Last night/this morning I’ve had pretty bad pain/lack of mobility in my elbow. The pain is centered on the back side right about where I’d assume the tricep would attach. Yesterday was my dynamic bench day so that would seem to make sense. Can anyone identify what would be most likely to cause this? I’ve never had tricep pain before. This week:
Monday:
ME Bench
DB Incline Press
Lying DB tricep extension (lighter)
Friday:
DE Bench
BB shoulder press
Lying DB tricep extension (heavier)
Big set of light rope pulldowns
Given the popularity of pushing exercises I’d imagine that triceps/elbow injuries are pretty common. Anyone have experience with the best way to deal with it?
Well, since I’m in the same boat as you at the moment, I’d venture to say it’s elbow tendonitis.
As for the cause, it’s most likely the triceps extensions. For me, heavy triceps extensions with a bar (EZ bar) are the culprit. If I do anything for less than eight reps and heavy weight, I am in pain for weeks and weeks.
I’ve found that doing lying dumbbell triceps extensions helps prevent tendonitis, if, I don’t already have it. So, although I stopped the EZ bar lying triceps extensions (aka Skullcrushers or nosebreakers), I’m still doing dumbbell extensions and having some discomfort.
However, it will go away in due time, and I also started using FLAMEOUT a few weeks ago. So I’m hoping that will also begin to kick in and help my elbows.
Ironically, all the pressing exercises have never given me this problem even when I was using Westside.
I’ve had that pain, and also had it go away completely. I think that I have avoided it for the last year by avoiding lowering the weight beyond a 90 degrees bend in the arm. I know try to hold it right at 90 degree arm bend or a little above. I think the tendon was getting strained during the stretching around the elbow joint past 90 degrees.
I just turned 18 recently and i even feel horrible pain in my elbows when i do something like skullcrushers…does anyone know why i feel this pain? A few of my friends mentioned they get the same feeling when they do them.
Funny you should mention the skull crushers being the cause of the pain. I recently added them back in and felt the exact same pain. Especially with lower reps and heavier weight.
[quote]facko wrote:
I just turned 18 recently and i even feel horrible pain in my elbows when i do something like skullcrushers…does anyone know why i feel this pain? A few of my friends mentioned they get the same feeling when they do them.[/quote]
Yes! As I wrote 2 posts back, when the arm bends past perpenducular on the lowering, the tendon gets a little stuck going around the turn. If you do it often you can get a frayed tendon. If you lower extensions not quite to a 90 degree arm angle, I believe, and it is my experience, that this is almost completely avoided. I still bend the arm beyond 90 degrees for maybe a 2-3 workout stretch in a 2-3 month period.
[quote]CloseGrip wrote:
Last night/this morning I’ve had pretty bad pain/lack of mobility in my elbow. The pain is centered on the back side right about where I’d assume the tricep would attach. Yesterday was my dynamic bench day so that would seem to make sense. Can anyone identify what would be most likely to cause this? I’ve never had tricep pain before. This week:
Monday:
ME Bench
DB Incline Press
Lying DB tricep extension (lighter)
Friday:
DE Bench
BB shoulder press
Lying DB tricep extension (heavier)
Big set of light rope pulldowns
Given the popularity of pushing exercises I’d imagine that triceps/elbow injuries are pretty common. Anyone have experience with the best way to deal with it?[/quote]
You are having pain because of one movement. Eliminate this movement and your pain will leave with it. That exercise is Lying DB tricep extension.
I had the same problem. I stopped the lying tri extensions and found the pain stopped. After a while I found that elbow out extensions/ tate presses didn’t hurt, so I’ve stuck with them.
[quote]Yargrev. wrote:
I had the same problem. I stopped the lying tri extensions and found the pain stopped. After a while I found that elbow out extensions/ tate presses didn’t hurt, so I’ve stuck with them.[/quote]
tate presse’s are great, lying tricep ext just caused to much pain in my elbows, it was the only movement that did cause this pain, put this movement on the scrapheap before it puts you there.
[quote]aussie486 wrote:
Yargrev. wrote:
I had the same problem. I stopped the lying tri extensions and found the pain stopped. After a while I found that elbow out extensions/ tate presses didn’t hurt, so I’ve stuck with them.
tate presse’s are great, lying tricep ext just caused to much pain in my elbows, it was the only movement that did cause this pain, put this movement on the scrapheap before it puts you there.
[/quote]
What I’ve substituted 80% of the time is what I call pop-up dips. I put a pair of 2x4s along the length of the power rack so that my bent arms would be almost flush against them. I lean or fall into them slightly and pop-up using the triceps. I will even slam my hands down on the boards to start a rep. I will also add a band around my back/neck and through the hands. My triceps have come a long way with zero elbow pain-its a very powerful and explosive reflexive movement but you can easily cheat out 5-6 reps. If I do them too much I can start to get a little wrist pain though.
Skull Crushers
Very close grip benching
Tricep Extensions
The only tricep specific work I do AT ALL are pushdowns for 3 sets of 30 reps at 25-30lbs or 3 sets of band pushdowns. That is it…I get all my tricep strength from benching with pinkies on the rings which is considered close grip…
NOT forefinger on the smooth which = tricep problems. Granted I do an assload of benching, but it grows the tri’s.
