# Exercises to strengthen hands and increase dexterity?



## koalaroo

This is a pretty bizarre request, I realize, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to strengthen hands and increase dexterity? My hands and fingers are really weak, as in I have trouble opening a bottle of water or pressing the keys on a piano. Also, when I have to do something that requires manual dexterity, my hands get incredibly shaky.


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## Red Panda

I'm not an exercise professional, but I think that in order to achieve the things you mention you have to do some strength training with weights and other resistance devices like balls/strings etc for both the hands and the rest of the arms. 
How to Strengthen Hand Muscles | Healthy Living - azcentral.com
Hand Strengthening Exercises - Best Exercises To Strengthen Your Hands

and for the arms
10 Best Arm Moves 

you can find more in google if you like


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## the_natrix

For piano finger exercises you can do simple isometric exercises by pressing your thumb and a finger together. For grip exercises you could find one of those stress relief balls and just start squeezing. I've also heard of an exercise that requires a bucket of uncooked rice, you use it to create resistance for wrist-hand movement in any number of directions, the deeper you put your hand the more resistance it gives. I'm not sure about the dexterity exercises, what sort of situation makes your hands shaky?


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## SirDave

If you Google Search _"hand therapy youtube"_ you'll find something useful


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## Antipode

Exercises To Increase Hand Strength | LIVESTRONG.COM


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## Zombie Devil Duckie

This may be a wild shot... but are you eating enough carbs or starving yourself for some diet?? Burst strength is one thing, but if you are doing any (long-term) fine motor skills and your hands start shaking it sounds like you've burned through your store of glycogen. 

I could be totally off here, but it was just a thought. It's the first thing that popped into my mind when you wrote about having shaky hands.



-ZDD


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## FaveteLinguis

I did these three after breaking my right arm a few years back and trying to fight major atrophy.


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## yet another intj

Best wrist exercise ever. Good for forearms and grip strenght. Thicker the bar, better the results.


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## yet another intj

Zombie Devil Duckie said:


> This may be a wild shot... but are you eating enough carbs or starving yourself for some diet?? Burst strength is one thing, but if you are doing any (long-term) fine motor skills and your hands start shaking it sounds like you've burned through your store of glycogen.


You don't need to consume extra carbohydrates on purpose for maintaining reasonable glycogen levels on rest. Depleted glycogen stores can reduce your one repetition maximum but shaking/clumsiness with simple motor skills sounds like a chronic catabolism. You can be right if she's starving herself with some kind of hardcore ketogenic diet anyway. I think she better focus on amino acids and animal protein instead of carbohydrates.


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## countrygirl90

You should consult a doctor ,it could a case of some nutritional deficiency and as other members have already said try to do some weight training exercise of hands and arms .Physiotherapy for hands and arms like flexing your fingers ,rolling you wrists in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction ,then arm bending and rolling your arms at arm-socket to shoulder joint for a fixed number of times and increasing this rate daily ,as it works for you. Sometimes shakiness of limbs is related to some brain-neuron related issues too,so my best advice is to see a doctor for proper diagnosis and solution of this health problem .


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## PowerShell

FaveteLinguis said:


> I did these three after breaking my right arm a few years back and trying to fight major atrophy.



This pretty much sums it up. Another thing you can do is get 2 plate weights (I'll grab 45's) that only have that half inch or so where you can grab them (not the ones with the handles and easy grab things on them). Then just hold them stationary for a while. You will definitely feel it after a couple minutes.


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## judowrestler1

1. Pick up heavy dumbell
2. Hold heavy dumbells until you can't anymore
3. Repeat
4. When you get to one minute holds up the weight


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## Elodin

1.)Rock-climbing
2.)Put on a back-pack with a dumbbell in it and hang from a pull-up bar until your hands give way. Way two minutes and repeat.


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## Foibleful

Agree with above posters that forearm exercises should strengthen your grip and make opening jars easier. One thing I do to keep my fingers limber is to go through the American Sign Language alphabet.


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## stone100674

koalaroo said:


> This is a pretty bizarre request, I realize, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to strengthen hands and increase dexterity? My hands and fingers are really weak, as in I have trouble opening a bottle of water or pressing the keys on a piano. Also, when I have to do something that requires manual dexterity, my hands get incredibly shaky.


I have a small device called a Powerball. It was recommended to me by my physiotherapist to help strengthen my hands, wrists and forearms to help counteract the effects of arthritis. 

It is hard to explain what it does, but it is a small gyroscope that when in motion forces you to use all the muscles in order to counteract the force it exerts: the faster you make it go the greater the force. All you do is roll your wrist in small circles at whatever speed you can achieve, so I use it while watching TV and it is honestly the most effective part of my regime (with zero impact). The one issue I have had is that I am right handed and therefore my right forearm is bigger than my left so I limit right hand use to less time (it has a timer) and only every other day. I see no reason that it would not help you as well.


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## judowrestler1

stone100674 said:


> I have a small device called a Powerball. It was recommended to me by my physiotherapist to help strengthen my hands, wrists and forearms to help counteract the effects of arthritis.
> 
> It is hard to explain what it does, but it is a small gyroscope that when in motion forces you to use all the muscles in order to counteract the force it exerts: the faster you make it go the greater the force. All you do is roll your wrist in small circles at whatever speed you can achieve, so I use it while watching TV and it is honestly the most effective part of my regime (with zero impact). The one issue I have had is that I am right handed and therefore my right forearm is bigger than my left so I limit right hand use to less time (it has a timer) and only every other day. I see no reason that it would not help you as well.


Are you, are you talking about masturbating?


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## hailfire

Climbing. It's actually fun compared to the weightlifting crap.


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## stone100674

judowrestler1 said:


> Are you, are you talking about masturbating?


No, I'm not. Powerball Exercises | LIVESTRONG.COM
and a review of the Powerball
Review : NSD Powerball | Straight to the Bar


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## Jwing24

look up heavy grips, those things are insane. 

(no im not trying to plug someone's product, I've never seen them in real life, just on the internet, you can take this post down if you like)


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## PowerShell

I would say deadlifts would help with grip. I guess doing deadlifts, my main weakness is my grip. It's just hard to hold 450+ pounds for more than 2-3 reps. I do know it does help build grip strength.


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