Do you know what muscles the wrist expander works?

Many gym regulars are sure that it is almost impossible to pump up the muscles of the hands and forearms using a wrist expander. They say that working with one hand does not provide the same stimulation as working with dumbbells, barbells and special exercise machines. In fact, this confidence is due to two factors: absolute ignorance of the theory and reluctance to work at home with a simple rubber ring in a large number of approaches and repetitions.

Without knowing what muscles the wrist expander works, of course, you don’t want to use it. Working in the gym, with dumbbells and barbells, even with a slight cheat and not at full strength, is much more enjoyable.

Many ordinary people, completely ignorant of the theory of athleticism, are completely unaware of what exercises are needed to develop their arms. They believe that palm clenching exercises only strengthen the muscles of the palm, and that the forearms can only be developed by exercises like power cleans. This is a big misconception.

What muscle groups does the vaunted rubber ring pump? And is it really possible to completely abandon it, replacing it with some alternative exercises with your own body weight or improvised equipment: like barbells and dumbbells?

When squeezing the palm, not only the flexors of the fingers are used just as well, but also the forearms, hands and wrists. Even those who train their forearms by performing exercises with a barbell weighing more than their own will find this work useful. Only in such cases will the forearm training program be very different from the program of those who are just starting serious training. For example, for a beginner it will be enough to simply train the hands and forearms with a wrist expander on days off from training; An experienced bodybuilder will need to include resistance band training on his “off” days as well, and on training days he will be exhausting his arms in the gym.

When clenching your hand into a fist, as mentioned above, all the muscles of the palm and forearms are activated. In addition, the finger flexors work much more intensely when squeezing the rubber ring than when performing extensions and bending with dumbbells and a barbell. This is precisely why the hand expander is useful for simple fitness enthusiasts who visit the gym for the purpose of body correction and general health improvement: when compressed, the palm uses absolutely all its muscles, and therefore is fully stimulated. In addition, such “refusal” stimulation is useful not only for the tone of the muscles of the forearms, wrists and palms, but also for the tone of the body in general. Experts have long discovered that stimulation of the fingers and palm is beneficial for the functioning of the brain and nervous system, and good mental tone and a healthy brain are the basis of overall health.