Dumbbell Wrist Extension
- insert video for dumbbell wrist extension
- Support forearm on a table, arm of a chair or your lap
- Hold a dumbbell with palm facing the floor, hand hanging down to the floor
- Slowly lift the weight up towards the ceiling at a 2 second tempo
- Pause 1 second
- Lower weight back down at a 3 second tempo
- Repeat for prescribed Repetitions
- Ensure that only your hand/dumbbell are moving relative to the rest of your arm (see video below)
- insert video for elbow moving with DB wrist extension
Just like with the resistance band version of this exercise, if the rest of your arm is moving, you are cheating! This can limit or slow down your progress.
If you notice an inappropriate pain response (link to first tennis elbow article) to this exercise, you should select a lighter weight. If this is still too painful, then you need to switch back to resistance band wrist extension.
Programming Dumbbell Wrist Extension:
Sets: 3
Repetitions: 10-15
Tempo: 2 seconds up, 1 second pause, 3 seconds down
Rest: 30-90 seconds between sets
Frequency: 3 times per week on non-consecutive days
People will often need to start with 1-2 lbs of load and progress from there. The weight you select should elicit the appropriate pain response mentioned in the first tennis elbow article in this series (insert link for first tennis elbow article). For more information on how to select and progress loading for this exercise, please see this article (insert link for selecting/periodizing weight)
Please Note:
If you have been working on any of the exercises in this series for several weeks and have not noticed any improvement in pain and/or your pain worsens, please seek out an appointment with a physiotherapist as there can be other factors involved that need to be identified and addressed. An example of a common and often overlooked factor is what’s called referred pain. I have provided some basic information on this topic in this article (insert link for referred pain article)