Strengthening wrist extensors

Background- I have been working on my strict half crimp and realized that a weakness is keeping my wrist fully extended during a hang.
That is, my wrist gradually flexes so that my hand sags and the PIP joint extends. A gradual and partial drift towards an open grip.

I'm wondering if anybody has suggestions for wrist extension exercises?
I know about reverse wrist curls and wrist rollers. (Focusing on the former for now)
I'm using a specialized roller for radial and ulnar deviation.

But progress seems painfully slow!

Any ideas?

Try doing half crimp three finger drags. I find it takes a lot of stress off the wrist because I a lot weaker on the index, middle and ring fingers. It has helped a lot outside too.

Just be careful of the ring finger pulleys.

Good to see you today Jon- good luck with the proj!

What do you mean by a three finger drag? I always though that meant an open grip. Maybe I've been wrong all these years :-)

Oddly enough, I am almost equally strong in a strict half crimp with front three and back three (IMR vs MRP fingers.)

Good to see you to.

Just a half crimp or open hand (I do both) with IMR. Yes usually it is open. I use the term a little loosely.

When I do half with all four I get some pain in the sides of my wrist as I'm pullng a lot of weight. I never to MRP.  It comes from something I read somewhere, but I can't remember where. As well, I find that most of the holds that give the most trouble are IMR. I never latch MRP in a dyno or dead point. I always latch IMR. So it could just be me and my technique or lack thereof.

I've been pinching a 25lbs smooth plate for 1 minute.  I don't have a ball-like hold.  Seems to work pretty well, and your pinch strength improves too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiOp3hxJVkw

Hi Mark, I’m glad you brought this up because this is a question I’ve been asking myself lately. I too have wondered if my disparity between open and half crimp strength and my struggle to make gains in my half crimp position are related to weak extensors. Also, Ive read somewhere (maybe Bechtel?) that at some point neuromuscular-based strength development is impeded by an inverse correlation of strength in the functional antagonist of said muscle group. I.e. you’re nervous system throws a governor on a muscle group that fails to be balance by its antagonist. One question I have about extensors and half crimp training though is that if extensors are the significantly involved in half crimp position would they not be getting trained by just performing half crimp hangs?

Slightly off-topic, but I swear by my armaid. Review: aperfectweakness.com/2017/0…

Hammer curls.  Also, I swear my half crimp has gotten stronger after I added pinch block training (narrow and wide grips) to my hangboard training day routine.  I use the blocks made by Royal Edge because I was too lazy to make my own.

@John Bynres- I saw the Horst video, I may give this a try. My mid range pinch strength needs some topping off anyway. I do already train pinch weekly using pinch blocks and my pulley system. Not totally sure that pinching weight plates is that different.

@ Jakobi- using a strict half crimp to train half crimp makes sense. Whether this will improve wrist extension depends on which muscles are the limiting constraints in this position. Definitely on the list of exercises to do.

@ Ned- Hammer curls seem more like a brachioradialis/brachialis exercise. Not a bad exercise, but doesn't really isolate the wrist. Would help radial deviators maybe, but neglect ulnar deviators.

I've also tried wrist extension in a rice bucket, but this seems more like an endurance exercise, rather than strength. Not sure how useful it will be.

Pretty simple. Yes train your extenders. They've improved my hangboard numbers significantly. Easiest way to do so: reverse wrist curls.

Another approach is to do isometric maximum presses with the back of your hand against a stationary surface with the fingers in whatever position/alignment you are trying to strengthen the wrist and the wrist in a neutral position. Do four repetitions of 3 seconds on 3 seconds off for each set.

It may be necessary to hold something with the fingers (a portable hold, etc.)

Maximum isometric presses against a stationary surface have been found effective to strengthen the ankle tendons and associated muscles in runners (I need to re-locate the reference).

Rui Ferreira wrote: Another approach is to do isometric maximum presses with the back of your hand against a stationary surface with the fingers in whatever position/alignment you are trying to strengthen the wrist and the wrist in a neutral position. Do four repetitions of 3 seconds on 3 seconds off for each set.

It may be necessary to hold something with the fingers (a portable hold, etc.)

Maximum isometric presses against a stationary surface have been found effective to strengthen the ankle tendons and associated muscles in runners (I need to re-locate the reference).

I'd be curious if you find the reference, as someone who has shitty ankles from a couple sprains sustained through bouldering over the years...

Dan Austin wrote:

I'd be curious if you find the reference, as someone who has shitty ankles from a couple sprains sustained through bouldering over the years...

Here is the reference

http://jeb.biologists.org/content/210/15/2743.long

This article in Outside magazine is also relevant to your ankle situation

https://www.outsideonline.com/2343861/how-strengthen-your-ankles-and-run-faster?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bodywork-09192018&utm_content=Bodywork-09192018+Version+A+CID_29c9e50c7f83ccb27a79105783913223&utm_source=campaignmonitor%20outsidemagazine&utm_term=Your%20Tired%20Ankles%20Are%20Slowing%20You%20Down