Wrist and shoulder care during the 10,000 push-up challenge means varying your push-up grip, stretching the wrist both directions, doing three daily shoulder stretches, and supporting it all with protein, water, and electrolytes. High push-up volume can bring on wrist and shoulder pain if you do every rep identically, so in this Physical Friday I show you the maintenance I run every single day to stay healthy and keep grinding through the challenge.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Vary the push-ups so you are not loading the same wrist angle over and over — go wide, go narrow, and change your hand position to avoid a repetitive stress injury. Stretch the wrist both directions: bend it back against a wall or your bed, and feel the stretch through your forearm and wrist, plus the stretch you get in the push-up position itself. I also do wrist circles as a warmup, rolling them around and back and forth before I start.
Take the wrist out of the equation. Use push-up bars like the Perfect Push-Up, or grab a set of 10-pound dumbbells and do your push-ups gripping the handles so your wrists stay completely straight instead of bent back. That is much easier on a lot of people’s wrists. Then vary it day to day — standard push-ups for a while, push-ups on the dumbbells for a while, push-ups on the bars for a while.
Three, every day, learned from my friend Joe Hippensteel at Ultimate Human Performance, holding each for two minutes with one minute of rest. First is the arm-across: pull one arm across your body, catch it at the elbow with the other arm, and put that hand behind your ear like a half nelson. Second, clasp your hands behind your back and raise your arms up toward 120 degrees. Third, lie on a bench and hold a dumbbell overhead, then lower it back behind you so your elbow drops behind your ear.
I follow one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass. I am weighing about 174 pounds right now and eating around 160 grams of protein a day, which helps me recover from hard workouts and build muscle. It is a common rule of thumb and it works very well for me. Doing 10,000 push-ups in a month is more volume than many people have ever done, so making sure your protein intake is adequate matters.
Because you sweat — especially in Florida — and electrolytes are critical for your brain and body. I drink a lot of water and use LMNT, which is a blend of sodium, magnesium, and potassium with no sugar. It is great during the push-up challenge and just as useful for fishing all day in the summer heat. There is a link in the description for free shipping and a free sample pack if you want to try it.
Five things: vary your push-ups and stretch your wrists both directions; do your three daily shoulder stretches; eat about one gram of protein per pound of lean body mass; drink plenty of water; and stay on top of your electrolytes. That combination is what keeps me recovering and pain-free through the volume. If you come up with your own wrist or shoulder solutions, text me at 305-930-7346 and I might share them or have you on the show.
Here is the maintenance routine I run every day during the 10,000 push-up challenge. I demonstrate each piece in the episode.
I walk through the details in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Most wrist and shoulder pain in the challenge comes from doing every single rep in the exact same position. That repetition is where repetitive stress injuries live. The fix is variety and deliberate stretching, plus tools that keep the wrist straight when you need them. I demonstrate the grips and stretches in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I learned these from Joe Hippensteel at Ultimate Human Performance, and I do them every day, two minutes on and one minute off. They hit exactly the spots the push-up challenge taxes — the front of the shoulder, the chest, and the overhead range. I walk through how to set each one up safely in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Maintenance is not just stretching. Adequate protein at about a gram per pound of lean body mass helps me recover and build, and water plus electrolytes keep my brain and body working through the sweat. LMNT is my pick because it is sodium, magnesium, and potassium with no sugar. I cover the numbers I use in the episode, so press play in the player above.
If you are pushing big push-up volume this month, the maintenance is the difference between finishing strong and getting hurt. Vary the movement, stretch the wrists and shoulders daily, and fuel the work.
Come up with a wrist or shoulder solution that works for you? Text me at 305-930-7346 — I would love to hear it and maybe share it. Press play in the player above.
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
10,000 Push-Up Challenge · Joe Hippensteel · Ultimate Human Performance · Perfect Push-Up · LMNT · Physical Friday · Saltwater Experience
I’m Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series where I share the training, nutrition, and mindset that keep fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong enough to keep doing what they love for life.
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