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[clarentine]

Anyone want to suggest some nice, non-joint-stressing exercises for hand and arm (and shoulder) strengthening? I'm realizing lately that my range of motion issues have affected, negatively, my muscular strength, and this bothers me.

::pines for the ability to scale walls, underappreciated while I had it::

Assumptions to take into account: no gym/pool access. Range of motion is limited, but I'm aware that exercise increases it somewhat. Not adverse to a certain degree of pain. Must be something I can work into an already hectic schedule. Will not be going out to buy One More Gadget (e.g., veteran and survivor of the home gym movement).

Comments

[lotusice.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you're talking impact strain for your joints or not, but one of the best things I've ever done for upper body strength in general is to buy an over the door chin up bar: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/11hKRi5UukL.jpg

You can start by just hanging, using a footstool or something if you can't take a lot of weight.

Then you work up to pulling yourself up. My technique was half-inch pullups, multiple repetitions, in sets with rest. You increase the height, stay at the reps, until you can do full pullups.

I also use dumbbells I picked up at the swap meet, to do curls of every kind, including finger curls, wrist curls, preacher curls.

But honestly, your chinup bar hits most of those muscles anyway and I think it's harder to work effectively in isolation.

[clarentine]

I'd love to use a chinup bar - we have one! - but my shoulders can't take the stress of hanging there, much less pulling myself up. (The culprit is lupus, fortunately not a particularly bad case, but nevertheless an issue.) Sometimes just getting my arms straight up above my head can be difficult...which probably means I need to do it more.

Hmm. Maybe just using the chinup bar to help me stretch the arms above my head might work.

[lotusice.livejournal.com]

Yeah, start there, and don't overdo!! If you use a footstool you can control the amount of weight in the hang.

Meanwhile, for less stress, one of my favorite firefighting exercises for hand/wrist was tying a weight (iron skillet, weight, whatever) to a rope, rope to a broomhandle. Hold the broomhandle in both hands out in front of you. Wind up the rope, using your hands to rotate the broomhandle. Wind, unwind. Pay attention to form, don't use too much weight. It's a fun one.

[clarentine]

Oh! That would certainly stretch out the arms and give the shoulders some toning. Good idea.