By Mafalda Genevie
Antagonistic Balance is maintaining a realistic balance of strength between opposing muscle groups.
One example of a part of the body that must be maintained in a sensible strength balance is the shoulder. Without proper antagonistic balance, shoulder problems can occur, such as Slouching Shoulders, Neck Pain, Headaches, Upper Back Weakness
Pulled Muscles, Cramps, etc.
The shoulder is not the only thing affected by a lack of antagonistic balance. Over time, being in a state of antagonistic imbalance can lead to many problems from the elbow down to the fingers: Misalignment of carpal (wrist) bones, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tingling in the fingers, Weakness in the hands, fingers and thumbs, Pain, etc.
The easiest way to maintain balance between the antagonists of the hands is by including finger and wrist extension movements.
Here are three ways you can include more extensor training in your weekly training routine without breaking the bank.
1. Rubber Band Finger Extensions
A good set of rubber bands can be picked up at any office supply store. I like #84 Rubber Bands from Staples.
String them over your fingers and thumb and open your fingers against the resistance. The primary purpose of Rubber Band work is for endurance, so hit them until your forearm heats up and feels like it might just burn the next person that rubs against it.
2. Protein Container Extensor Training
Protein Powder Jugs and other similar-shaped containers make for great tools for working the extensors. Just throw some sand, steel shot, or bent steel from nail bending inside and you have a great tool for extensor training.
Stick your fingers and thumb in, open up all the way, and lift the container up off the ground. If you have monstrous hands, you may need something bigger. I use an Utz Cheese Ball container. I'm not sure how it made its way into my house.
3. Sand Bucket
Take a large bucket and put some sand in it. Dig the fingers down into the sand and open your hand against the resistance. This will work the extensors more intensely than the other two, so be ready for a pump. Call me a wuss, but I can't stand getting the sand under my finger nails, so I usually wear leather working gloves while I do this. You may like this better as well.
These three methods of training the extensors are very cheap, probably costing you less than $10 in total, but they enable you to hit the extensors under light resistance for lots of reps (rubber bands), isometrically with heavier loads (candy container), and dynamically with heavier loads and fewer repetitions (sand bucket) so you are able to strengthen the extensors and maintain the antagonistic balance that is so important for hand health.
MORE INFORMATION: The author has hundreds of free articles on how to build hand strength. This is a process that can be fun and rewarding in many ways, especially along the lines of learning how to bend nails.
Antagonistic Balance is maintaining a realistic balance of strength between opposing muscle groups.
One example of a part of the body that must be maintained in a sensible strength balance is the shoulder. Without proper antagonistic balance, shoulder problems can occur, such as Slouching Shoulders, Neck Pain, Headaches, Upper Back Weakness
Pulled Muscles, Cramps, etc.
The shoulder is not the only thing affected by a lack of antagonistic balance. Over time, being in a state of antagonistic imbalance can lead to many problems from the elbow down to the fingers: Misalignment of carpal (wrist) bones, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Tingling in the fingers, Weakness in the hands, fingers and thumbs, Pain, etc.
The easiest way to maintain balance between the antagonists of the hands is by including finger and wrist extension movements.
Here are three ways you can include more extensor training in your weekly training routine without breaking the bank.
1. Rubber Band Finger Extensions
A good set of rubber bands can be picked up at any office supply store. I like #84 Rubber Bands from Staples.
String them over your fingers and thumb and open your fingers against the resistance. The primary purpose of Rubber Band work is for endurance, so hit them until your forearm heats up and feels like it might just burn the next person that rubs against it.
2. Protein Container Extensor Training
Protein Powder Jugs and other similar-shaped containers make for great tools for working the extensors. Just throw some sand, steel shot, or bent steel from nail bending inside and you have a great tool for extensor training.
Stick your fingers and thumb in, open up all the way, and lift the container up off the ground. If you have monstrous hands, you may need something bigger. I use an Utz Cheese Ball container. I'm not sure how it made its way into my house.
3. Sand Bucket
Take a large bucket and put some sand in it. Dig the fingers down into the sand and open your hand against the resistance. This will work the extensors more intensely than the other two, so be ready for a pump. Call me a wuss, but I can't stand getting the sand under my finger nails, so I usually wear leather working gloves while I do this. You may like this better as well.
These three methods of training the extensors are very cheap, probably costing you less than $10 in total, but they enable you to hit the extensors under light resistance for lots of reps (rubber bands), isometrically with heavier loads (candy container), and dynamically with heavier loads and fewer repetitions (sand bucket) so you are able to strengthen the extensors and maintain the antagonistic balance that is so important for hand health.
MORE INFORMATION: The author has hundreds of free articles on how to build hand strength. This is a process that can be fun and rewarding in many ways, especially along the lines of learning how to bend nails.