Do your wrists feel weak? Part 2: Strengthen

June 13, 2023 Becci Curtis

“I’m having trouble holding a plank position because my wrists do not feel strong enough”.

Yes, tell me about it!

Not only have I learned how to deal with my own ‘weak-feeling wrists’ over the years (and succeeded in ditching the wrist tape, wrist straps, and wrist supports), having wrists that don’t ‘feel strong enough’ is such a common experience that I decided to share a whole host of ideas in an attempt to help you out.

This post is part of a series designed to give you more options than:

‘Just skip it’
‘Put your knees down’, or
‘Do child’s pose instead’

Because? We’re adults goddammit! We can deal with things and learn to do stuff we used to find too difficult.

You can start this series in any order, you don’t need to perfect one set of options before trying out the next. Simultaneously working on mobility and strength, plus learning to adapt what you need to adapt, is a solid approach for most people without an acute injury. (Do your wrists feel like they’re about to fall off? You need a doctor, not a yoga teacher.)

Do your wrists feel weak? Part 1: Mobilise

May 17, 2023 Becci Curtis

A yoga teacher has a pained facial expression while holding onto her wrist. — Would you believe that I don’t even pose for these things?!

If your wrists feel weak, taking part in a floor-based movement (or fitness) class will probably be a frustrating experience. Even in beginner-level classes, you are likely to find many positions that require you to place some bodyweight through your hands, like:

table (all fours) and cat-cow
downward dog and upward dog
plank and push-up.

If you have trouble holding (or starting in) any of these positions, you are presented with limited options to make things more manageable:

Skip it
Spend less time there and/or
Bend your knees/place your knees down on the floor.

All of these options are valid. They might suit you and what you are trying to achieve perfectly well, and they could be very appropriate ways to keep your body moving while coping with a flare-up, or accommodating an injury. They are not options to be scoffed at, or to make you feel less than.

However (really just a nice way to avoid saying ‘but’), if these are your limited options simply because you don't know what else you could try, keep reading.

This blog series is going to give you some extra and alternative options to consider.

"How should yoga feel? Just stretchy?"

May 11, 2023 Becci Curtis

I've been delving into the murky world of internet forums (I have my reasons) and came across a thread on the modern source of all wisdom (Mumsnet) that began with:

'I realise this is a ridiculous question but I’ve never really ‘got’ yoga. I’ve tried a good 3/4 times with Adriene [the YouTube sensation] and even though I am so keen to love it I just haven’t.
But my question is how should it feel? Just stretchy? There was one pose where I had to hook one knee then put my hands behind it and pull which felt very stretchy in my hamstring but I was a bit like ‘oh is this right?’ - it wasn’t painful just different.'

There isn't anything ridiculous about this question, or the replies to it. In fact, I think this one small corner of the internet succeeds in pointing out many of the conflicting ideas and strange assumptions that are widely (and over-confidently) shared about yoga.

Stuck in the never-ending pursuit of 'fitness'?

May 18, 2022 Becci Curtis

Two road bike helmets rest on an outdoor Dutch cafe table alongside two flat whites and biscuits.

It might be time to set some modest goals

Last month, I left the city I called home for 10 years (Oxford, UK) and moved abroad (Nijmegen, NL). It’s been a pretty challenging time, so I have been putting into practise something I am generally useless at: sticking to modest goals (which is not to say that I'm great at sticking to grand goals either).

This is an insight into what I usually do...

Step 1: the ‘yay’ moment = energy! motivation! drive! do all the things!
Step 2: grind, grind, grind = overwork in all areas
Step 3: exhaustion = become a grumpy slug
Step 4: rest = do nothing (anxiously and resentfully)
Return to Step 1

I'm tired just listing that.

I got serious about overturning this habit in 2019 and then the pandemic happened, life sh*t happened, and I had to renege on that promise to myself out of necessity for a bit.

Well, it's now feels like time to get back on track.

How? By setting some modest goals, which—as ever—is somewhat easier said than done...

The perfect post-ride routine?

February 9, 2022 Becci Curtis

These 7 yoga moves won’t take your cycling to the next level

You'd be forgiven for believing the blogs telling you things like: these '7 yoga moves will take your cycling to the next level'. (Yep, my words were made unrealistically aspirational by the Red Bull staff writer, but it’s their job to get clicks so… whevs.)

The truth? There is no perfect routine*

*Sorry Not Sorry

Your priorities when getting back from a bike ride should be (in this order):

Refuelling
Getting out of those bib shorts
Taking a shower

[Probably uploading your ride, viewing your stats, and checking your Strava notifications are in there somewhere, but I’m going to pretend we don’t care about all that.]

I like to keep things practical and true to the demands of everyday life. I certainly don't need yet another thing to fit into my schedule. Trying to squeeze in an extra hour of movement after a ride is often (read: nearly always) unrealistic for me.

Start small (nothing fancy)

I find that having a set idea of something we should be doing often gets in the way of doing anything at all.

We are given advice on what we should be doing from all corners of the internet.

You’ve seen the forums, you’ve read the Tweets: You need to stretch more! Have you tried foam rolling? Yoga, pilates and the ubiquitous ‘improve your core strength’ appears to be the answer to everything. Sure, all of those things might help. Sure, they might help you. But how are on earth are you going to fit that in when you’ve ridden your bike all day?

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