Wrist pain preventing you from doing push-ups?

Many people in the lifting community have heard of the tripod within your feet; making sure your big toe, little toe and heel all have contact with the floor to make sure you push through the entire foot. We can also apply a very similar principle with our hands, called floor gripping. This is when you grip the floor with your fingers.

So, what is floor gripping? Imagine laying your hand flat on the ground with your fingers spread out and bunching up your fingers like you’re moving a rug. When you grip the floor, you take the weight that is being put on your wrists and palm of your hands and distribute it throughout your whole hand into your fingers. This then takes pressure off your wrists.

Many gymnasts and yogis use this practice since they are constantly walking or balancing on their hands. However, you don’t have to be doing a handstand to use this technique. You could be doing mountain climbers, a high plank, push-ups or shoulder taps. Any movement where your hands are directly on the ground. We want to make sure that our hands are directly underneath our shoulders, and we shift our weight into our fingertips. This allows for there to be more stability within your shoulders and core.

It's a simple practice that can help protect joints in the body because the weight is being evenly distributed between the hand and not isolated in the wrists alone. It helps with balance, stability and promoting pain free movement.