Wrist and elbow pain from lifting: push-ups, bench press and curls

Push-ups and front-supported positions bend the wrist back a long way under body weight. Many people, especially those new to training or who spend the day on a laptop and phone, do not have the wrist movement or strength for this yet. The result is pain on the back of the wrist.

On the bench, a bar that sits high in the palm bends the wrist back under the load. Setting the bar lower in the palm, over the forearm bones, keeps the wrist straighter and is easier on it.

Push-ups on fists, dumbbells or push-up handles keep the wrist straight and usually ease pain straight away, while you build wrist strength and movement.

Pain on the inner side of the elbow, worse gripping and curling, is usually an irritated tendon of the forearm muscles that bend the wrist and fingers, sometimes called golfer's elbow. It is common with heavy curls, chin-ups and a tight grip on every pulling exercise.

Pain on the outer side of the elbow, worse gripping and lifting with the palm down, is the same problem on the other side, often called tennis elbow. Rows and pull-ups with an overhand grip, and long hours of mouse and keyboard work, contribute.

Pain at the back of the elbow during heavy triceps work or dips is less common and usually eases with lower volume.

Reduce the volume that hurts rather than stopping training. Fewer sets of curls and pulling, a slightly lighter weight, and changing grip, for example a neutral grip on pull-ups or an EZ bar for curls, often settle elbow pain within a few weeks.

Grip only as hard as you need. Straps for heavy pulling can take load off the forearm tendons while they recover.

Strengthen the forearm gradually: slow wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with a light dumbbell, and grip work, built up over six to twelve weeks. Tendon pain responds to steady, progressive loading, not to complete rest.

For the wrist, build tolerance to the push-up position gradually: weight-bearing on the hands on a wall, then a raised surface, then the floor, with gentle wrist stretches each day.

A sudden pop at the front of the elbow while lifting or lowering a heavy weight, followed by bruising and a change in the shape of the biceps, can mean a torn biceps tendon. See a doctor within days, as some need repair.

Also see a doctor for a wrist that is swollen and tender after a fall on the hand, numbness or tingling into the fingers, or pain that does not ease at all with rest.