It’s been a while since I decided to invest in my body.
Usually I focus my workout where I think I am lacking some strength.
For abs and core strength, I have done somewhat this workout and I think I will stick to it, every two-three days I will do:
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7 leg raises
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20 sit ups
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20 russian twists
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40 s plank
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cobra stretch
I run at weekends so I will skip leg day and as I skate quite a bit as well will try to manage the previous workout with it.
The problem is the arms workout as my wirsts are weak AF since I broke them ( yeah… guys wear your wrists guards ), so I usually crumble doing push ups, what would you guys propose as workout not only to build my arms, but too slowly build up my wrists.
Other problem that I want to work on is flexibility overall I am good but as I get older the more and more I notice my joints are getting quite rusty.
I think there are a few questions here to make sure we’re not giving you unqualified medical advice and that we offer as much help as we can without crossing any boundaries.
First, how long ago did you break your wrists, how long was your recovery, and how long have you been active/doing your current workout since? Were you given any specific medical advice to follow upon release from the doc?
How much medical interaction did you have during recovery, and just as importantly, do you currently or are you able to go see a medical specialist for your specific concerns in regards to your chart? Whether asking for ideas on workouts you can do safely with your current wrist situation, or just going over any suggestions that you might get from here to see if they recommend or condemn any of them, it would be worth it to check with a specialist. Depending on where you are the process is different, but if it’s a referral system then your primary care physician may recommend an osteopathic specialist, orthopedic specialist, nueromusculoskelatal specialist, physical therapist, pain medicine specialist, etc., whoever the appropriate qualified personnel is to make sure you stay safe instead of getting injured again and make things worse instead of better!
How many pushups are you currently doing before the pain sets in and before you completely crumble? Do you feel comfortable sharing your current height and weight estimate? Have you tried any other exercises that place strain on the wrists that also cause abnormal pain or the inability to complete a rep, and if so what? And do you have past experience with traditional workouts or are you just getting into it?
The Warm Up/Cool Down is the first step in Flexibility:
Regardless of any of your answers, a big thing is the warm up and cool down. Get the blood flowing and shake it out a bit at the start – you probably have seen UFC fighters and boxers shaking their arms out and bouncing around before a match, or divers and swimmers shaking it out and doing some neck rotations before getting in the pool. It helps to keep you from pulling something in a bad when you warm up a bit instead of stretching a completely cold body.
Next, ballistic and dynamic stretching are key. The idea of static stretching before a workout is pretty much gone everywhere. It’s been shown to wear out muscles a bit and even tighten them instead of loosening them up to the point where it hinders your workout and risks injury. Stick to the ballistic/dynamic stretching before the workout (you can look up good routines or ask for suggestions here specifically).
Afterward, don’t skip the cool down, which is just as important! You included a cobra stretch at the end of your routine, so chances are you’re already doing this which is great! In general, don’t dead stop and walk away from the mat or toss your board (or skates) in your car; walk a bit, do some light kicks and some ballistic stretching, get your heart rate down before the big stretches. When your heart calms a bit is the time when you should definitely do static stretching – again, you listed cobra stretch so you might already do this step in full. If not, add in more, take care of your arms and calves and all the other areas that need to be stretched out.
This will help stretch your muscles to add some flexibility, but also help stretch things to get the most out of your workout and recovery, from allowing bigger range of motion and helping your small stabilizer muscles build during, and putting your muscles in the best place to recover and rebuild after.
Extra Flexibility: I strongly recommend something that focuses on this at least one day a week. Maybe it’s as simple as a bunch of stretches on an active recovery rest day. I myself absolutely need one day of yoga a week or my body ends up in so much pain that I’m walking around like a wooden plank and not able to workout as well. It can be an hour-long tough yoga that causes a heavy sweat, or a really short half hour routine that focuses on simple stretches and calming your nervous system. I always recommend the tough stuff or something in between, but anything is better than nothing. The tough stuff is great because it builds flexibility and helps the accumulating overall body pain from weeks of working out from taking over, but just as importantly it does a ton for balance posture and some stabilizer muscles. This strong balance building, etc., goes a long way in strength training and athletics where proper stance and not falling over during sets really helps you get the most from exercise. And it doesn’t have to be yoga, but find something that works for you! Try some things and see what you like best.
Important Disclaimer! While these questions need to be answered to provide more specifics, don’t give a ton of personally identifiable information! You don’t want to dox yourself accidentally. You don’t need to say “here are the names of the doctors I’ve seen” or “my previous exercise experience is doing varsity tennis at [specific high school name] in 2008” or anything like that. We want answers to be able to give your proper suggestions, not answers that let spammers and scammers come into your inbox, etc.!
Edit: I forgot to ask how serious the injuries were. Are we talking hairline fracture or full on shattered-in-bed-and-casts situation?
#1-2 The wrist situation was 3 years ago, my left wrist specially was really messed up nearly exposed fracture , 3-4 months healing with cast and from that followed 6 months of physical therapy extending and contracting the wrist, grabbing some small heights etc…, after I was told that I would regain my strength along the way, just to take it easy for a year.
Well the strength was true, I feel much better, in day to day tasks I don’t feel a thing.
#3 Now when carrying heavy things from time to time and after 7-10 push ups I start to feel not pain but that I can’t do it any longer and crumble, like that last set or the last seconds of planking.
About my height and weight I am 1.84 and 80kg, I feel healthy, I can run a good distances, and still stuck at skateboarding (now with wirst guards) but every time I go to some bars on the park or try to climb I just feel that I have spaghetti for arms.
Now about experience, I started working out mostly my abs and core strength because I heard it could help with my posture at the desk and the results were clear, but then I feel and haven’t done a workout session in years.
In the workout I used to do, where I took notes for my future abs workout, were just ripped from online guides and then I would take notes about my gains and experiment how could I improve.
But anyways I will take your tips on the flexibility stuff, that cobra thing is actually funny I used to skip it till I tried for the first time and it felt so good that I continued.
Part 1 of Response:
Okay, this all sounds like really good news! Taking all these answers into account, and with no pain in the wrists when you crumble during push ups, it really sounds like you’re just hitting your failure point in your set after 7-10 reps.
Supplement with Knee Push Ups: If you’re already doing multiple sets of pushups with 7-10 reps per set during your workout and finding it hard to increase the amount, one of the first things to try is to drop to your knees to take a lot of the weight off and continue doing pushups normally. (Here’s an example of knee push ups for the form, use your knees to support your weight instead of your toes and lift your feet like this). So say you start your first set of push ups, you hit your 10 reps and then you just can’t push up again to get 11 and crumble. Instead of stopping, drop into knee push ups and keep going. Maybe you can only get a few more doing this, maybe you find you can do another 10 before crumbling again. Either way, this will let your muscles continue to breakdown and get used to doing more to the point where you can increase your normal reps after a while.
Make sure you’re taking at least two minutes in between sets at this point so you’re not hindered when you go to pump out your next set of push ups too (take more time if you need it but I wouldn’t go over 5 minutes as you risk making your body cold again). Then do it again, going to knee push ups as you feel comfortable doing, and so on until you’ve done all your sets. Some ballistic stretching in between can help keep your body warm and help your muscles for the next set too.
Know what muscles are being used during push ups: Push ups mostly work your chest, shoulders and triceps (with an engaged core) as seen here in this diagram illustration. Any one of these or the whole combination of them might be the big cause in hitting failure sooner than you’d like. This means two big things: building up your chest muscles and your shoulder muscles need to be done as well, not just the arms. And because push ups use the triceps to aid the other muscles in push ups, it’s not really using your biceps so arms overall are likely not playing the biggest role in your current crumbling (though you should still work the biceps separately to support balanced arms which we’ll talk about later).
Different types of Push Ups: Here’s the fun part – variety that targets different areas for functionality and keeps push ups from getting stale and boring. Let’s say you’ve supplemented your push up sets with knee push ups. You’ve been consistent and now find that you’ve built up to a point where you pump out a number you’re happy with, proper form and all. Change it up! Start with a set of standard push ups. Maybe the next set you do Close Arm/Military Style Push Ups to put more into your arms. Then for the third set you do Wide Push Ups to give your arms a rest and let your chest muscles really shine. Then the next set you do Diamond Push Ups to really test those triceps.
Some of these might be near impossible at first, which is why I suggest using knee push ups to build up your standard form to a strong point first. Maybe even after that you find you are only able to do five Close Arm/Military Push Ups at first. Maybe you only get two Diamond Push Ups in before you collapse again. That’s okay. Do what you can and if you’re not happy with the number, employ the knee technique again so you can do knee push ups with these variations to build up more.
Some of the best examples that can be accessed for free to see these variations in action would be the P90X Chest and Back routine, which is currently still free on the internet archive. You don’t have to do the full routine (in fact, don’t, it’s way too much right now and a lot of times even later). Rather, skim through the video, look at the different variations. Listen to the instructor, he’ll tell you how to do proper form, how to modify the exercise if it’s too hard or too easy, how to not get hurt, etc. He’ll also go over the benefits and how to use those cool push up bars that @[email protected] commented about if you want to pick some up!
There are other variations too not in this video you might be interested in. Slow Count Push Ups, Plyometric Push Ups with or without clapping, etc., but the ones here are great to get into first.
(Note 1: While the opening warm up routine in the video is still great, the static stretching that comes into play after is outdated and should not be done before the workout. The ballistic/dynamic stretching they do is still great and I’d add even more to replace the static stuff if you do pull the warm up/stretch routine from this opening for your own routine).
(Note 2: I’ve never had issues with the Dive Bomber Push Up, but some people I know tweaked their rotator cuff going too hard with these so do what you feel safe doing. Usually something hurting in a good way that feels like progress is very different from something hurting in a bad way that feels wrong, so listen to your body!).
Part 2 of Response:
Okay, but what if I still want to build up those arms?: I’m not entirely sure the equipment you’re working with here, but you might want to try some traditional dumbbell/free weight stuff at lower weights and see how it feels. If it’s too much, don’t be afraid to go way down and start with 5 pound (I’m not sure what that is in kg) weights, or even a resistance band with low resistance. These are great home options too.
If you have full gym access, you might want to also try assisted machines with adjustable weight. They don’t have the full range of motion that really helps those stabilizer muscles build like the free weights or bands, but they are a good way to essentially get a spot from a machine assist to keep you steady, using good form, and lifting in a way that’s comfortable for you. Ask an employee or a friendly person for help if you’re not sure how to use a machine properly.
Otherwise, you’re gonna need some options. I like working arms (biceps and triceps) with either shoulders or split up with something else (chest and triceps, back and biceps, arms and legs, etc.) depending on the week. If you have the time to do a dedicated bicep and tricep workout that’s totally fine, but usually doing them in an appropriate combo means I’m not taking a full day to just focus on these smaller muscles and lets me add them in somewhere else so I can instead use that extra day for cardio, yoga, rest, etc. Again though, if you have the time and want to do them alone, that’s great too!
As far as exercises go, the best resource to show a lot of great variety for arm (and shoulder) workouts that I can offer for free are in the P90X Arms and Shoulders routine video that’s up on the internet archive still. Again, the instructor will tell you what’s doing what, how to modify it as needed, how to do it safely, etc., so it’s worth skimming through and seeing what arm exercises you want to try.
(Note: The same disclaimer about the opening static stretches being outdated applies. I’d also say that the Upright Rows and the Crouching Cohen Curls are questionable these days. You’ll still see both recommended in a lot of resources like bodybuilding.com, etc., while others discourage them. They demand such a proper form that I don’t put them in my routine and sub them out if I’m actually doing the P90X program. It’s hard to keep that form with higher weights and as you get more tired, so they become very risky at causing injuries, not worth it in my book. Even when they don’t result in injury for me, my form starts getting sloppier the more tired I get so I’m not even getting the most out of them that I should, just burning energy that should be put into a different exercise).
A note about the biceps: Again, since they aren’t really used in push ups you don’t need to build them up to increase your push up number. But, it’s good to balance those arms out, especially to take some of the strain off your legs when lifting heavy things in your day to day life. Take a second to flex your bicep, then rotate your wrist back and forth. You’ll see your bicep move depending on where your wrist is turned. This is why the full range twist is important on static bicep curls and why doing things like hammer curls can help fill out the bicep completely.
A side note here that’s related, it’s worth doing some back exercises too to balance the body out (and improve wrist strength!). If you start getting a strong big chest, posture and balance can suffer if you haven’t also been working your back muscles up to.
About those legs: You’re doing great by thinking about your core as it’s important in making sure you can do other things like push ups and arm exercises with proper form. Skating is also great but you might want to do some leg exercises on a day of the week. Skating is fantastic at aiding that plyometric function in the legs if you can switch and use both to push with ease – those quick strength pushes that you need for athletics are in the motion, as well as helping with balance muscles for the leg you keep on the board when pushing with the other.
It’s also a nice bit of cardio that can build endurance and breath control. But, for leg strength itself, you need strength training routines. And you might not care about legs and that’s totally fine too. I barely did anything with them back in my “glamour muscles only” days. But one of the things you mentioned was lifting heavy stuff, and getting stronger at lifting with legs is exactly what leg strength training builds if that interests you. It also supports the other muscles – wobbly legs can hinder your stance during arm exercises, even push ups, whereas strong legs really can help you get that martial artist stance that let’s you get the most out of proper form in exercises that have otherwise nothing to do with legs.
Proper Nutrition and Recovery Days are important too: Make sure to get enough sleep, protein and nutrition to support your routine. Sometimes people work extremely hard consistently but find themselves never improving, even after months and months of staying dedicated. That’s because recovering is just as important as working out. You break down your muscles during exercise so that they can rebuild stronger. But, if you’re breaking them down and then not getting enough sleep or eating enough protein, they don’t rebuild and just keep breaking down, hence why you can stall in progress even when working out every week.
Look into what your protein needs, calorie needs, and nutrition needs are for your body weight and goals to make sure you have enough to rebuild your muscles after working out. Make sure to get enough sleep since that’s when the repair really takes place. If you find you haven’t been doing one or both of these, it might actually be the reason why you stall at 7-10 push ups instead of finding yourself increasing over time!
Ending Notes: This is a lot and there’s always more! There are great examples for more core exercises too if you need or want them, but I hope this is a good starting point. Definitely come back and ask for help when you need it, there are a lot of people here to do so. Also, report on your progress if you want (don’t feel pressured to though) if anything specific really helps and works so others in a similar situation can try what you’ve found works!
Edit: Accidentally had Congdon Curls listed as a safety hazard before. Crouching Cohen Curls are the bicep exercise that I meant to list as a safety issue. Congdon Curls are generally fine but pay close attention to your back on the hammer down motion – if it feels like it’s straining your back instead of your biceps then readjust your stance and lower weight, or cut them out of your routine if that doesn’t work.
Damn you really known your stuff, are you doing bodybuilding professional or just Chad gym bro /PT?
Either way for now I got this down:
Bro I can’t tank you enough, when I posted this I was expecting small tips just to improve my wrist strength and starting an arms workout but you not only went the extra mile to see if it was okay for me to do this, as well as going nuts with the help.
Wherever you are I just wish you the best.
Haha I think a side effect of watching action movies and Dragon Ball Z as a kid just made me want to understand training and physical improvement early on, seeing capable characters survive dangerous situations that I knew I wouldn’t be able to as a gangly kid. I was constantly absorbing what I could, from high school sports, free year of personal trainer at the gym, college weight lifting and nutrition electives, martial arts instructors, military, etc., and all the constantly emerging studies that suggest new information or disprove old ideas.
I know what it’s like to fight for a comeback after dealing with medical issues and injuries and had to do a lot of research and consulting with experts to do so. It’s the kind of thing I need to pay forward since I’ve been there and wouldn’t be improving again without help!
One note is I realized I accidentally listed Congdon Curls as potentially dangerous in my response, but I meant to list Crouching Cohen Curls. Congdon Curls are generally fine but pay close attention to your back on the hammer down motion – if it feels like it’s straining your back instead of your biceps then readjust your stance and lower the weight, or cut them out of your routine if that doesn’t work.
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OP could also try something like these to take strain off his wrists long term if he prefers.
This is a good suggestion – they will take some strain off the wrists and increase range of motion per rep as an added bonus!
Again though, since we’re not just dealing with routine strain and pain, but actual broken bones that required medical attention, I do think it’s important that OP answers the questions in my original comment before we can give a hard recommendation (past the flexibility advice they asked for which I think is likely safe to suggest on).
We don’t know the extent of their injuries (from broken bones to any torn muscles and ligaments connected to the injuries) or where they are at in their recovery. If they’re still early in the recovery process, or if they recovered but were injured in a way that caused permanent fragility, they might need to wait longer and do lighter things to even build up to pushups or heavily modify the form by doing them on their knees.
I’m not knocking this though, I do think you have a fantastic suggestion here, I just want to make sure we don’t put it in OP’s head that they can grab a pair of these and start pumping out pushups. There are just too many talented athletes that thought they could forgo medical advice and ended up with permanent injuries that hindered them from ever improving or being as great as they were, as well as military members that tried to push through problems instead of seeing the doc and ended up on permanent profile as a result. If OP needs to start with low-weight assisted machines first (especially if they’re a high body weight) or low-resistance bands, etc., before pushing up their body weight on a pair of these, we need to know!
Yeah, I think I good I just gotta build up a bit of strength on wrists I was told that I would be fine, just to take it easy during a year, day to day things I don’t feel a thing now when it comes to put some serious straign on my wrists I just crumble no pain just like a last set or rep.
Oh those seem cool, maybe I will order some or sign up for a gym to try.