You can strengthen your hands and forearms from home, without having to go to a gym. We tell you the most effective techniques to carry it out.
A human being spends an average of 9 hours in the work environment, counting the stops and breaks to eat and socialize. Many of these jobs are performed in front of a computer or require immobility of the individual, so, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 4 American adults spends more than 8 hours a day sitting in the same position.
For this reason, we are not surprised that the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 1900 million adults worldwide are obese or overweight. Undoubtedly, the lack of physical activity is a serious problem in contemporary society, since more than 2.8 million patients die annually due to problems derived from sedentary lifestyle.
We are not talking about aesthetic canons and the reflection that the mirror gives us: we refer to individual health and life expectancy. In times where immobility is almost necessary and going outside is limited by obvious issues, it is time to exercise body and mind from home if you want to maintain physical and emotional integrity in the long term. To help you do this, today we show you 10 exercises to develop the strength of the hands and forearms.
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What are the best exercises to develop hand and forearm strength?
Not all arms and muscular apparatus respond constantly to a specific stimulus. For example, the fact that a gym buddy is able to lift 50 kilos does not imply that you can do it without compromising your physiology. Muscle adaptation not only depends on the stimulus, but they play important roles: food, sleep, genetic predisposition and many other things.
Therefore, we always recommend putting yourself in the hands of a nutritionist and / or trainer before starting an exercise routine. What works for one person could lead to a long-term injury in another if rhythms and intensities are not controlled.
So, we emphasize that all the exercises that we are going to show you are indicated to strengthen the hands and forearms in a general way, but they are not focused on gaining a large amount of mass in a reduced time interval. They are quick and simple activities, which will make your upper extremities activate after prolonged stages of sedentary lifestyle. Once this is clarified, we get to it.
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1. Form a fist
Yes, as simple as that. Forming a fist with your hand and fingers will help strengthen the muscles and joints involved, increase your motor range and tear your bones and tendons. You shouldn’t feel any pain, and the mechanism is simple:
- Form a fist with both hands, simultaneously and gently. Do not seek to hurt yourself or tighten the muscles too much.
- Hold the position for 30-60 seconds. Once you reach this interval, release your fingers and stretch them.
- Repeat the exercise during both hands at least 4 times.
2. Finger stretching
The exercise itself couldn’t be simpler. In addition, it will help you relax your fingers and avoid the appearance of painafter continued use, for example, after typing a long time with a keyboard. To do this, follow these steps:
- Place the palm of your hand naturally upside down on a flat surface.
- Stretch your fingers as much as you can on that surface, yes, without hurting yourself or feeling uncomfortable.
- Keep your fingers in the stretched position for 30-60 seconds.
- Repeat the cycle at least 4 times with each hand.
3. Therapy putty for hands
For less than 10 euros, you will find in online portals a series of materials called “therapy putties for hands” or “putties”, in English. This flexible product can be stretched, squeezed, pinched and twisted in a variety of exercises. In addition, many manufacturers offer up to 4 degrees of “resistance” of the material, which allows exercising hands and forearm to suit the consumer.
One of the most common exercises with these materials is to squeeze them until the tips of the fingernails reaches the palm of the hand. This is repeated in a total of 20 consecutive cycles or, failing that, for 2 or 3 minutes in a row. In addition to refining your stamina and motor skills, using putties greatly relieves the stress accumulated during the day.
4. Isometric hooks
With this exercise, you will imitate in a homemade way many of the instruments used to strengthen chest and arms in gyms andspecialized centers. Follow the steps below, you will see how simple it is:
- Place your hands in a “hook” shape.
- Place one on top of the other, the left with the palm facing upwards and the right with the palm facing downwards.
- Attach the 2 “hooks” formed with your hand and pull out with both arms.
- Hold the effort position for 5 seconds, relax then.
- Repeat the cycle at least 10-20 times.
This exercise is not only great for exercising the hands and forearms, butyou also make efforts with the muscles of the trunk. A simple and very effective option to work the upper train from home without having to buy any type of instrument.
5. Finger lift
Another exercise that does not last more than a couple of minutes, but that helps a lot to tear the structures involved in writing in front of a computer. You simply have to place your hand face down on a smooth surface andlift each finger autonomously for a few seconds. Once finished, repeat the process about 12 times with each hand.
6. Grippers
They are known as grippers to a setof instruments shaped like a “pincer” that are sold in sports centers in order to develop muscles in hands and forearms. Most of them are quite cheap: for less than 20 euros, you can take one of these modular instruments (from 5 to 60 kg of resistance) that will allow you to train your muscles of the upper extremities.
7. The rubber between the fingers
An exercise that stands out for its simplicity and easy to perform, becausewe all have a rubber strip at home. Simply place the rubber between the 4 fingers of your hand (excluding your thumb) and stretch them as far as you can. You should be able to see how the muscles near the index finger are exercised.
8. Use of weights
Weights are ideal for exercising hands, wrists, arm and forearm. We are not talking about dumbbells of 50 kilos: with 1-5 kg according to individual adaptability is more than enough. Follow these steps to complete this simple exercise:
- Sit in a quiet place. Tilt your trunk a little, until you can rest your forearms on your knees.
- Take a weight of 1 to 5 kilos and lift it until the palm of your hand is at the height of your face.
- Do not lift your forearm during the process.
- Perform 3 sets of 15 repetitions with each arm, better if it is independently.
9. Make an “O”
This exercise is, again, perfectto loosen your fingers after a long work session in front of the computer. All you have to do is simulate the “OK” gesture (i.e. touching the tip of your index finger with your thumb) with each of the fingers of your hand. Repeat the route 10 times with each hand.
10. Wrist flexor stretching
Imagine a Buddhist statue or a Tibetan monk: you will see that, during the moments of meditation, both figures have the two palms of the hands joined on the chest, in the form of prayer.
Without the need to perform any religious establishment, this exercise is very positive for the wrist flexors. You simply have to place your hands in the form of a prayer at the height of the face and go down (without separating the palms) to the middle of the trunk. If you do it right, you will notice a kind of tension in the wrists, without it becoming painful.
Summary
As you may have seen, these exercises are simple and available to everyone. As we have qualified in previous lines, it is not about gaining muscle strength or “getting powerful”, because these activities are simply carried out inorder to denumb the muscles of hands and forearms after prolonged moments in the same position.
If you choose 2 or 3 of these activities and practice them every day after a work session, we assure you that you will notice the difference. Not only will your motor capacity and upper extremity muscles improve, but you will notice how stress leaves your body. Why not try?
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.