# Can I break my wrists doing push-ups? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2009, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636 "2009-09-26T10:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636/1 "2009-09-26T10:26:24Z")
I heard a story about a man in a gym breaking both his wrists doing dumb bell exercises. I weigh 157 pounds. I think my wrists are pretty thin, 6.5 inches in circumference. Is there any danger I could snap them while doing regular push-ups? ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636/2 "2009-09-26T12:33:01Z")
After reading this I got curious and measured my wrists. They’re 6 3/4", and I never thought of them as being particularly skinny, nor in any particular danger of snapping doing anything like pushups. I weigh 180 pounds (about 20 more than I should weigh). I don’t generally do pushups, but regularly do stuff in the gym (wrist curls, bicep machines, etc) that would put similar stresses on them. I’m not gonna enter any arm wrestling competitions, though - I’ve seen those movies! ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636/3 "2009-09-26T13:14:56Z")
You will not break your wrists doing push-ups. My wrists are 6.5" around, I weigh 200 lbs. and I do push-ups with 50 lbs. extra weight on my back and my feet elevated. This means over 200 pounds on my wrists. I’ve been doing pushups for more than a decade and never had wrist issues. I do suggest you get a pair of cheap pushup handles that enable you to keep your wrists straight, similar to barbell excercises, instead of bent at an unnatural bearing angle. They also increase the range of motion at the bottom which means more oomph per rep. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636/4 "2009-09-26T14:47:49Z")
[This will break your wrist](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDrijM0H_Uc&feature=player_embedded) - (around 2.00 in) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-break-my-wrists-doing-push-ups/511636/5 "2009-09-26T19:56:34Z")
Doing push ups _properly_ will not break your wrists, you would feel pain and stop. Not the emphasis on _properly_ People are idiots especially in a gym. I’ve worked out my whole life and I can’t tell you how many broken toes, chipped teeth, etc I’ve seen because people are totally and I mean totally misuing equipment or doing things wrong or simply don’t know when to stop. Oh yes, I’ve done stupid things too. Fortuantely I learned from my mistakes without any major issues. It wouldn’t be too hard to snap your wrist if you were doing push ups incorrectly, rather I should say stupidly. For even an incorrect push up would equal pain telling you to quit, you’re not doing it right, but some people will never learn. So while it’s very unlikely to break your wrist, a determinedly stupid person could do it. 😃