New to weight lifting - thumb pain

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AmyOutOfControl
AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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.

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  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
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    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
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
    edited April 2017
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    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
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
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    Thanks @Lizarking - I will try the stretching

    @JaxxieKat What kind of gloves? Where did you buy them?
  • jusjoking
    jusjoking Posts: 56 Member
    edited April 2017
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    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)

    bench-press-low-grip.jpg

    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
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    Normal. The calluses will be shortly behind. No advice, but you're not alone.
  • hulk666
    hulk666 Posts: 11 Member
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    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
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    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
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
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    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.

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