Back in the gym for the past five months. I have developed medial epicondylitis in my left elbow (I’m left handed). Can anybody help pinpoint which exercises contribute to this injury. Not bad yet, but I don’t want to make it worse. It’s strange in that I’ve gone through most of my routine and don’t feel it directly with the minor exception of triceps pressdowns.
I don’t recall specifically but may have hurt it on a heavy (for me) squat. I have stopped this split routine and now just do a full body (squat, deadlift, bench variations, press) workout three times a week. MUCH better me. It doesn’t hurt much while lifting only later in the evening. Contributing factors: sit at my desk for a large portion of the day (lawyer) typing and lots of past knife work at my now closed restaurant (life as a chef at 53 is not as glamorous as it sounds).
Any help excluding contributing exercises would help as well as some to strengthen the elbow area tendons.
I’ve had medial elbow pain off and on for the last couple years. My elbow pain is caused mostly from golf and pull ups. Pull ups with an overhand (palms face away) grip hurt my elbow the most. I’ve had to avoid these at times. Chin ups with a palms facing grip and pull ups on rings hurt the least. At 59, one of my major goals is to keep lifting, so if an exercise hurts, I’ll lay off it for a while.
Icing the elbow has helped me. Exercises such as dumb bell or EZ bar wrist curls with a palm up grip and palm away grip have helped me strengthen the elbow flexors. Also, grip work with a good quality gripper like Iron Mind sells has helped as does gentle stretching (place your hand palm down on a low table or other flat surface, fingers pointing behind you and lock your arm straight). You’ll fell a stretch in the elbow tendon.
I’ve had it in both elbows from squats.
Anytime you allow your arms to carry part of the weight instead of 100% shoulders, you risk elbow injury.
I changed my grip as Rippletoe advises to a thumbless grip on the bar. Like a suicide grip for bench.
The function of the grip in squats is to keep the bar solid against the back by pressing the bar into the back. Nothing else and doesn’t take much pressure.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Lying tricep extension with an EZ curl bar causes it for me.[/quote]
X2.
Excessive flaring of the elbows benching can cause elbow issues as well. If you aren’t currently taking a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement-start. I had a lot of elbow issues due to poor form and programming and got significant relief within a couple of weeks of starting to take them. Over 10 years later and I haven’t had anything more than minor elbow pain since.
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Lying tricep extension with an EZ curl bar causes it for me.[/quote]
X2.
Excessive flaring of the elbows benching can cause elbow issues as well. If you aren’t currently taking a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement-start. I had a lot of elbow issues due to poor form and programming and got significant relief within a couple of weeks of starting to take them. Over 10 years later and I haven’t had anything more than minor elbow pain since. [/quote]
I haven’t done any research of late on glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, are these still recommended for joint issues? Also, for some reason I was thinking I read something here on the site that taking them together wasn’t necessarily the way to go. They seem to be working for you right? Thanks.
Some persons like me are not designed for straight bars.
Try, it might help you to use dumbells, neutral grip, rope accessorie or rings, 2 free moving hanbles.
In martial arts each punch involves some rotation so pulling or pressing needs free movements for joints long term health for many.
In allmost any mouvement my #1 choice is freedom of mouvement and my plan B is neutral grip. It helps my shoulders and elbows.
All the best !
[quote]kpsnap wrote:
Lying tricep extension with an EZ curl bar causes it for me.[/quote]
X2.
Excessive flaring of the elbows benching can cause elbow issues as well. If you aren’t currently taking a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement-start. I had a lot of elbow issues due to poor form and programming and got significant relief within a couple of weeks of starting to take them. Over 10 years later and I haven’t had anything more than minor elbow pain since. [/quote]
I haven’t done any research of late on glucosamine and chondroitin supplements, are these still recommended for joint issues? Also, for some reason I was thinking I read something here on the site that taking them together wasn’t necessarily the way to go. They seem to be working for you right? Thanks.[/quote]
Definitely worked for me. Very little seems to be written about the combination anymore. I’m guessing because it has essentially become a commodity product with very little profit margin.
Plenty of it is being sold and there are a lot of people like me who the combination has helped significantly. For around $10 it is worth giving a month’s supply a try to see if it helps.