Starting calisthenics while overweight and with wrist pain

[32983]

Hello again! My 2nd time posting here. A bit more comfortable with asking fitness related questions kasi so far, ang warm at ang motivating ng mga responses niyo

So I’ve been eyeing calisthenics as a sport/exercise since I discovered it, because it looks like something I can do at home with less equipment, I’m an introvert so I’m not too interested na mag-gym (for now), and tbh ang cool lang talaga tingnan ng mga tao na kaya mag pull-ups, muscle ups, hand stand, at push-ups na parang ang swabe lang pero their bodies are so strong and so capable of a lot.

Currently I am at 59kg, 5ft height 25 y.o. female. I’m on the process of losing weight by 30min. jumping rope HIIT, 30min. walking, and dumbbell training (2lb. arm exercises). A month before, nag sa-start na ako pag practice ng push ups in progression from doing wall push ups, to incline push ups, until makaya ko yung actual na. Yung progression ko ngayon is to kneeling push-ups na where I can’t do them well because I have wrist pain sa left wrist ko. That was already there for longer than 2 years na and I thought it would go away if masanay na yung wrists ko through progressions na I’m making. Yung pain is hindi ko ma bend yung wrist ko and put my weight in like the “L shape” when you do push-ups on the floor, pero when I did it sa wall and on incline, walang pain.

Yung push-ups from what I’ve been seeing ay yung pinaka foundation ng calisthenics, so I guess yung pinaka questions ko are:

1. Mawawala din ba yung pain through continuing na masanay yung wrists ko sa movement/weight ng katawan ko?
2. Could the pain possibly be because of my weight?
3. In connection to #2, should I lose some weight siguro before continuing training yung push ups ko?
4. Are there any other exercises to gradually get me into calisthenics (gustong gusto ko talaga )
5. Are there stretching/exercises to get rid of wrist pain and improve mobility?

 

[kamikim]

@32983 I had the same problem with my wrists when I first started even though normal bmi ko. The answer I found was to change my hand position/correct my form especially when doing planche related exercises. Try to angle your wrist ng around 45° para mas may wiggle room yung wrists mo.

It also helps to use parallettes kasi it puts your wrists in a neutral position so big help yan. Always remember na you shouldn't feel unnecessary discomfort sa joints mo when doing a certain exercise and don't assume na masasanay lang yung katawan mo na mawawala yung pain pagtagal. This might be the case when you lack mobility but more often than not it's incorrect form or di pa strong enough yung body mo for the movement.

The good news is you can strengthen your body through easier progressions of a workout na you're working on (ex. instead of pushups do kneeling pushups, if kneeling pushups are too hard, do wall pushups). Lahat ng exercise may easier/beginner version so I recommend na u start with those first.

It would certainly be helpful for your body to carry itself if u lose weight kaya if ever na u can manage, do cardio after your main workout and be mindful of your diet pero make sure na u don't do a crash diet plan. Bawas lang little by little ng calorie intake per month for example, ang maintaining calorie intake mo per day is 2000 calories, gawin mong 1800 calories/day para may onting deficit para din di ka masyado magcrave or magutom then the next month gawin mong 1600 cals/day ka nalang so on and so forth. You can do this by counting calories using a food scale along with an app na helps you track your calories.

Wrist mobility stretches and workouts are available naman online so u can look that up if ever u think u have problems with ur mobility.

Always warm up (dynamics) before working out and stretch afterwards. Form over strength.

Stay consistent lang and continue sa fitness journey. Cheers!

 

[32983]

@kamikim Trying out 1st commenter’s suggestion using push up bars. Works well so I’ll be using those when I progress to kneeling pushups. I also got myself a pull up bar to try dead hangs. I surprised myself when I was able to hang for 10 seconds; was shaking a bit when I got off tho lol

 

[peculiarpeople]

@32983 hi! try using push up bars (I have the decathlon ones and they are great) or paralletes. I have wrist pain too when I bend my wrists due to previous injuries/fractures and doing push ups using these really helped.

pain has not gone away unfortunately but doing mobility exercises for wrists have helped increase my range of motion a bit.

Hope this helps!

 

[32983]

@peculiarpeople Hello! Thank you for your suggestion. I got myself a pair yesterday and I tried it with kneeling push ups and they definitely work! A bit different from having my hands flat on the ground for sure but I’m able to push myself without any wrist pain

 

[peculiarpeople]

@32983 glad it works for you!