lifting - sore/stiff hands??

shiseido_faerie
shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Recently i've started lifting as heavy as I can with proper form, i'm really loving it however something i've noticed after my last two workouts is that my hands/fingers and even a bit of my wrist area are very sore. Not sore as in blistery from the barbells, but sore as in very tight feeling and stiff, my one index finger almost feels jammed. I'm thinking that this is because my hands are not used to the gripping and they don't have the strength, that I need to stretch my hands afterwards (which honestly never occurred to me!)

Has anyone experienced this before, and do you know what the proper stretches are to do? It's making my typing for work all day very unpleasant!!

Replies

  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
    I'm not sure if stretching will help (it can't hurt), but what you're experiencing is pretty common. It's like you said, your hands and wrists aren't use to the loads that you're gripping/lifting. It does go away with more time, as your endurance increases.

    You can try alternating some heat/ice, as there is likely to be some inflammation there. That might help you recover a little bit faster.

    Sorry to hear about the discomfort, hopefully it goes away quickly. Keep up the great work with the lifting!
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    Thank you, I will try the ice/heat. So common sense i'm not sure why I didn't think of it!!
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
    You might want to read up on proper grip technique for whatever lifts you're doing. Sometimes a slight adjustment can make all the difference in the world.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
    I started NROL4W a couple of weeks ago and have experienced the same thing! It finally occured to me that I should borrow my husband's lifting gloves to see if that helps... and then maybe buy my own :)
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
    You might want to read up on proper grip technique for whatever lifts you're doing. Sometimes a slight adjustment can make all the difference in the world.

    Thanks! I do have someone right beside me adjusting the rest of my form, but maybe they haven't checked out my hands. I'll have to look up that information and make sure!
  • maxnewbury
    maxnewbury Posts: 11 Member
    Its happened to me in the past. Try to stay relaxed and demote that pressure to the muscle your lifting not your hands. Also make sure your getting that adequate break in between exercises. Ease into it! Hope the discomfort goes away soon!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    you probably have a hardcore death grip on the barbell. a lof of people do, especially with dead lifts. curl your fingers around the barbell, and grip with them, not the palm of your hand. you'll find it's easier.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    I found my Hands, Wrists and Forearms getting sore and stiff. I just made a little exerciser out of a couple feet of old hockey stick, some rope and a weight .. doing this with some frequency has seemed to help.

    One of these, but more ghetto:

    wrist_roller_wrist_rollers_forearm_grip_exercise_f.jpg
  • mharris1224
    mharris1224 Posts: 51
    One thing you can do is massage your forearms, the muscles in the forearms control the opening, closing and gripping actions of the hands. You will likely find tender spots you would not expect but it will help.Ice and heat those spots as well. Also try wrapping a towel around your clinch fist tightly enough that you could not open your hand, then, try as hard as you can to open your hand for around 10 seconds. Its one of the tricks I used when I practiced sports massage.

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