Finger exercises everyone should do
What's the story
Improving finger strength and dexterity is important for musicians, athletes, and anyone using their hands extensively.
Strong fingers can improve performance in a range of activities, from playing musical instruments to typing efficiently.
Adding specific exercises to your routine can greatly increase finger strength and flexibility.
Here are five effective exercises that can help you achieve stronger fingers and improved dexterity.
Stretching
Finger stretching exercise
Finger stretching is a no-brainer exercise to enhance flexibility.
Begin by spreading your fingers as wide as they can go, and then bringing them back together.
Repeat the movement a few times to warm up the muscles of your hands.
This exercise reduces stiffness and increases the range of motion in your fingers.
Grip strength
Grip strengthening with a stress ball
Using a stress ball is another great way to build grip strength.
Squeeze the ball firmly with one hand for about five seconds before releasing it slowly.
Repeat this process ten times for each hand daily.
This exercise targets the muscles in your fingers, palms, and forearms, thereby enhancing overall hand strength.
Lifting exercise
Finger lifts on a flat surface
Finger lifts require you to place your hand flat on a table or any hard surface with fingers spread out slightly apart.
Lift each finger individually as high as you can without moving the others, holding it for two seconds before lowering it back down gently.
Repeat this exercise ten times per finger to get better at controlling individual fingers.
Resistance training
Rubber band resistance training
For this exercise, place a rubber band around all five fingertips of one hand while keeping them close together, to begin with.
Next, try spreading them apart against the resistance offered by rubber band tension.
Repeat this action until the fatigue sets in after several repetitions per session.
Regularly practiced over time, this will bring noticeable improvements in both strength levels and enhanced coordination abilities too.
Thumb exercise
Thumb opposition exercise
Thumb opposition involves touching each fingertip in a sequence (index through pinky) using only your thumb.
After reaching pinky, repeat the process in the reverse order, back again.
Doing several cycles of this exercise daily strengthens your thumb muscles. It also improves coordination between different parts within the same limb at the same time.