Wednesday, October 17 2012 4:10 PM EDT2012-10-17 20:10:40 GMT
Kevin Love suffered a fracture in his hand while working out Wednesday morning, which the Minnesota Timberwolves say will keep the All-Star forward out six to eight weeks.
Kevin Love suffered a fracture in his hand while working out Wednesday morning, which the Minnesota Timberwolves say will keep the All-Star forward out six to eight weeks.
Two-time All Star Kevin Love will be starting off the season on the sidelines after he broke bones during a workout, and that has a lot of people talking about knuckle push-ups and whether they're safe.
The Timberwolves may have a tough time getting off to a good start this year now that Love will be on the bench for six weeks with a broken hand, but experts say the knuckle style of push-ups serve a purpose beyond looking tough at the gym.
"I feel like people do them just to look cool," admitted Hank Goff, a former Marine who always works push-ups into his routine -- just not on his knuckles. "It just hurts your hands."
Yet, personal trainer Jorgan Hartje, with Lifetime Fitness, demonstrated how the uncommon method can help tone specific muscles.
"You're going to build a little more stability in the muscles -- little more wrist strength," he explained. "Those are the main reasons."
It's not hard to see why a basketball player might want a little extra wrist strength, but a lot of players have contract rules that would prevent them from getting paid if they did something risky like skydiving or riding a motorcycle; however, the Wolves say knuckle push-ups would not be on that list, calling the injury a freak accident.
Love just signed a $60 million contract in January, but now his third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand -- his shooting hand -- are broken. He won't require surgery, and the team hopes he'll heal soon.
