6 Best Upper Body Exercises That Don’t Use Wrists (with Pictures!)

Whether you’ve suffered an acute hand injury or have chronic wrist pain, it can be quite difficult creating a comprehensive workout plan.

The truth is, most training programs are not designed to accommodate individuals who cannot place pressure on their hands and wrists. This is simply because it is hard to find exercises that won’t further damage your wrists.

In fact, training with bad wrists is a poor idea entirely.

However, if you’re dead set on training your upper body despite a bad wrist, we’ve listed a few exercises below. Namely, the pec deck machine, lateral raise machine, back extensions, and pullover machine.

Remember to first consult your doctor prior to placing any sort of pressure on an injured wrist.

How to Select Exercises if You Have Injured Wrists

In order to structure a workout plan with an injured or weak wrist, you’ll need to first assess the extent of the issue. 

Work with a medical professional to find your safe range of motion, and whether your wrist can stand pressure or shear force at all.

If your wrists cannot withstand any sort of duress, you’ll need to stick with exercises that avoid the hands entirely. Generally, these are machine-based exercises that wrap around the forearm or are otherwise controlled with the elbows or torso, rather than the hands.

In order to comprehensively train your upper body without using your wrists, you’ll need to target the largest muscle groups found therein - that being the pectorals, deltoids, lats, and the muscles of your arms.

Aim for high volume and quality repetitions over heavy weight.

Helpful Equipment You May Need

The majority of the following exercises will require different types of resistance machines, all of which can be found in commercial gyms. 

However, having access to a set of resistance bands, as well as wrist/ankle straps for a cable machine will cover most of your bases.

A Note on Training With Injured Hands or Wrists

Let's face it - in actuality, training with an injured extremity is simply a bad idea. Unless you’ve been specifically cleared by your Doctor, we advise against any sort of upper body exercise with such injuries.

The majority of upper body exercises will involve the wrists withstanding pressure in some shape or form. While it’s likely that you can mitigate the risk of further injury by picking the right exercises and wearing protective equipment, it is still a needless risk.

The majority of soft tissue wrist injuries can heal in as little as six weeks - but will require uninterrupted recovery to do so. Straining the injured area through exercise will only hamper this healing, and keep you injured for a longer period.

Upper Body Push Exercises That Don’t Use Wrists

The following exercises are “push” exercises, meaning that they will target the deltoids, chest and triceps to some extent. 

1. Pec Deck Machine

The pec deck machine is one of the few chest exercises available to lifters with injured wrists. Specifically, pec deck machines with included elbow pads will be the most useful, as they will not need the wrist to draw the handles together during the exercise.

The pec deck exercise is an open chain isolation exercise specifically performed for targeting the muscles of the chest. It is machine-based, and generally highly adjustable - meaning that it can easily accommodate individuals suffering from wrist or hand issues.

Muscles Worked

The pec deck targets the pectoral muscles.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

The pec deck is self-stabilizing and features easily adjustable handles. This can be a boon for those with poor wrist function, as it can all but entirely eliminate the need to grip handles with the hands. 

Furthermore, as a machine-based exercise, the pec deck is significantly lower impact than most free weight chest exercises.

How-to:

To perform a repetition of the pec deck, the lifter will seat themselves within the machine, hooking their elbows behind the pads and gripping the handles for stability. If you cannot use your fingers, it is entirely fine to simply line up the forearm against the pads and handles.

Once situated in the machine, the lifter then draws their elbows towards one another - contracting their pectoral muscles as they do so.

When the arms have been drawn sufficiently close together, they will then simply reverse the motion.

At this point, the repetition is considered complete.

2. Lateral Raise Machine

The lateral raise machine is a specialized type of resistance machine meant to target the shoulders in a similar manner to the lateral raise exercise.

In most forms, the machine does not actually require the usage of the hands or wrists, and will instead place a pair of pads atop the upper arms.

Because of this distinction, the lateral raise machine is one of the few deltoid exercises available to individuals who cannot use their wrists.

In technical classification, the lateral raise machine is much the same as its traditional counterpart - that being a single-joint isolation exercise with a high capacity for volume and low loading potential.

Muscles Worked

The lateral raise machine isolates the deltoids - particularly the medial and anterior heads.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

Because the lateral raise machine does not use the wrists or hands, it can allow for significant training of the deltoids without worry of further injury.

Furthermore, as a machine-based exercise, the machine lateral raise is even lower impact than its free weight variation. This makes it effective as a joint-sparing tool, even for individuals who are not injured at the wrists.

How-to:

Seating themselves within the machine, the lifter will set their upper arms against the pads, hands holding the handles for stability if possible.

To begin the repetition, they will raise their arms out in a lateral direction - contracting their deltoids and keeping their chest upright as they do so.

Once the upper arms are just shy of parallel with the shoulders, the lifter will reverse the movement so as to complete the repetition.

3. Close Grip Banded Tricep Pushdown

Although this exercise is unlikely to place any pressure on the wrist, it does involve wrapping a resistance band beneath the hands and may not be compatible with certain types of protective equipment.

The close grip banded tricep pushdown is a rather wordy name for what is essentially a triceps pushdown performed with a resistance band. Unlike traditional pushdowns, however, this variation keeps the hands close together so as to avoid needing to grip the band with the palms and fingers.

This particular wrist-friendly exercise is a single-joint triceps isolation exercise that can be performed entirely at home, and often makes use of moderate volume and moderate resistance.

Muscles Worked

The banded tricep pushdown isolates the triceps brachii.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

The banded tricep pushdown makes use of novice-friendly and highly accessible resistance bands, meaning it can be performed even in a home setting. 

In addition, it may be further modified by tying the end of the band to the hands, rather than pushing it downwards with the base of the fists. This will allow for even less pressure being placed on the extremities.

How-to:

Tying one end of the band to an anchor overhead, the lifter will clasp their hands together (or simply press their fists together) with the opposite end of the band hooked beneath their hands. Enough tension should be present in the band to prevent it from sliding out beneath the hands as the exercise is being performed.

With the band now secured beneath their hands, the lifter will position their elbows close to their torso, maintain a straight back, and contract their triceps. The hands will drive downwards, the descent ending once the arms are nearly completely straightened.

From this point, the lifter will simply reverse the motion and draw their hands back up - thereby completing the repetition.

Upper Body Pull Exercises That Don’t Use Wrists

Finding pull exercises that don’t use the wrists is somewhat more difficult, and leaves many muscles untouched. The following exercises primarily target the erector spinae, biceps and latissimus dorsi.

1. Back Extensions

Back extensions are an accessory movement performed to target the erector spinae and the muscles of the lower back.

Their movement pattern does not involve the usage of the hands whatsoever (unless gripping weights), and as such are considered to be perfect for individuals with bad wrists.

Upon examination, it can be determined that the back extension is a compound exercise traditionally performed with no additional weight, and a moderate amount of volume.

Muscles Worked

The back extension exercise targets the muscles of the core, the erector spinae, the muscles of the lower back and the glutes to some lesser extent.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

The back extension is the ideal lower back exercise for individuals with injured wrists, as they will not be needed at any point during the exercise.

Much of the movement is derived from the hips, lower back and waist, and the wrists may remain entirely immobile against the chest as the exercise is performed.

How-to:

To perform back extensions, the lifter will lie atop the padded section of the back extension rack, ensuring that their hips are against the pads but not the lower back. 

Contracting their core and ensuring that their spine is in a neutral alignment, the lifter will then dip their torso downwards at the hips.

Once they’ve reached the limits of their mobility, they will contract their glutes and raise themselves back upwards.

The repetition is complete once they have returned to the original starting position.

2. Wrist Strap Cable Curl

Although more often used for the ankles, the cable machine wrist strap attachment is an excellent way of bypassing the use of the hands and wrists to train the body.

In this particular case, the strap will wrap around an uninjured section of the forearm, and will be used to perform an otherwise ordinary cable biceps curl.

The wrist strap cable curl is much the same as its less wrist-friendly counterpart - single joint and performed so as to isolate the biceps.

Muscles Worked

This exercise isolates the biceps brachii.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

Performing any sort of arm-focused exercise can be difficult without using the hands or wrists. Because the cable machine strap wraps around the forearms, this particular limitation can be circumvented and allow lifters to still target their biceps without worry.

Things can even be modified further so as to target other muscles in the arms, such as the brachioradialis by simply rotating the forearm into a neutral orientation.

How-to:

Wrapping the strap around the wrist or further along the forearm, the lifter will stand facing the cable pulley as they set their elbows close against the sides of their torso. The lower the cable pulley, the easier it will be to target the biceps.

Now in the appropriate stance, the lifter will contract their biceps and draw their forearm towards their upper arm. Once the forearms cannot move any further without shifting the elbows, the lifter will simply reverse the motion to complete the repetition.

3. Pullover Machine

Another machine-based alternative that spares the wrist - the pullover machine is rather unique in that it targets both the muscles of the back and those of the chest.

The pullover machine is referred to as so due to its similarity with the free weight pullover exercise.

Like the latter pullover, the machine variation involves drawing an object towards and from behind the head. This makes it a compound exercise that is modified to be more forgiving due to its machine-based nature.

Muscles Worked

The pullover machine primarily targets the latissimus dorsi, but will also work the pectoral muscles, posterior deltoid head and core.

Benefits as a Wrist-Friendly Exercise

Although the pullover machine traditionally uses the hands to aid and stabilize the movement by gripping a bar attached to the machine, lifters can avoid doing so by simply pressing through their elbows. This achieves much the same effect, and allows the wrists to remain unused if so needed.

In addition, the pullover machine helps the lifter save themselves further risk of injury by targeting both halves of the upper body simultaneously.

Less exercises in the workout equates to fewer opportunities for damaging the wrists further.

How-to:

Sitting within the machine, the lifter will grip the bar behind their head (if possible), and set their elbows against the pads near their ears.

Ensuring that their head is facing forwards, chest upright and their lower back neutral, the lifter begins the repetition by pushing through their elbows and contracting the muscles of their back.

The pads and bar should be drawn over the head in a radial motion, passing the torso and ending somewhere around the waist.

Once the machine’s full range has been completed, the lifter will simply reverse the movement, returning the pads and bar back to their starting position so as to complete the repetition.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How can I Build my Chest With a Bad Wrist?

There are few chest exercises that are available without the use of the wrist. Two of the few options you have are the pec deck machine and the resistance band chest fly - both of which do not involve the usage of the wrists or hands.

Are Push-Ups Bad for Your Wrists?

Push-ups are only bad for your wrists if performed incorrectly. If you have a history of wrist injury, it may be best to look for more wrist-friendly alternatives to the push-up, or to take extra precaution in terms of push-up form.

How Do You Work Your Biceps With a Bad Wrist?

In order to train the biceps in a wrist-friendly manner, we recommend using cable machine wrist straps or trying out exercises that involve a neutral wrist orientation. Depending on the severity of your wrist injury, the latter may not be a safe option.

A Few Reminders

Even if your physician has cleared you for performing exercises with a bad wrist - remember to nonetheless still take caution and stop if you begin to feel pain.

If you wish to accelerate the rate at which your wrist heals, follow the advice of your physical therapist, and avoid any sort of pressure or strain therein.

Remember that a few weeks out of the gym is better than having a months-long injury recovery process.

References

1. Morgan WJ, Slowman LS. Acute hand and wrist injuries in athletes: Evaluation and management. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic surgeons, nov.-dec. 2001, vol. 9, n°: 6, 389-400.