Maintaining wrist flexibility while working on wrist strength

Question

I have a SportGrips SideWinder wrist exerciser (Sportster model) that Lauren from the CHAOS team was kind enough to send out to me. I started using it a few days ago and am following this workout routine outlined on their website which consists of:

• Day 1: 20 repetitions using light resistance, then resting for 1 day.
• Day 2: Same as Day 1.
• Day 3: 10 to 20 repetitions using heavy resistance.

The routine then says to change up the order in order to prevent a plateau. I have only done exercises using the horizontal grip so far, and I can feel my muscles being worked when I use the SideWinder.

I feel though that once I progress, my muscles in my wrist and forearms will tighten up too much. What stretches can I do to maintain or increase my wrist flexibility while I strengthen my wrists? Would stretching before or after using the device make a difference? What I also want to know is what relationship there is between the degree of stretching and the amount of strength I need to twist the wrist exerciser.

Answer 1

In general, when it comes to stretching, you only want to stretch warm muscles. If you attempt to stretch cold muscles they will become injured and when they repair will become smaller/tighter. In short: Stretch afterwards.

The next question is how much range of motion do you need in your wrists? If your exercise has you going through the full range of motion that you need, there is little reason to try to increase that. However, doing wrist movements you don't normally do every day can help prevent repetitive stress injuries.

There are several wrist stretches and a full routine you can do. You may not want to do all of them for reasons of time or they don't address a problem you have.