I had a lot of success with Scott Sonnon's Intuflow full body. There is a lot for hands wrist elbows shoulders everything, I'll emphasize the everything. The beginner & intermediate is free on youtube. I would also avoid work arounds, anywhere. It all works together. I have the dvds there's 4 levels. Of any of the stuff I have ever done with mobility and ROM, this is the one I'd recommend. Take care, take it slow, you're only 50! :)
 
I'm older too (70) , yes some joint issues . Using a smaller, flat sided dumbbell for push ups works better than trying to keep my hands flat. angle is better. I use a dumbbell, or grab the feet of a weight bench, or the side edges of a "step " to get my hand /wrist in a more vertical position. for some things I make my hand into a fist and push up from there. Planks, where I hold in place, don't seem to be an issue. I sometimes wear wrist splints at night to sleep, seems to give the wrists/ thumb a recovery break. I always wear padded gloves.
higher # of reps instead of a heavy weight? do 20 reps with a 10 lb weight rather than 10 reps with a 20 if that feels better. aging issues hit everyone differently, hope these things help.
Forums aren’t as active as they used to be, sorry to see.
 
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Have you tried rolling your hands will balls... I think its called reflexology? I roll my hands before I lift and my feet before cardio.
 
Hi ladies - My apologies for not responding to your suggestions sooner.

Guru - I took a look at Scott Sonnon ... I may have to come back to it sometime, and maybe I'm not keeping an open enough mind, but I guess I'm not ready to go there yet. :)

Traildoggie - Love your name by the way - nothing like hiking a trail with my doggie! Yes, I've been using the dumbells for pushups for several years. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing pushups. It's a real lifesaver. I also have to do all my planks on my forearms/elbows. I just bought some gloves - I hope they help. And yeah, I'm looking to reduce the amount of weight I lift and try your higher reps suggestion. Thank you!

Repo - I have not tried the balls yet, but funny you should mention it because I just bought some the other day! I'm glad to know it helps you. I also bought a foam roller for the rest of my body ... wish me luck. :)

I'm currently taking a break from strength training. On top of the arthritis, I have injured my forearm somehow and it won't heal. I caved in and made a doctor's appointment. Ugh. But hopefully I'll get back in the game soon and look forward to trying these suggestions. Thanks so much!
 
I had a few more thoughts. instead of dumbbells, try a curl bar or body bar. I have issues with a straight bars. an easy curl bar is ( for me) way easier to lift because of the angles. some are more steeply angled than others. structural quirks makes a straight bar hard for me. just how my forearms/wrists are hooked together. some of the bars are fatter than others just like dumbbell handles. I think smaller handles are easier to hold. a straight bar feels almost like I have to twist my arms to use it. so I have two easy curl bars.

I strength train in the later afternoon. after a day of activity I am more flexible and stronger, strength training is much easier. I use the hour before dinner. early morning never was good for me. cathe's newsletter just talked about advantages and disadvantages of early vs late day training. it was in her newsletter about 2 weeks ago. I'm retired ... this works fine but plan for it.
the wrist immobilizer braces are a help for deteriorating thumb joints. there are a variety of them. I like the Mueller brand. ( amazon) around $20 so not a huge investment. I sleep with a brace if my thumb joint gets sore. I can put in a link if this sounds helpful. there's a variety of them depending on where exactly the problem is. .
SRP good luck with the forearm problem. it helps to know what exactly the issue is so it can heal.
 
Traildoggie - thanks again. I'll check into the easy curl bar. I know where you're coming from. Regular biceps curls put a lot of strain on the outside of my wrist. I never do them - I usually rotate my forearms so that they go down in a hammer curl and up towards my chest as a regular curl. Takes some of the strain off.

I have no option but to work out in the evening! Just the way my day goes. But I'm glad it's not the other way around, because morning workouts are miserable for me. :oops:

Sure, go ahead and give me the link for your brace. I have a wrist brace now, but not one that immobilizes the thumb. I've looked at them a time or two, but it would be good to know which you find helpful.
 
What helps me the most with push ups is the Beach Body P90X push up stands. They are very stable, ergonomic, and comfortable for me. Worth the investment. Might be something to take a look at. Strength training with arthritic hands/wrists would be a GREAT subject for an article for the newsletter (hint, hint).
 
https://www.amazon.com/Mueller-Medi...9051&sr=8-5&keywords=mueller+wrist+brACE&th=1

between DH and me we have several of these... some with the thumb loop, some not. if you go to amazon and put in mueller wrist braces you get a range of products. most are designated right or left, and sized. they are much nicer than what I saw at Rite Aid and cheaper. they hold up well. I have used them for base of thumb soreness. we also use them for tennis elbow which they help also. I haven't worn one in a long time, but keep them next to my bed. when I wear it, it's at night. it lets the whole forearm/wrist,/ elbow area rest and not get tweaked while sleeping. I

when I try to do curls, I can't keep dumbbells level. the outside edges are always uphill, one arm worse than the other. this is not arthritis, just how I'm put together. a straight bar is uncomfortable, so I tried an easy curl and was sold.

Using dumbbells or legs of equipment has been my work around to avoid buying push up stands. I used to do more push ups but my wrists are getting less happy with the flat hand position so I might look into those.
 
Hey no problem SRP, it's just something you could do any time, the wrist & arm part is like 5 minutes or less,
the balls that Repo mentioned are good too, I've used the Gaiam ones before, works like a charm! ;)
 
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