wrist and forearm strenghtening exercises

Discussion in 'Aikido Resources' started by fred123, Feb 12, 2009.

  1. fred123

    fred123 Valued Member

    Hi all

    i was hoping people would be so kind as to share their knowledge and experience with me on this subject

    im looking for creative ways to strenghten the wrists and forearms.
    i think its far to say most people know dumbell exercises squeezy things etc but id like to hear peoples personal ideas and any not so normal methods if people have any
    to strengten this area of the body.

    thanks
     
  2. Fish Of Doom

    Fish Of Doom Will : Mind : Motion Supporter

    you should post this in general discussion, or health & fitness, since other arts can have other great methods to develop strength :p

    knuckle pushups are always a good option, since you need wrist stability to avoid having your fist collapse, and one particular favourite of mine is getting a not so long-ish stick, say a broom handle, and grab it by the middle. then you hold it out in front of you, horizontal, and twist your wrist to one direction, then the other, slowly, as far as you can. remember to keep a loose grip so that you get maximum stretching. this will help your wrists, forearms and shoulders. also, try to avoid moving the rest of your arm so that the movement comes completely from the elbow down.

    once you've done that for a while, try doing figures of eight, once again keeping your arm straight, but this time remember to swing your arm in during the inwards part of the twirl or you're liable to get a stick to the nuts (personal experience).

    you could theoretically also do it slowly with a VERY lightly loaded short barbell, but unless you already have pretty strong arms i wouldn't recommend it too much.
     
  3. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    Buy a bokken and practice suburi (single cuts) as you make the cut , just as you would be making contact, "wring" the bokken hilt as though wringing water from a cloth.

    Start with one hundred cuts and add on another hundred etc.



    regards koyo
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2009
  4. Custom Volusia

    Custom Volusia Valued Member

    You can buy this or make it. Take a bar that is about 18in long and tie a rope that is about 3 feet long in the center. Wrap the other end of the rope through/around a plate or dumbbell. Hold the bar out at shoulder level and start turning it too wrap the rope around the bar while lifting the weight off the ground. Once the weight is at the top, turn it the opposite direction to lower the weight back down. Start at 5 lbs.

    Like I said, you can buy the set up at most sporting goods stores and even wal-mart. They are cheap and well made.

    It will BURN your forearms!!
     
  5. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    I made one of these recently and it's fab :)

    Also, take an empty paint tin and stick half a broom handle in it. Fill the tin with cement. Chishi time :D

    Mitch
     
  6. fred123

    fred123 Valued Member

    I will definetly be trying the methods given

    thanks
     
  7. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    remember that strong also means flexible so rotate the wrists in every direction after exercises.

    regards koyo
     
  8. aikiwolfie

    aikiwolfie ... Supporter

    :woo: you beat me to it! :bang::saz:
     
  9. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    TIMING not speed grasshopper.

    regards koyo:hat:
     
  10. Dead_pool

    Dead_pool Spes mea in nihil Deus MAP 2017 Moi Award

  11. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    KILLER exrecise for you. Take an ordinary brush pole. Hold it at the top extend your arm straight out to the side.KEEP the arm horizontal keeping the pole vertical press it up through your fingers and thumb. You must NOT rotate it or "thow" it even an inch.

    Using ONLY the pressure of your fingers and thumb see if you can take it all the way up.

    I have more than forty years aikido and sword training. I find it quite hard to do.:evil::evil:

    regards koyo
     
  12. Adam Alexander

    Adam Alexander Valued Member

    I put a 5' long 2x4 in a 5 gal. bucket of wet cement. Once set, I cut a hole in the tread of an old tire and slid it onto the 2x4 and then started pounding on it with my bokken.

    It was very productive. Not only strengthened my wrists, but opened up many ideas in my Aikido.
     
  13. KSW_123

    KSW_123 Valued Member

    I do Kuk Sool Won, but we have similar needs in wrist, forearm, and hand strength.
    Buy the book Mastery of Hand Strength by John Brookfield. It is full of great exercises. This guy is a monster of lower arm strength.
    You can also try the forearm bar from monsterbars.com.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2009
  14. KSstudent

    KSstudent Valued Member

    Don't forget GM Suh's open and close hands exersize he demonstrates at the anual seminars. Sounds easy but remember to open all the way and close tight. This will "Burn" after only a short time
     
  15. macker

    macker Valued Member

  16. Custom Volusia

    Custom Volusia Valued Member

    [​IMG]

    ^^^a version of what I was talking about
     
  17. fred123

    fred123 Valued Member

    great thanks everyone for your replys :cool:
     
  18. koyo

    koyo Passed away, but always remembered. RIP.

    ONCE YOUR WRISTS ARE STRONGER have a partner apply nikkyo (kaeshe waza is shown). You then press up into it by degees.

    Best way to strenghten your wrist is to "receive" the locks.

    CV's individual one is a good one.( I popped a link in my watch doing that one..so no watch):)


    regards koyo
     

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  19. David Rubens

    David Rubens Valued Member

    It has been interesting following the conversation.

    I especially like the one with rolling the weight up on a piece of broom handle. I keep one of those in the office, and try and do it a couple of times a day at least – really good for getting that pumped feeling in your fore-arms, as well as the almost immediate lactic-acid burn!

    An excellent exercise that both builds up arm power as well as gives you powerful aikido is one that was done a lot in Iwama. Get a good solid car tyre, arrange it so that it is standing up in a strong and stable way (you might need to construct a simple frame for it), then use it for suburi practice, but each time you strike down (and as it is a tyre, you can really have a go for it!), try and stop the bokken bouncing back up. The two effects you are likely to feel quite fast is how tired your arms get, and how achingly tired your shoulders get. Keep practicing, this is a really good one, and develops an awareness of centredness, lowering your posture, getting connected to the ground, etc.

    On another level, it is interesting to see how the concept of power development differs so radically between east and west. In the west, we see power in terms of muscles (the bigger your muscles, the more powerful you are), as well as concentrating on the upper body (which is why you never have to queue up to get on the calf machine at the gym). We also see power development in terms of working each muscle in isolation, often in such a way as to create problems in other areas of our body (elbows, knees, lower back, etc).

    In the east, power is seen more holistically in terms of tendons and ligaments (which are what connects your muscles to your skeletal frame), and the way you develop that is by holding postures over time, and then using your breathing to go deeper into your body, relaxing on the physical level and raising your ‘body awareness’ on a higher level. This is well recognised in yoga and tai chi, but is also connected to the eastern idea that you achieve change in the world through stillness and preparation, rather than through action and dominance (as in the west).

    Two exercise that I do a lot of, and which I find develops real ‘total body’ power, is firstly what is known in yoga as the plank, which is basically a push-up in the extended position. Find your correct centre, so that your shoulders are really above your wrists – and then just hold it. It is amazing how quickly you become aware of your own body by just maintaining a single position. If you want to add to that, then just drop into the position by bending your elbows slightly – hold for three long breaths, drop again, three breaths, etc. I can do a single ‘push-up’ in ten minutes like this – and I have had grown men who could do eighty fast push-ups actually crying in pain after two minutes of holding the position!

    Another exercise is a supported hand-stand, against a wall. Start off in push-up position with your feet against a wall, then maintain the push up and put your feet higher up the wall, so that you are in an inclined push-up position – and then slowly walk towards the wall with your hands, raising your feet, so you come to a semi-hand-stand position. Just hold it there, and then try and raise your body by extending your arms through the floor. The natural tendency is to ‘hunch’ into the shoulders, but the power comes from pushing down with your arms and raising your shoulders so that you are lengthening your body as much as possible.

    Use ‘Correct Endeavour’ to allow the body to become powerful naturally, by holding the position and using your breathing to increase body awareness – don’t ‘force’ your body into improvement. As always, feel the rhythm and relax into it!

    As Koyo says, the other best way to develop a powerful aiki-body (including aiki-wrists) is to have the technique applied to you. However, it is absolutely vital that this is done at a level that you feel comfortable and unthreatened by. As soon as the technique is ‘snapped’ on, causing you to flinch, you have dome damage both on the physical level creating micro-tears in muscle fibres, tendons, etc, and you will also have created psychological scars that are involved with issues of trust, offering your body, opening yourself up to the technique, etc. Start off receiving at 50% or 60%, something that you feel absolutely at ease with, and then through slow smooth repetitions, you will naturally get more powerful, and after ten minutes you will be able to take a much more powerful technique, but with the same level of comfort.

    It is amazing how those exercises you did in your youth come back to haunt you thirty years later, it is worth while doing it properly from the beginning.

    David
     
  20. Custom Volusia

    Custom Volusia Valued Member

    I love the plank position...great exercise that can be done almost anywhere!! Might look odd in the local grocery store though....
     

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