New to weight lifting - thumb pain

AmyOutOfControl · April 2017

Thanks in advance for any advice. I started strength training six weeks ago. I recently started having pain/soreness in my left thumb joint after lifting weights -- the spot where the thumb meets the hand.

I hired a personal trainer for a couple of sessions to teach me the right way to lift weights and build me a beginners program. So, I think my form is right? Could I be holding the weights wrong? It is significantly worse when I do the chest press and fly exercises with the bench lifted.

JaxxieKat · April 2017

Are you wearing gloves? I wear weight lifting gloves that are slightly padded in that thumb joint area. I find it I don't use them, I will have pain in my hands.

Lizarking · April 2017

Same issue. Doing this helps. Especially the first one.

http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/carpal-tunnel/stretching-exercises-for-preventing-carpal-tunnel-syndrome

Monitor your form for possible corrections.

AmyOutOfControl · April 2017

Thanks @Lizarking - I will try the stretching

@JaxxieKat What kind of gloves? Where did you buy them?

jusjoking · April 2017

there are different angles for holding the bar. Some grips put more pressure on the wrist, others put more on the thumb, depending on the angle of the bar laying across the hand

for instance this picture. (im just showing it to give u an idea of the possibilities, IM NOT ENDORSING THEIR OPINION lol)

the way they are showing the bar laying across the red line will cause the wrist to be bent backwards and some people get wrist pain from it but it might take weight off the thumb joint.

The bar laying across the green line may help keep the wrist straighter but put more weight on the thumb

you might have your wrist dead straight and thus have the bar resting right on the thumb joint where u feel the pain. You dont want ALL the weight of the bar resting right on one spot, you want it spread across the hand etc

you may just be tight in those joints since you arent used to training and maybe its just a soreness that will go away

I have lifted on and off for years and there are some exercises that are worse than others for wrist or hand pain. Its weird because sometimes using dbells helps but at other times a barbell helps. You just have to experiment.

I used to have to do some mild wrist stretching along with other warmups. it wouldnt hurt you to move your wrist and finger joints around to get them loosened up nicely etc

nowine4me · April 2017

Normal. The calluses will be shortly behind. No advice, but you're not alone.

hulk666 · April 2017

I have been a weightlifter for 30+ years. I used to do body part splits but recently tried a method from BODY BY SCIENCE (on YouTube). You do one huge MEGASET. No counting reps. Each rep is 5-15 seconds in each direction.
#1 Seated Row Machine
#2 Seated Chest Press
#3 Pulldowns (palms facing you)
#4 Overhead Press Machine
#5 Leg Press
On youtube, u can see the ENTIRE workout. Each rep is done SLOWLY and never lockout. Tension is on muscles NONSTOP. Really intense. Worth trying. You do one round up to twice a week.

canadianlbs · April 2017

i tried out hook grip just before xmas and loved it - for one workout. i must have been doing it wrong because i'm still waiting for my right thumb joint to settle down.

jessef593 · April 2017

Don't wear gloves, they can cause all sorts of uneven pressure on your hands. Especially with hundreds of pounds pressing the seams against your hands. Your webbing probably isn't used to the stress or knurling on the bars. You'll never see a power lifting using gloves. So I think that's a pretty good indication. I'll second hook grip. It hurt like hell at first, but now i nail max deadlifts with no straps and never experience any sort of pain.

New to weight lifting - thumb pain

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