Wrist pain from bench press — what is it?

The bench press is a weight training exercise in which the person lies on their back on a bench, grabs the barbell with both hands, and pushes it up from their chest to the full extension over their head. Bench pressing is one of the most popular exercises for building upper body strength. However, there are some risks associated with this exercise. The most common risk is shoulder pain or injury which can be caused by poor form or incorrect weight. But there are other risks too, like wrist pain that occurs after bench press. 

Wrist pain after bench press can be caused by many reasons such as not using proper form and grip, incorrect hand placement on the barbell, improper distribution of weight during lifting or lowering the barbell, and so on. 

It can also occur due to an imbalance in the muscles of your forearm or a wrist injury like carpal tunnel syndrome. 

The cramp or overall pain in the area can be so severe that you may want to stop bench pressing altogether and call it quits for a couple of weeks. It’s critical to take a step back, get your chakras in place – or at the very least not freak out – and understand that it happens to all of us. It’s one of the most common types of injuries in the weightlifting cosmos — and sometimes, a simple tweak on your part might do wonders and alleviate the pain altogether. 

Wrist Pain after Bench Press — FAQ 

Let’s break it down and dissect the whole phenomenon of wrist pain from bench press by answering some of the most searched questions out there. 

What are the symptoms of bench press wrist injuries? 

The bench press is a popular exercise that requires the use of your wrists. If you have an injury to one or both of them, then you will want to know the symptoms and how to treat them.

Symptoms:

• Pain in the wrist joint.
• Tingling sensation in fingers.
• Difficulty lifting weights.

When should I see a doctor?

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above regularly, it is very important to consult with a doctor as this could be a requirement for more time in rest or surgery.

Why does my wrist hurt after a bench press?

Your wrist plays a crucial part — it is the connective tissue between your forearm and your hands. They might not look as much, but they take the brunt of most of our everyday activities and exercises. They are under constant pressure. 

Some of 5 most common reasons you get wrist pain while bench pressing is: 

• Resting the bar at the base of your fingers instead of lower down on the palm.
• Gripping onto the bar with just a few fingers or using a thumbless grip.
• Bending your wrists back too far while you grip the barbell.
• Using too wide a grip on the barbell.
• Going overboard with the kilos or pounds — using too heavy a weight.

What should I do If I start to feel wrist pain during a bench press?

The first thing you need to do is simply stop the training session. Rest immediately from bench pressing. 

Once you’ve stopped, it’s time to treat the pain so it doesn’t become a chronic injury.

• Switch to other muscle groups for a couple of days and give your wrist a rest. 
• Use over-the-counter pain relievers. 
• Use ice packs.
• Take anti-inflammatory medications.

How do I prevent wrist pain?

The bench press is a popular exercise, but it can be hard on the wrists. To protect your wrists and avoid pain, use these tips.

• Place your hands on the bar so that your palms are facing each other. This will help distribute the pressure evenly across both wrists instead of concentrating it on one side.
• Keep your hands and fingers as close to the bar as possible without letting them touch it. This will prevent you from pressing too far down, which causes more pressure on your wrists.
• Use a thumbless grip instead of a full grip if you have wrist pain when benching. This will allow for more space between your palm and the barbell, which reduces pressure on your wrist joint.
• Having a spotter in place that can help you out.
• If you’re on your own, always try to bench press inside a power rack.
• Use wrist wraps to protect the area.
• Do warm up exercises before bench pressing — particularly wrist exercises. 
• Lower weights.
• Maintain proper form.
• Strengthen wrist — start to take care of your wrist by bulking them up. Use dumbbells for curls, do wrist extensions, and stretch them. Bullet-proof your wrist. 

Importance of understanding wrist pain and bench pressing

A 2003 study done by the American College of Sports Medicine concluded that over 50% of free weight-related deaths were linked to bench pressing. Over 65% of preventable injuries are also a direct result of this type of training. Pain is the body’s way of telling you to perk up and pay attention, something is off. Never disregard warning signs, such as wrist pain from a bench press — untreated wrist pain might lead to chronic conditions, a condition that can only be treated through surgery and that require months of rehabilitation.

The post Bench Press Wrist Pain: Reasons & Prevention appeared first on Anderson Powerlifting.

Jeff Miller

            Dear powerlifters, ninety percent of your speed benches are lacking something.  SPEED.  We have all read the articles.  We have heard the recommendations from the top trainers and lifters in the world.  Dynamic bench work should be sixty percent of your one rep raw max. Twenty five years in powerlifting has taught me that this just doesn’t work for most people.  Watching social media videos of lifters doing their “speed work” might be the most frustrating part of my online experience.  Lifters grinding out their speed reps makes me want to tear out the long lost nonexistent hairs on my giant shaved dome. 

            So what percentage should you use? Through trial and error, we have found that thirty to forty percent is all the weight one will ever need.  For instance we had a lifter Dan Zahno who trained with 155 pounds on his speed bench, doing eight sets of triples.  Dan had been struggling to get a five hundred pound bench press for a long time.  I suggested he drop the weight to ninety five pounds.  Dan hit a five hundred pound bench soon after.  He then went on to press five hundred fifty five pounds in a single ply shirt drug free.  My wife Rae-Ann is the all-time world record holder in the single ply bench for a female with five hundred and twenty pounds.  Her dynamic work is done with eighty five pounds.  Yes.  Eighty five pounds.  So what does this mean?  Do they just lie on the bench and do these lighter weights lazily and easy?  Absolutely not.  Our speed work is done violently.  That’s the most accurate way I can describe it.  If you are going to punch someone, you don’t rear back and slowly aim your fist at them and casually brush it against their face.  You put your entire body into it, drive through your target and generate as much force as possible.  That is how we bench.  Are you aiming for a five hundred pound bench press?  Then you need to exert five hundred pounds of oomph onto the barbell or more.

            Do we just do the same reps, sets and exercises week after week? Not at all.  We mix up our speed bench by alternating sets of 3s and sets of fives.  Some weeks we take thirty second breaks between sets.  Other weeks we rack the bar to switch our grip then immediately unrack the bar without rest.  Dumbbells are another variation we use.  Sometimes we do dumbbells on a flat bench and sometimes on an incline.  Chains and bands can be a great tool in building speed and strength.  Lately I have been experimenting with different size bands wrapped around my back and doing my speed reps with just bands.  I have a spinal injury and this eliminates any weight bearing on my back.  I will let you know how it works over the long haul.  Our base sets, however are 3 waves of 3 sets of 3.  We start with a wide grip for three reps.  Rack the bar and switch to medium grip and immediately unrack it.  Do the set.  Rack it.  Switch to close grip and immediately unrack it.  Do the set and rack it.  So it’s three sets of three with three different grips with no rest.  Then we rest for a minute and do it again two more times. 

            Another part of our dynamic day that is a bit different is that we do a lot of high board bench presses and shoulder press variations.  For most lifters a heavy single or three sets of five to a four or five board are just the remedy to fix a staling bench press. Several different bars and grips can be used to keep your body guessing, to combat overuse injuries and boredom.  For us with very long arms we may have to use seven, six and five boards to do the trick.  You have to sometimes think outside the box of normal if you are built outside the box of normal.   Power presses, log presses, military presses, military lockouts, dumbbell military press and hammer strength shoulder presses are a staple of our dynamic diet.  I’m not a fan of strict presses as I believe power presses are a better choice to add explosion to your bench.  Teach yourself to lift slowly and you will stay slow.     

            Undoubtedly, there are going to be those who will rebut with some scientific jargon filled response as to why you should do sixty percent for speed work.  How studies done by X and Y University show that strict presses directly correlate to the transfer of blah to blah.  I don’t know about all that technical stuff.  I mean, I thought AMRAP was a low carb choice for lunch that crossfitters ate.  I do know I live in Bench Press City and am married to the Lady Mayor of said municipality.  I know that one hundred percent of people who I’ve had drop their speed rep weight get hurt less and see their bench press increase.  So you can look like a fool struggling with your “speed work” with a big wheel on each side of the bar when your max is one hundred eighty five.  Or you can sit over here with us at the cool kids table where we all know that you can’t make force if you don’t accelerate that mass. 

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