OT - lifting and pain

[Dekonick]

OK - I haven't been to my doc yet... hard to get in as it is the holliday season and all...


When I curl, or twist my wrist I have pain in my left elbow. It is making working out hard...

Advice?

I have no edema, or point tenderness. Advil and compression help, but just enough to make it possible to lift.

Not talking huge weights here... curling 30lb dumbells...

[rice rocket]

Don't sell yourself short, that's beastly for a cyclist. ;)

I've had that pain too at times, it's basically tennis elbow. You need to strengthen your forearms. Start doing forearm exercises with a bungee if you have one available, or with small 1.5 lb or 2 lb weights. It's basically wrist extensions inside and outside.

Some say upper arm and shoulder strength matters too, but forearms are usually more neglected than the other groups (I know I do).

Edit: you also might have botched mechanics on your curls. Perhaps see a trainer, or just pick their brain while they're standing around if you don't want to pay them. ;)

[Ahneida Ride]

Tennis elbow can take 6 months to a year to heal ..

A brace worked for me. helped a bit.

[Louis]

Not talking huge weights here... curling 30lb dumbells...

That is huge, for sissies like us. How many sets, how many reps?

I say stop for one week, then back off to 15 lbs and slowly work your way back up.

[rugbysecondrow]

First things first, stop being a sissy! ;)

Now that I said that, take a week off to see if that helps. Rest seems to take care of some of these little issues, so try that. During that time, take a look at replacement exercises that might be less of an issues. I like hammer curls, body weight curls, pull ups, and of course push ups. Vary your hand placement and push ups are the best. Also, do extra core or give me a call for a ride or run. I have a good circuit workout that will kick our arses, but we can drink cold beer afterwards!

[Smiley]

Man Both U and Rugy are built up guys hardly what I'd call a cyclist physique. Take a few weeks off for sure.

[97CSI]

When I curl, or twist my wrist I have pain in my left elbow. It is making working out hard... It's called 'old age'. Get used to it, as it only gets worse. On the upside, it doesn't last that long before you start forgetting that it was any other way. :rolleyes:

[Dekonick]

That is huge, for sissies like us. How many sets, how many reps?

I say stop for one week, then back off to 15 lbs and slowly work your way back up.

Well, on my bicep/back day I do 4 sets of 8-12 preacher curls with a curl bar starting with 25lb plates, work up to 35lbs a side, then one last set of 12 with the 25's

Then hammer curls 3 sets of 10 with 30 lb dumbbells, and then another 3x10 alternating curls with 30 lb db's

follow with lat pull down (with the 'advanced lat machine' that allows you to engage more stabilizers) 4x10 with ~150lbs, seated rows 4x8-12 ~110lbs, then 30 min on the concept 2. followed by back extensions with 200 lbs 3sets of 20

there ya go - my weekly bicep/back workout. Sometimes I'll toss in straight bar curls, lighter weights high reps, 'run the rack' curls... etc. Takes about 1.5-2 hours to do this workout.

I have given it a week rest, but still is bugging me. Most of the pain seems to be proximal not distal to the elbow.

[rugbysecondrow]

Mike, I would also add that I am not a fan of preacher bench curls. For me, they seem to put my elbows and body in a position that is not functional and can cause discomfort. These are good for isolation exercises, but otherwise not very functional.

[fiamme red]

A man goes to a doctor: "Doc, it hurts when I do this."

Doctor: "Well then, don't do that."

If your elbows are just bothered by curls, just don't do them (or at least not for a while). There are many few people who have very strong and muscular upper bodies, and never do curls.

[avalonracing]

Cool thread. When can we start talking about our free-weight bench max?! :D

Sounds like the three of us here around Howard County MD are the strongest upper body guys in all of professional amateur cycling.

[Charles M]

Hit a doc and get a good diag... then hit a good Phys Therapist...

If it's tendonitis, you're best served by taking that corny old advice "dont do that if it hurts" for a period of time. The PT will let you work around it and maybe scrape you and get it sorted a lot quicker...

[false_Aest]

Seeing a doctor will get you the following advice: rest advil ice heat etc. Unless he/she really gets it.

I suspect that you have bad form somewhere. It might not be really bad but enough to cause issue.

A trainer told me that if I couldn't lift a weight in perfect form it's too heavy. He followed it up by saying that if my form ever starts to go bad during the set I should stop and rest. In other words if I'm aiming for 12 reps and I can only do 8 in perfect form the other 4 are wasted.

A lot of "wisdom" has bled from bodybuilding to the kind've weight lifting most people do. I really don't think that's a good thing--all of the injuries I've seen in the gym have come from people lifting too much weight in the wrong way. They're trying to follow some routine that they read in Muscle and Fitness but haven't graduated from the Men's Fitness pull-out section.

TiD has mentioned that the trainers he's seen in the gym don't focus enough on the posture and position of the people they're training. If you turn to a trainer to look at your form make sure s/he has more than just the certification--see if s/he has a decent degree to back up their trainer status. OR better yet, go to a PT.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

I had that several times when I used to lift. It is tendinitis. The only thing that really helps is not doing those exercises that stress the forearms. So back off of the biceps exercises. Don't worry, those muscles are just for show, not functional.

When the pain subsides, start strengthening your forearms. A good exercise is to sit down with your arms resting on your legs palm down and your wrists just beyond your knees away from your body. Put a light bar in your hands and curl the bar up using just your wrists (remember keep palms down and arms on your legs during the exercise). Add weight to the bar as you get stronger.

[Dekonick]

I had that several times when I used to lift. It is tendinitis. The only thing that really helps is not doing those exercises that stress the forearms. So back off of the biceps exercises. Don't worry, those muscles are just for show, not functional.

When the pain subsides, start strengthening your forearms. A good exercise is to sit down with your arms resting on your legs palm down and your wrists just beyond your knees away from your body. Put a light bar in your hands and curl the bar up using just your wrists (remember keep palms down and arms on your legs during the exercise). Add weight to the bar as you get stronger.

Good advice. I don't think my issue is from lifting - I am fairly certain it is from work... but that is another issue all together. I just have to remind myself to let the younger kids do the work... but that just doesn't sit will with me.

As far as from - I work with several trainers and my form is good. I am not lifting weight that is too heavy (I can go more, but don't. I am happy with what I can do - no need to try and be a meathead).

Avalon - any time you want to hit the gym holler... bring your bike and we can ride first! As far as why I listed weights I figured that would give more information to those in the know and perhaps get better advice as a result. I plan on going to the doc as soon as the holiday season is past...