Beginner here. Whenever I try alternating swings or cleans (as in 10, maybe 15 reps) the area right below my wrist starts and then keeps on hurting for quite some time - usually a few days. Rotating the hand hurts, too, and usually causes popping/cracking. The pain is not strong - maybe a 3 out of 10. A bad bruise, I'd say. Other exercises like presses or deadlifts are fine, it's only these I seem to have a problem with. Specifically, it seems to happen when I 'catch' the bell, right after leaving rack-position. Same with alternating swings. Regular swings, on the other hand, aren't nearly as bad, probably because there's very little wrist-rotation involved.

I haven't exercised in ages, have no previous lifting experience and work in IT. Maybe my wrists just aren't used to the stress and/or weight (tried with both 12kg and 16kg). I'm not exactly eager to blow out my wrists, though, so just ignoring the pain feels like a pretty bad idea - hence my posting here.

Any advice on this? Common, uncommon? Could/should I try wrist wraps?