• Keeping your wrists strong to prevent injuries from occurring.hands in hands against sky, friendship concept image by JoLin from Fotolia.com
  
  While the shoulders and biceps often get much attention from regular exercisers, the muscles of the forearm and wrist tend not to get so much fanfare. But these muscles are just as important. According to the University of Virginia, studies including the "Longitudinal Study of Aging Twins," have even shown a correlation between grip strength and longevity. To develop a healthier grip, help prevent injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and increase your overall wrist and forearm strength, perform wrist and arm exercises regularly.
  
  

Hammer Curl

• The hammer curl targets the brachioradialis, a muscle in the forearm. It's similar to a bicep curl, but your palms and wrist face in toward your body.
  
  To perform the hammer curl, you'll need a pair of mid-weight dumbbells. Hold one in each hand with your palms facing inward. Keeping your elbows close to your sides, curl the right dumbbell until your forearm is vertical and your thumb faces your shoulder. Lower to the starting position. Begin to curl the left dumbbell as you lower the right.
  
  

Prayer Pose

• Prayer pose is an isokinetic exercise, meaning an exercise that applies force to an object without moving it. Isokinetic exercises are ideal for stretching and strengthening the hands and arms simultanouesly.
  
  Place your hands together, your fingers aligned against one another in prayer position. Use your forearm muscles to push your hands together, resisting the movement with your hands. Do not allow one arm to move the other. Hold this position for about five seconds. Repeat at least three or four times.
  
  

Tennis Ball Squeeze

• Repeatedly squeezing a tennis ball is a classic technique for improving grip strength. Wrap your fingers and thumb around a tennis ball. Squeeze the ball and hold for five seconds, focusing the effort on the muscles of the fingers and palm. Repeat three or four times.
  
  

Dumbbell Wrist Curl Over Bench

• Go with a lighter set of dumbbells for this move. Kneel behind a flat bench. Holding the dumbbells with your palms facing down, rest your forearms flat on the bench. Your wrists should be at the very edge of the bench. Maintaining a tight grip on the dumbbells, lower them as far as possible. Then curl the dumbbells up as high as possible. Keep your forearms stationary throughout the move.