Functional exercise: Practising ulnar and radial abduction of the hand

yogabuch / functional exercises / ulnare und radiale abduktion der hand üben

Feedback: We’d love to hear what you think of this description; please send us your feedback at:
postmeister@yogabuch.de
Last updated: 12 February 2026
Common name: Common name: Practising ulnar and radial abduction of the hand
Level: A

Classification

classical: functional exercise
physiological: strengthening of the ulnar abductor and radial abductor muscles of the wrist

Contraindication

In the case of golfer’s elbow, a specific procedure, described below, applies to the performance of pronation; the same applies to supination in the case of tennis elbow.

Effects

  • (862) Strengthening der

Preparation

Follow-up

Derived asanas:

Similar asanas:

Diagnostics (No.)

Variants:

Instructions

  1. This exercise can be used to strengthen both the ulnar and the dorsal abductors. Sit on a chair or stand. Hold your forearm vertically beside your pelvis, with your palm facing your pelvis. Hold a dumbbell bar with a central grip and flex the wrist ulnarly or radially. If this proves comfortable, the dumbbell bar can be gripped asymmetrically, so that the longer section lies on the ulnar or radial side, allowing the corresponding muscles to be strengthened.
  2. For the radial abduction, place your forearm horizontally in front of you on a suitable raised surface, such as a weight bench, two or three blocks stacked flat on top of one another, or a corresponding number of shoulder stand pads, so that you can move your forearm freely whilst holding the dumbbell. If no equipment is available, you can also use your own thigh whilst seated. For the
  3. Ulnar abduction can be performed in two ways: a) with the upper arm rotated inwards as far as possible, rest the forearm on a raised surface at approximately shoulder height, or b) let the arm hang down by your side.
  4. Depending on the intended workout, hold an empty dumbbell bar with your grip positioned anywhere from slightly to well away from the centre, so that the longer end is on the thumb side.
  5. Tilt the wrist with the barbell precisely in the direction of radial abduction or ulnar abduction whilst avoiding flexion of the wrist in the direction of dorsiflexion or palmar flexion.

Details

  1. Unlike the exercise Supination and Pronation of the arm, it is not possible here to practise both movements simultaneously in a single exercise. Only with the arm hanging down, as described in b), is it possible to practise a certain degree of radial abduction at the same time. Note, however, that during the exercise, the effect of gravity is significantly less favourable and therefore the effect is considerably less than in (a) with the forearm horizontal, where it is at its maximum when the wrist is fully extended; this is why these variations are also recommended.
  2. Here, the effectiveness of the exercise can be determined precisely by the exact point at which the barbell is gripped, i.e. by the ratio of the two (radial and ulnar) overhangs of the bar. If the exercise is not effective enough, a suitable weight plate can be added to the barbell.
  3. Given the course of the muscles in question, which are primarily palmar flexors and dorsal flexors of the wrist, great care must be taken to ensure that the hand, whilst holding the barbell, performs only the desired movements and does not perform dorsiflexion and palmar flexion at the wrist.
  4. In the case of golfer’s elbow, the flexor carpi ulnaris and the flexor carpi radialis, that is, the two palmar flexors of the wrist originating from the medial epicondyle, whilst in the case of tennis elbow, the two dorsal flexors of the wrist extensor carpi radialis brevis (not the extensor carpi radialis longus, as this originates from the sulcus situated behind it) and the extensor carpi ulnaris. If the respective muscles exhibit pain on exertion, exercises should predominantly be performed below the pain threshold. In addition, a single instance of pain triggering at NRS 6 to 8 may be held in an isometric position with a long sarcomere length for 10 to 30 seconds, whilst observing whether the pain noticeably subsides. This procedure can then be carried out up to three times a day; however, the majority of the time should be spent practising at a maximum of NRS 2 to 3.