Pain guide · Wrist and hand pain

Wrist pain when lifting weights: bench, front squats, curls and presses, grip, wraps and the TFCC

Most wrist pain from lifting comes from holding a heavy load with the wrist bent back, as in a bench press with the bar behind the wrist, a front rack or an overhead press, or twisted, as in straight-bar curls. Where it hurts is the best clue: the back of the wrist, the little-finger side, the thumb side, or tingling in the fingers each point somewhere different. Most of it settles with a change of grip, bar position and load rather than time off, though no trial has tested these changes in lifters.

Call 999 or go to accident and emergency (A&E) after an injury that leaves the wrist out of shape, numb, white, blue or cold. Get help the same day, through an urgent general practitioner (GP) appointment or the National Health Service's 111 line (NHS 111), after a fall on an outstretched hand with pain at the base of the thumb, for a hot, swollen joint with a high temperature, or for numbness that's getting worse. This guide covers each lift, what two small trials found about wrist wraps, and a three-stage plan with 3D demos that rebuilds forearm strength and brings the bar back one lift at a time.

3-stage exercise plan When to get help 30 sourcesUpdated 25 October 2026

When to get help first

Exercise is for pain that has been checked or is clearly mild and settling.

Get urgent medical help if

Call 999 or go to A&E after an injury (don't drive yourself) if the arm, wrist or hand is numb, tingling or has pins and needles; a bone is sticking out or a bad cut is bleeding heavily; or the wrist, thumb or a finger has changed shape, is at an odd angle, or has turned blue, grey, white or cold.
Same day (NHS 111): severe wrist pain; you feel faint, dizzy or sick from the pain, or you feel unwell, hot, cold or shivery; you heard a snap, grinding or popping noise when you hurt it; you can't move your wrist or hold things; your wrist has changed shape or colour; a lump on your wrist is very painful, hot or red; or you have lost the feeling in part or all of your hand. These might be signs of a broken wrist or an infection.
Same day: after a fall onto an outstretched hand, pain or tenderness at the base of the thumb on the back of the wrist (the hollow called the snuffbox), even if the wrist moves well or the first X-ray was normal. A broken scaphoid can hide on the first X-ray and is slow to heal if it's missed, so ask what follow-up is planned.
Same day: a joint or lump that is hot, red and swollen, or hand or wrist pain with a high temperature or feeling hot, cold or shivery. It could be an infection or gout.
Same day (NHS 111): after an injury, the forearm locks so you can't turn the palm up or down, or the end of the forearm bone on the little-finger side clunks or sticks up at the back of the wrist. The joint between the forearm bones may have come out of place.
Contact your GP practice urgently (or NHS 111 if it's closed): clumsiness in your hands, or numbness, pins and needles or weakness in one or both arms that is getting worse.
Same day: both hands numb or clumsy (dropping things, trouble with buttons or handwriting), especially with unsteady walking or falls. Pressure on the spinal cord in the neck can do this, and it is often first mistaken for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Call 999 or go to A&E: sudden, severe pain in a muscle of the forearm or hand, which may be worse when you stretch it, with swelling, numbness, weakness or pins and needles, or tightness or difficulty moving the fingers. This can be acute compartment syndrome, which needs surgery as soon as possible. It usually follows an injury, a crush, or a cast or bandage that is too tight. Do not drive yourself to A&E.

See a doctor or physiotherapist if

Not improved after 2 weeks of looking after it at home, getting worse, keeps coming back, or stopping you doing normal activities. In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy.
Any tingling or loss of feeling in the hand or wrist.
You have diabetes and a hand problem: the NHS says hand problems can be more serious if you have diabetes.
Carpal tunnel symptoms that are getting worse, not going away, or not helped by treatment at home; sooner if the thumb is weak or the muscle at the base of the thumb looks thinner.
A lump that gets bigger, is hard or doesn't move.
The wrist feels unstable or weak, or clicks with pain: see a GP or physiotherapist. It may need a hand specialist to check it.
A deep ache in the middle of the back of the wrist that keeps coming back when you load it, often with a weaker grip, even if an X-ray was normal: see a GP or physiotherapist and ask whether a scan is needed. A hidden ganglion or, rarely, Kienböck's disease (loss of blood supply to a wrist bone) can be missed on early X-rays.
A teenager whose wrist still hurts the day after lifting, cleans, handstands or push-ups, or whose wrist is swollen: stop putting weight through the hands and see a GP or sports doctor. In growing athletes it can be a stress injury of the growth plate.
Swollen, stiff joints in several fingers or both hands, with morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asks GPs to refer suspected rheumatoid arthritis urgently when the small joints of the hands are affected, even if blood tests are normal.
You're over 50 and have broken your wrist: ask about a fracture liaison service to check your bone health.

Where does it hurt?

Location narrows the likely causes; it does not diagnose.

The back of the wrist, in the middle, in the front rack, at the bottom of a press, or in a bench press with the bar behind the wrist

Often the joint lining being pinched, or a hidden ganglion, in a wrist bent back under load. Take the bend out of the wrist first, as this guide describes.

The back of the wrist, with painful clicking or a clunk under load

Possibly the ligament between two of the wrist bones (the scapholunate ligament), often injured in a fall on a bent-back wrist: get it checked.

Read: Wrist sprain or fracture →The little-finger side, worse turning the forearm, curling with a straight bar or gripping palm down

Often the cartilage cushion there, the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), the tendon beside it, or the forearm bone pressing on the wrist (ulnar impaction).

Read: TFCC tear →The thumb side at the base of the thumb, worse with hammer curls or thumb-up grips

Often de Quervain's tenosynovitis.

Read: De Quervain's tenosynovitis →The thumb side, a few finger-widths up the forearm, sometimes with a creaking feel

Possibly intersection syndrome.

Read: Intersection syndrome →Tingling in the thumb and first fingers, worse with the wrist bent back or at night

Usually carpal tunnel syndrome. Change the wrist position, and see a GP if it lasts.

Read: Carpal tunnel syndrome →A smooth lump on the back of the wrist

Often a ganglion. See a GP if it grows or is hard, and get help the same day if it is very painful, hot or red.

Read: Ganglion cyst →Pain at the base of the thumb after a fall on an outstretched hand or a missed lift

It can be a broken scaphoid, which can hide on the first X-ray: get it checked the same day, even if the wrist moves well.

Read: Scaphoid fracture →A deep ache in the middle of the back of the wrist that keeps coming back, with a weaker grip

Rarely, Kienböck's disease, which early X-rays can miss.

Read: Kienböck's disease →A teenager's wrist, sore the day after cleans, handstands or front squats

Possibly a stress injury of the growth plate: stop putting weight through the hands and get it checked.

Read: Gymnast's wrist →Push-ups, planks, downward dog or burpees

Our wrist pain in push-ups guide covers body weight through the hands.

Read: Wrist pain in push-ups and yoga →The elbow or the top of the forearm when you lift

Usually tennis or golfer's elbow: our elbow pain when lifting guide covers grip and building back.

Read: Elbow pain when lifting →The forearm without wrist pain

Our forearm pain guide maps the causes.

Read: Forearm pain →

Understand it

Why lifting hurts the wristEmerging evidence

Lifting asks the wrist to hold heavy loads in positions it rarely meets in daily life: bent far back under a bar, as in the front rack and the catch of a clean, which went with about 92 degrees of wrist extension in 20 CrossFit athletes; with the bar behind the forearm in a bench or overhead press; twisted, as in straight-bar curls and palm-down grips; or gripping hard for long sets. In 8 cadaver wrists, a push-up with the wrist bent back raised the peak pressure inside the joint compared with a straight wrist, and bending the wrist back raised the pressure in the carpal tunnel from 32 to 110 millimetres of mercury in people with carpal tunnel syndrome. No study has measured the loads on the wrist in the bench press, front squat or curl.

Most lifting wrist pain is an overload of the joint lining, the tendons or the ligaments that settles with a change of position and load. Where it hurts sorts the causes. Pain on the back of the wrist when it's loaded bent back points to the joint lining being pinched or a hidden ganglion, and painful clicking or grinding under load, noticed in push-ups or a military press, to the scapholunate ligament. Pain on the little-finger side, worse turning the forearm, gripping palm down or bending the wrist towards the little finger, sometimes with clicking or a weaker grip, points to the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), the tendon beside it or ulnar impaction; a review notes that traumatic TFCC tears can come from a sudden load, such as 'a weightlifter catching a heavy bar'.

Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Other causes to know

Pain, swelling and stiffness at the base of the thumb can be tendonitis (de Quervain's) or arthritis, the NHS says, and pain a few finger-widths further up the forearm can be intersection syndrome. Tingling in the thumb, index and middle fingers, often worse at night, is carpal tunnel syndrome, and NHS inform says problems in the neck can cause symptoms in the wrist and hand. A smooth lump on the back of the wrist is often a ganglion, which the NHS says is common and often gets better on its own.

After a fall on an outstretched hand or a missed lift, pain at the base of the thumb can be a broken scaphoid, the bone in 70% of broken wrist bones, which can hide on the first X-ray. Rarer causes are a stress fracture of the scaphoid, described in young high-level athletes who load the wrist bent back (one report was in a shot-putter), and Kienböck's disease, a loss of blood supply to one of the wrist bones that causes a deep central ache while early X-rays look normal. In young gymnasts, wrist pain affects about half, and in one group of 47, 89% of those with wrist pain still had it a year later; teenage lifters who catch cleans or do handstands load the wrist in the same way (our inference).

Sources 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 4, 13, 14

Who gets itEmerging evidence

The wrist and hand are among the most commonly injured areas in the weight-training sports, mostly strains, tendon problems and sprains. In a survey of 270 CrossFit athletes, 20.4% reported a hand or wrist injury, three-quarters of them at the wrist, and 29.1% of those injured hurt the same area again; in 393 gym users, 3.6% reported a wrist injury in 6 months. In 245 powerlifters, hand and wrist injuries were more frequent in women and in lifters over 40. No study has given a wrist injury rate per hour of lifting.

Sources 15, 16, 17, 18

When a scan helpsEmerging evidence

For wrist pain without an injury or warning signs, the NHS starts with looking after it at home, and a GP if it isn't better after 2 weeks, not a scan. After a fall with pain at the base of the thumb, X-rays come first, and normal first X-rays don't rule out a broken scaphoid, so follow-up imaging is arranged.

Pain on the back of the wrist that lasts despite normal X-rays may need an ultrasound or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan for a hidden ganglion, or an MRI for Kienböck's disease, an expert review says. For a suspected TFCC tear, MRI is the usual scan (a review puts the share of tears it picks up at about 92%), and a deep tear may need a hand surgeon. A review of little-finger-side pain advises plain X-rays for wrist pain, whether it is new or long-lasting, with other scans added as needed.

Sources 7, 11, 4, 5, 6

How it usually goesEmerging evidence

Most soft tissue wrist injuries improve a lot within 6 weeks, though some take 3 months or longer, an NHS physiotherapy leaflet says. In the CrossFit survey, 72.8% of those injured were back to their usual training within a month, but 58.2% hadn't fully healed by then and almost a third hurt the same area again, which argues for building back gradually. No one can promise a timescale.

Sources 19, 16

What helps, and how strong the evidence is

Wrist position changes the loadEmerging evidence

In 8 cadaver wrists, a push-up with the wrist bent back raised the peak pressure between the forearm bone and the scaphoid compared with a straight wrist, and bending the wrist back raised the pressure in the carpal tunnel about threefold in people with carpal tunnel syndrome. A good clean catch went with about 92 degrees of wrist extension. These are studies of how the wrist is loaded, not trials in people with pain, but they support taking the bend out of the wrist while it is sore.

No study has tested grip width, where the bar sits in the hand or a thumbs-round grip against wrist pain. Holding the bar low in the palm with the wrist stacked over the elbow is the site's coaching advice (editorial).

Sources 2, 3, 1

Wrist wraps: two small trials, both of performance onlyEmerging evidence

In a randomised crossover trial of 18 resistance-trained men and women, flexible and stiff wrist wraps didn't change the most they could bench press once, their power or bar speed; the lifters felt more stable in the wraps but less comfortable. In a randomised crossover trial of 54 CrossFit athletes, a wrap didn't change grip strength (35.7 against 35.6 kg) or grip endurance.

Both trials measured performance only. No study has tested wraps for wrist pain, or whether wearing them weakens the wrist, so neither 'wraps fix wrist pain' nor 'wraps weaken your wrists' has been shown either way.

Sources 20, 21

Curls: a straight bar or an EZ bar is a matter of comfortEmerging evidence

In 12 people, muscle activity differed little between straight-bar and EZ-bar curls, which made the choice 'a matter of subjective comfort'. With little-finger-side pain, turning the forearm hurts, and a straight bar holds the palms fully up; reviews say a palm-down grip is 'typically painful' with ulnar impaction. So an EZ bar or dumbbells usually suit a sore wrist better, though no trial has compared them in people with wrist pain.

Sources 22, 5, 6

Don't rest it for longStrong evidence

The NHS says resting a repetitive strain for more than a few days makes the area weaker and less flexible, and NHS inform says avoid sport or heavy lifting until there is less discomfort and good movement. For the first days, the NHS wrist pain page suggests rest when you can, ice for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, gentle movement, paracetamol or ibuprofen gel, a splint if it helps, no heat for 2 to 3 days after an injury, and not lifting heavy objects or gripping hard.

Sources 23, 9, 7

Rebuilding: NHS wrist programmes, borrowedEmerging evidence

No trial has tested a programme for lifters' wrist pain. An NHS physiotherapy leaflet for soft tissue wrist injuries uses weighted wrist bends both ways, forearm turning and a towel squeeze, up to 10 repetitions. An NHS booklet for after a broken wrist brings weight back through the hand at a quarter, half, three-quarters and all of your body weight, on a table, then a wall, then the floor, and builds strength to 3 sets of 10 every other day. Using the booklet after a lifting strain is our borrowing.

Sources 19, 24

Little-finger-side pain: a phase-based plan that hasn't been testedEmerging evidence

For TFCC injuries, a narrative review proposes rest and a splint, then physiotherapy and step-by-step loading, with targets of pain at 3 out of 10 or less before loading and 2 or less with weight through the hand; its authors call this an untested framework. For ulnar impaction, a splint and anti-inflammatories come first. Our TFCC tear guide follows these steps.

Sources 5, 6

How much pain is OK while you exercise?

Up to about 5 out of 10, settled within half an hour, no worse the next morning; about 3 out of 10 on the little-finger side, and tingling is a stop signEmerging evidence

Some discomfort during these exercises is fine and doesn't mean you are doing damage. Keep it to about 5 out of 10 or less. It should settle within half an hour or so, and your wrist should be no worse the next morning. If it is, do fewer, smaller or lighter next time, not nothing. This is the wrist hub's rule: an NHS wrist rehabilitation booklet uses the same limit, and NHS inform's hand exercises use the same scale (0 to 3 is minimal, 4 to 5 acceptable and 6 to 10 too much).

On the little-finger side, keep it lower: about 3 out of 10 during and after exercise, and 2 or less with weight through the hand, as our TFCC tear guide borrows from a review's untested targets. Painful clicking, a clunk or the wrist giving way means stop that movement and go back a step.

Tingling and numbness are different. With nerve glides a little extra tingling is expected but should fade within an hour, an NHS hand therapy leaflet says, and tingling brought on by a lift means change the wrist position. Stop and get advice if numbness spreads or lasts, or your grip or thumb gets weaker. A teenager's sore growth plate gets no pain allowance: no weight through the hands while it's sore, as our gymnast's wrist guide says.

Sources 24, 25, 5, 26

The exercise plan: 3 stages

Start at the first stage. Each move opens a full guide with a 3D demo.

Stage 1

Change the grip, keep the wrist moving

About weeks 0 to 2. Keep training with a straight wrist, keep the fingers and wrist moving, and start still holds for sore tendons. Ice and a splint if they help, and no heavy lifting or hard gripping for now, as the NHS and NHS inform advise. With a known diagnosis, such as a TFCC tear or de Quervain's, that guide's plan comes first.

Wrist & forearm flow demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment

2 or 3 slow reps of each movement at a time, every hour or so, adding 1 or 2 every few days, then sets of 8 · NHS inform's pacing for hand exercises

Easier: Wrist circles · Harder: Wrist flexor stretch

Wrist circles demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWrist circlesBeginner · No equipment

10 slow circles each way · As in our wrist pain in push-ups guide (editorial)

Harder: Wrist flexor stretch

Reverse wrist curl demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoReverse wrist curlBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box

5 holds of 30 to 45 s, once a day, held still with the wrist level and the forearm supported · If the back of the wrist or forearm is sore. As in our elbow pain when lifting and tennis elbow guides (editorial; a UK consensus on tennis elbow uses holds of up to 60 s, 5 times, once a day). Light enough to stay within the pain rule

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

Wrist curls demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell

5 holds of 30 to 45 s, once a day, held still, palm up, the forearm supported · If the palm side is sore. As in our elbow pain when lifting and golfer's elbow guides (editorial)

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

Dumbbell floor press demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDumbbell floor pressIntermediate · A dumbbell

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping with 2 or 3 reps in reserve · The move page's dose (editorial), with your palms facing each other, so pressing carries on with a straight wrist

Easier: Chest press machine · Harder: Bench press with chains

Frankenstein squat (hands-free front squat) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoFrankenstein squat (hands-free front squat)Intermediate · A barbell

2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 with an empty or light bar · The move page's dose (editorial): a front squat with no weight through the hands

Easier: Machine hack squat · Harder: Barbell front squat

Move on when: Gripping a cup, a bag or a dumbbell is comfortable, the holds stay within the pain rule, and your wrist is no worse the next morning (editorial).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 2

Load the forearm, then the wrist bent back

About weeks 2 to 6, the strength work every other day. Build strength in the forearm muscles, and bring weight back through a bent-back wrist step by step, as NHS wrist programmes do.

3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell

10 slow reps, holding each for a count of 5 at the top, with a weight that tires the wrist by the tenth; building to 3 sets of 10, every other day · The Oxford NHS wrist booklet's strengthening dose, written for after a broken wrist (borrowed); the Leicestershire leaflet uses weighted wrist bends too

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

3D demoReverse wrist curlBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box

The same: 10 slow reps with a 5-count hold, building to 3 sets of 10, every other day · The Oxford booklet's dose (borrowed)

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

Dumbbell forearm rotation demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDumbbell forearm rotationBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box

2 sets of 10 · As in our wrist pain in push-ups guide (editorial); the Leicestershire leaflet's weighted forearm turning

Easier: Wrist-extensor eccentrics · Harder: Plate pinch

Ball squeeze demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoBall squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions

Up to 10 squeezes, as firmly as you can without increasing the pain · The Leicestershire leaflet's squeeze, up to 10 repetitions; the effort limit is the move page's

Easier: Tendon glides (hand tendon gliding exercises) · Harder: Band finger extension

Wall push-up demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoWall push-upBeginner · A wall

Hands flat on a table, then a wall, holding 5 to 10 s with about a quarter, then a half, three-quarters and all of the weight you can put through them; then 2 to 3 sets of 10 · The Oxford booklet's weight-bearing steps, then our wrist pain in push-ups guide's dose (editorial)

Harder: Push-up

Farmer's carry demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoFarmer's carryIntermediate · A dumbbell + A kettlebell

3 walks of 20 to 30 m, light · As in our wrist pain in push-ups guide (editorial): a straight wrist under load

Harder: Suitcase carry

Move on when: 3 sets of 10 wrist bends and forearm turns pass the pain rule, weight through flat hands on a wall or table is comfortable, and your wrist is no worse the next morning (editorial, from the Oxford progression).

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Stage 3

Back to the bar, one lift at a time

From about weeks 4 to 6, once the second stage passes the pain rule. Your usual pressing, curling and squatting come back by the written steps below, with the positions that bend the wrist back furthest (the clean-grip front rack, catching cleans and handstands) last. Starting at about half your old weight and adding about 5 to 10% a week is editorial.

Neutral-grip dumbbell bench press demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoNeutral-grip dumbbell bench pressIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box

3 sets of 8 to 12 with 2 or 3 reps in reserve · Editorial

Easier: Barbell bench press · Harder: Bench press with bands

Barbell bench press demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoBarbell bench pressIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box

3 sets of 5 to 8 with 3 reps in reserve, from about half your old weight, adding about 5 to 10% a week while the pain rule holds · Editorial. The bar low in your palm over the forearm and your wrists stacked over your elbows, as the site's bench press guide and the move page say

Easier: Chest press machine · Harder: Dumbbell bench press

Dumbbell shoulder press (kick-up start) demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoDumbbell shoulder press (kick-up start)Intermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box

2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12, stopping with 2 or 3 reps in reserve · The move page's dose (editorial); palms facing in if a forward grip hurts, the site's overhead press guide's swap for wrist pain

Easier: Machine shoulder press · Harder: Behind-the-neck press

EZ-bar curl demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoEZ-bar curlIntermediate · EZ curl bar

3 sets of 8 to 12 · Editorial; a straight bar only if it stays comfortable

Easier: Seated dumbbell curl · Harder: Chin-up

3D demoPush-upIntermediate · No equipment

3 sets of 6 to 10, on fists or handles first, then flat hands · Our wrist pain in push-ups guide's dose

Easier: Wall push-up · Harder: Close-grip push-up (close triceps position)

Clean-grip front squat demonstrated on the 3D figure

3D demoClean-grip front squatAdvanced · A barbell

3 to 4 sets of 3 to 6, leaving about 2 reps in reserve · The move page's dose. Last, once crossed arms or straps feel easy, with your fingertips under the bar (two or three fingers are enough) and your elbows high, as the site's front squat guide teaches. Cleans and the push press come back after it (editorial)

Easier: Barbell box squat · Harder: Clean

Move on when: Our suggestion: your usual lifts, including the front rack and catching, pass the pain rule for 2 weeks. Keep one or two forearm exercises in your week; with little-finger-side pain, follow our TFCC tear guide's stages and its lower pain limit.

Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

What to change for now

The first days (written steps)

These come from the NHS, NHS inform and an NHS physiotherapy leaflet, except where a step is our suggestion.

1. Rest it when you can, but keep the fingers and wrist moving gently: resting a repetitive strain for more than a few days makes it weaker and stiffer (the NHS).
2. Ice wrapped in a towel for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours, and no heat for the first 2 to 3 days after an injury (the NHS).
3. Paracetamol or ibuprofen gel can ease the pain, the NHS says. One NHS physiotherapy leaflet suggests avoiding anti-inflammatories for the first 72 hours after a fresh soft tissue injury, so ask a pharmacist which suits you.
4. A splint can support your wrist and ease the pain, especially at night (the NHS).
5. Avoid sport or heavy lifting until there is less discomfort and good movement (NHS inform), and don't grip anything too tightly (the NHS). Train what doesn't hurt: legs with a hands-free front squat, machines with neutral handles, and cardio (our suggestion).

Sources 7, 9, 19, 23

Grip, bar position and the lifts (written steps)

Our 3D figure can't show where the bar sits in your hand. No trial has tested these changes in lifters with wrist pain, so each step names its source or is the site's coaching advice (editorial).

1. Go lighter and stop 2 or 3 reps short of failure on anything that loads the wrist; leave maximal bench presses, presses and catching for now (editorial).
2. Hold the bar low in your palm, over the forearm bones, with your wrist stacked over your elbow and your thumbs round the bar, not high in your fingers with the wrist bent back (the site's bench and overhead press guides; editorial). Bending a loaded wrist back raised the pressure inside the joint in a cadaver study.
3. For now, press with dumbbells and your palms facing each other, or press from the floor (editorial).
4. Curl with an EZ bar or dumbbells; in a lab study the difference from a straight bar was 'a matter of subjective comfort'. With little-finger-side pain, avoid palm-down grips and straight-bar curls; with thumb-side pain, leave hammer curls, as the move page says.
5. In the front rack, cross your arms or loop lifting straps round the bar, or use a goblet squat or a hands-free front squat, until a clean grip is comfortable (the site's front squat guide). Bring the clean grip back with two or three fingertips under the bar, and the catch of a clean last: it went with about 92 degrees of wrist extension.
6. For push-ups, planks and handstands, follow our wrist pain in push-ups guide: handles, fists or a bench first.

Sources 2, 3, 22, 5, 6, 1

Wrist wraps (written steps)

Wraps are optional, and they aren't a treatment. In two small trials they didn't change bench press strength or grip strength, though the lifters in the bench press trial felt more stable in them. No study has tested them for wrist pain, or whether they weaken the wrist.

1. If a wrap makes a heavy set comfortable, use it on the heavy sets and take it off for the lighter ones (editorial).
2. Keep building forearm strength alongside, with the exercises in the second stage (editorial).

Sources 20, 21

Splints, injections and specialist care

A splint at night can help, especially with carpal tunnel symptoms, the NHS says. For ulnar impaction, a splint and anti-inflammatories come first; for TFCC injuries, non-surgical care includes rest, a splint, physiotherapy, anti-inflammatories and sometimes a steroid injection, with surgery for a deep tear or an unstable joint. A hidden ganglion on the back of the wrist is usually treated without surgery at first. A broken scaphoid or a torn scapholunate ligament follows its own specialist pathway.

Sources 7, 8, 6, 5, 4, 11

Positions to swap, and why

Habit or position	Why it matters	Instead
Bench pressing with the bar behind your wrist	Bending a loaded wrist back raised the pressure in the joint and in the carpal tunnel in lab studies.	The bar low in the palm over the forearm with the wrists stacked over the elbows, or neutral-grip dumbbells for now.Try: Neutral-grip dumbbell bench press
Overhead pressing with your wrists bent back	The bar sits behind the forearm and the wrist takes the strain, the site's overhead press guide says.	Dumbbells held palms in.Try: Dumbbell shoulder press (kick-up start)
A clean-grip front rack when your wrist won't bend back that far	A good clean catch went with about 92 degrees of wrist extension.	Crossed arms or straps, a goblet squat, or a hands-free front squat.Try: Frankenstein squat (hands-free front squat)
Cleans, snatches and push presses while the wrist is sore	The catch loads a fully bent-back wrist suddenly, and traumatic TFCC tears can come from catching a heavy bar.	Squats with the hands free, and pulls without the catch (our suggestion).Try: Frankenstein squat (hands-free front squat)
Straight-bar curls with little-finger-side pain	Turning the forearm hurts with TFCC problems, and a straight bar holds the palms fully up.	An EZ bar or dumbbells: the choice is a matter of comfort.Try: EZ-bar curl
Hammer curls or thumb-up gripping with thumb-side pain	The hammer curl's move page says leave thumb-up curls with de Quervain's until it has settled.	Light palm-up dumbbell curls (our suggestion).Try: Dumbbell biceps curl
Push-ups, planks or burpees on flat hands	Full body weight through a bent-back wrist.	Hands on a bench, or fists, handles or dumbbells.Try: Incline push-up
Heavy deadlifts and carries with a sore grip	The NHS says don't grip anything too tightly while the wrist is sore.	Lifting straps on the heavy sets, and lighter carries (our suggestion).Try: Farmer's carry
Wraps on every set, or counting on them to heal it	In trials, wraps changed comfort and the feeling of stability, not strength, and they haven't been tested for pain.	Wraps on heavy sets only, if they help, with forearm strength work in the plan.Try: Reverse wrist curl
Resting the wrist completely for weeks	Resting a repetitive strain for more than a few days makes it weaker, the NHS says.	Keep it moving, and start the holds in the first stage.Try: Wrist & forearm flow
Heat on a freshly injured wrist	The NHS advises no heat for the first 2 to 3 days after an injury.	Ice wrapped in a towel for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
Pushing through tingling in the fingers	Tingling comes from a nerve, not a muscle, and bending the wrist back raises the pressure on the nerve.	Change the wrist position, and see a GP if it lasts.

Routines to follow

Wrist and forearm routine

Wrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.

10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbell

Grip strength workout: squeezes, curls, carries and hangs

A 20-minute grip session: warm up the wrists and fingers, train the hand and forearm muscles, then carry and hang to load your grip the way everyday life does.

20 minBeginner10 movesOther / check instructions, A band

Forearm workout: hammer curls, reverse curls and Zottman curls

A 25-minute forearm size workout with dumbbells: hammer, reverse and Zottman curls for the big muscle on the thumb side, then wrist curls and a carry.

25 minBeginner7 movesA dumbbell, A kettlebell

Bench press technique workout

A 30-minute practice session for the bench press: shoulder blade work, push-ups and dumbbell presses, then the empty bar with the safety arms set.

30 minBeginner7 movesA band, A dumbbell

Front squat technique workout: the rack, the grip and the depth

A 30-minute practice session for the front squat: loosen your wrists and upper back, groove an upright squat, then find your grip and depth with a light bar.

30 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bench or box

CrossFit warm-up and mobility routine: shoulders, wrists, hips and ankles

A 15-minute warm-up and mobility routine for CrossFit-style training: easy rowing, shoulder, wrist, hip and ankle mobility, shoulder-blade work and squats.

15 minBeginner14 movesCardio machine, A wall

More moves for this area

Questions people ask

Why do my wrists hurt when I lift weights?

Usually because a heavy load holds the wrist bent back, as in a bench press with the bar behind the wrist, the front rack or a press, or twisted, as in curls, and bending a loaded wrist back raises the pressure in the joint. Where it hurts tells you more: the back of the wrist, the little-finger side, the thumb side or tingling in the fingers point to different causes.

Why does my wrist hurt when I bench press?

Most often the bar sits too high in the hand, behind the forearm, so the wrist bends back under the load. Hold the bar low in your palm over the forearm with your wrists stacked over your elbows, as the site's bench press guide teaches, and press with neutral-grip dumbbells or from the floor while it settles. If it hurts on the little-finger side or clicks, check the warning signs.

Why do front squats hurt my wrists?

A clean-grip front rack asks the wrist to bend back a long way: a good clean catch went with about 92 degrees of wrist extension. Use crossed arms or lifting straps, or a goblet or hands-free front squat, and bring the clean grip back last, with only two or three fingers under the bar.

Why does my wrist hurt when I do curls?

A straight bar holds the palms fully up, which many lifters find uncomfortable, especially with pain on the little-finger side, where turning the forearm hurts. An EZ bar or dumbbells let the forearm sit more naturally, and in a lab study the choice between them was 'a matter of subjective comfort'. Pain on the thumb side with hammer curls points to de Quervain's.

What is the pain on the pinky side of my wrist when lifting?

It is often the TFCC, a cartilage cushion on that side, or the tendon beside it; it hurts turning the forearm, gripping palm down or bending the wrist towards the little finger, sometimes with clicking or a weaker grip. Change to neutral grips, keep the pain to about 3 out of 10, and see a GP or physiotherapist if it clicks, feels unstable or isn't settling. Our TFCC tear guide covers it in full.

Do wrist wraps help with wrist pain?

They haven't been tested for pain. In two small trials they didn't change bench press strength or grip strength; in the bench press trial, lifters felt more stable in them but less comfortable. Use them on heavy sets if they make a lift comfortable, and build forearm strength alongside.

Do wrist wraps weaken your wrists?

No study has tested it, so it's a popular belief rather than a finding either way. The two trials of wraps measured performance only: wraps didn't change bench press strength or grip strength, though the lifters in the bench press trial felt more stable in them. Keeping some sets unwrapped and training your forearms is a sensible middle way (our suggestion).

Should I stop lifting with wrist pain?

Change what you lift rather than stopping: go lighter, keep the wrist straight, and avoid heavy lifting and hard gripping for the first days, as the NHS and NHS inform advise. Resting a repetitive strain for more than a few days makes it weaker, the NHS says.

How long does a sore wrist from lifting take to heal?

Most soft tissue wrist injuries improve a lot within 6 weeks, though some take 3 months or longer. Building back gradually matters: in a survey of CrossFit athletes, most were back to full training within a month, but more than half hadn't fully healed and almost a third hurt the same area again.

Could my wrist be broken?

After a fall on an outstretched hand, pain at the base of the thumb needs checking the same day even if the wrist moves well, because a broken scaphoid can hide on the first X-ray. A wrist that is out of shape, numb or cold needs 999 or A&E, and severe pain, a snap at the time, or a wrist you can't move or hold things with needs NHS 111 the same day.

What exercises strengthen wrists for lifting?

Wrist curls both ways, forearm turning with a dumbbell, a squeeze and carries, then weight through the hands on a table, a wall and the floor, as NHS wrist programmes use. The staged plan on this page gives the doses.

When should I get my wrist pain checked?

See a GP if it isn't better after 2 weeks, if you have tingling or numbness, if you have diabetes, or if a lump grows or is hard. Get same-day help for a hot, swollen joint with a fever, a very painful, hot or red lump, or severe pain after an injury.

Related exercise guides

Other pain guides

Sources

Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. It is written from the guidelines and studies listed above; review by a clinician is pending. If your pain follows an injury, is severe, is getting worse, or comes with any warning sign listed on this page, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.