The feeling is familiar—lifting a frying pan with one hand tilting, and trying to smoothly slide the contents onto a plate; a wobbly foundation under a side plank in yoga class. Our hands and wrists are vital to our everyday lives—our grip strength influences our ability to hold, manipulate and control objects. And strong wrists offer stability, reducing the risk of injury and enhancing dexterity.  
 
Grip Strength and Wrist Weakness
Poor grip strength is common—a study in Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy indicates that grip strength declines steadily with age and can often coincide with other health conditions. Wrist weakness is most often associated with certain medical conditions or previous injuries—carpal tunnel syndrome; arthritis; wrist sprains or fractures; and overuse or repetitive strain from sports and activities.
 
Targeted Exercises to Strengthen Your Grip:
There are several simple exercises that can help strengthen your grip. Try to incorporate these three exercises into your routine to begin seeing improvement in your grip strength.
 

1. Farmer’s Walks: This simple exercise involves walking while holding dumbbells or kettlebells. Choose a certain distance, and take a break by setting down your weights. Resume the activity several times in a session (5–8 walks, depending on the distance). This exercise engages your grip, forearm and upper body, and is easy to progress—begin with a comfortable weight, and increase the weight of your dumbbells as you advance your practice. The goal is to be able to complete this exercise with the heaviest weight you can manage, without overstressing your arms.
    
2. Deadlifts: Deadlifts are a great tool for your grip strength. If you have access to a barbell, you’ll simply lift the loaded barbell off the ground and hold the weight, engaging your grip and forearms.
   
   
   • Start with strong posture: Stand tall with your glutes and core engaged; feet hips—width apart. Your shins should be an inch from the bar.
     
   • Hinge from your hips: Bend forward from the hips and bend your knees to grab the bar (place your grip just outside your legs). Keep your core engaged and your back flat. If your low back feels strain, back away, and try again with a flatter back.
     
   • Lift: Maintaining your flat back posture and engaged core, pull up from the floor, extending your hips and knees. Squeeze your glutes as you lift. Your knees should drive outward versus turning inward.
     
   • Reverse: Reverse the motion to place the bar back on the floor, keeping your core engaged and back flat.
     
   
   If you do not have access to a barbell, you can mimic this exercise by using heavy dumbbells, placed just outside and above your feet.
    
3. Towel Pull-Ups: If you have a pull-up bar, drape a towel over the bar and grip the ends. Pull yourself upward, engaging your hands, forearms and upper body. Do not worry about the height of your pull-up, as the focus is really on the engagement of your upper extremities.

Targeted Exercises to Strengthen Your Wrists:
Wrist strength is an important foundation for your upper extremities, and is a great companion to strong grip strength. These simple exercises are a great way to improve wrist strength.
 

1. Wrist Curls: Hold a lightweight dumbbell with an underhand grip. Rest your forearm on a bench or your thigh, and curl your wrist upward. Lower back down, and repeat the exercise ten times. Take a break, and repeat the set three times.
    
2. Reverse Wrist Curls: This exercise is similar to a standard wrist curl, but it utilizes an overhand grip in place of the underhand grip. This version of the exercise targets the top of your forearms, helping to maintain good balance and forearm strength. Complete three sets of ten.
    
3. Combination Wrist Curls: Combination wrist curls take regular wrist curls and reverse curls into one exercise, combining them by curling up with an underhand motion, turning the wrist, and pressing down with an overhand motion. Complete three sets of ten.

Consistency is key—incorporating these exercises into your routine two to three times per week will help steadily build strength and endurance. As with any exercises, be sure to stretch. Wrist rolls are an easy way to improve wrist mobility, even on days you do not complete formal exercises.
 
Our grips and wrists are an essential part of our daily activities, and improving strength in these areas is an important practice. Whether you are integrating these exercises into an existing routine or starting a new wrist-focused program, these simple exercises will help you improve your grip strength and provide increased stability in your wrists.