Post: #1

I have been trying to lift weights for the past 2 and a half years or so but minor injuries have spoiled my consistency and overall results. How do you overcome this while maintaining and pushing your results forward?

About 2 years ago I started having forearm tendonitis probably due to overworking myself. It was also exacerbated by my computer use (no way to get around that, as I work a desk job). Saw a doctor and had forearm tendonitis, received some cortisone shots and rested my arm for probably a year and took up running instead.

Got back into lifting last year using a program with fewer exercises and focusing on compound lifts and lighter weights. My results were quite good and my forearm didn't bother me much... but then in late October 2013 I got terribly sick (was living abroad) for close to six weeks and couldn't lift for like 2 months.

I got back into lifting in January and was going good until last week when my forearm tendonitis started coming back.

I have tried to manage it by stretching my arm out throughout the day, and warming up before each session. I don't feel pain when I'm not in the gym and only from time to time due to the computer.

I also had some scar tissue in my knee from about 7 years ago and that tightness/pain flared up too last week as I am focusing on leg presses and dead lifts.

So now I got tightness/annoying pain in my forearm and knee and taking 1-2 weeks rest really messes up my consistency and results.

Anyone have advice on how to manage this?

I'm thinking after I get back in the gym next week after 1.5 weeks rest, I drop the weight significantly but retain the same exercises and see how it goes.

Post: #2

I'm old. I have shitty knees and ankles from football, and the military. I also have some shoulder issues. I've noticed that as I age my warmups to workout take a lot longer. I'm starting to wear the Under Armour compression shirts, and the pants to preserve heat and keep me warm. Also I'm about to get serious about yoga. At 46 it's all about endurance, mobility, and flexibility. Also I've bought some of those big rubber bands, and a foam roller to help loosen me up. Try to find some bodyweight exercises as substitutes for other exercise. When my right forearm tendon, and bicep tendon impeded me doing the bench press I started doing gymnasts ring pushups, and worked my way up to ring dips. My shoulders started feeling a lot better, but I really have to get a good shoulder stretch in to do back squats.

Post: #3

Focusing on warm-up, stretching, mobility, and proper form will likely go a long way.


Warm-Up

Consider doing a light warm-up prior to any exercise (but especially prior to doing heavy compound lifts.) This can be as simple as a light jog for 5 minutes on the treadmill, a few minute jump rope session, or lightly working a punching bag for a round or 2. You would probably want to get your heart rate up to around the 130s-140s; while not trying to do anything too intense. Remember, its a warm-up.


Stretching

Next you want to do some light static stretching. Again, nothing too intense. But you want to stretch out the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia to allow optimization of blood flow prior to the upcoming vigorous activity. If you are working out a specific body part that day, try to focus on that part with a little extra stretching.


Mobility

This fits in with stretching as well. Foam rolling, stick roller work, and elastic band work can be your mainstays here. There are some great Mobility books out there (i.e. Becoming a Supple Leopard, Foam Roller Workbook, Self Myofascial Release, etc.) that you can comb thru to build yourself a personalized short mobility routine to be performed prior to serious exercise. A few sets of air squats, hip lunges, and ankle rolls can go a long way.

I would give a strong recommendation to Yoga in this category as well. Many people note that their mobility actually diminishes as their strength and muscle mass increase. In addition, yoga can help you become more flexible and mobile which will help you hit your lifts (especially squats and deadlifts) with better form. Finally, yoga can be restorative as well by aiding you in recovery and preventing future injury through the development of stronger core musculature.


Form

Finally, I think it's important that you make sure that whatever exercise you are doing is being done with proper form. If you are lifting heavy weights; maybe think about hiring a personal trainer for a few sessions to teach you proper form. If that is not an option, ask a friend to video tape your lifts so that you can self-analyze and consider posting to some online lifting forums to gain feedback. If your exercise is something else you are unfamiliar with (BJJ, Muay Thai, kickboxing, bikram yoga, rock climbing, Crossfit WOD, etc.) ... again, I'd suggest hiring an expert for a short period of time to make sure that you are moving with proper form. A lot of overuse/repetitive use injuries can be avoided by making sure you are performing the exercise/movement/sport/activity with the proper intended form.


-----

I didn't address your specific injury concerns (forearm/knee), but rather wanted to comment on a general routine that I have personally used. Using the above methods I have continued to exercise and lift weights despite suffering through some mild-moderate shoulder pains, tight muscles/soreness, low back pain, and occasional bouts of sciatica.

Post: #4

I have an area that runs along/under my left shoulderblade that always bothers me. I'm not sure if it's the lat muscle or a tendon that lies underneath there. Does anyone have that?

I get the forearm/elbow pain too, and I've found that some exercises are a lot worse for it than others. For example, dumbbell bench press is a bitch at higher weights (for me = 65lbs) Also lat pulldowns can hurt there also.

Post: #5

I have the same problems. Whenever I get into a good routine and start seeing good gains, something out of my control sidelines me. At the beginning of last year, I was really getting into a good zone, lifting hard and generally having a good routine going. I was seeing some good results, getting bigger, gaining weight and getting some muscles... and then I tore up my ACL... still recovering from the surgery at the moment and can't really get back to lifting hard until my knee returns to normal.

Otherwise what thesia wrote is all good. Especially if you are working a desk job, you need to stretch a lot, do foam rolling, warming up...etc. You also need to work the muscles that get weakened by sitting on your ass all day. This means you have to work your back muscles and hamstrings more than other muscles. I would recommend having 2 pull movements for every push movement you have.

Post: #6

I Noticed recovery time decreased with age (despite not wanting to believe it) and nagging injuries could/would pop up. I'm a veteran lifter (peaked at a 1500 big 3 and was a monster for many years. throwing this out there so that you know I've been around the block a few times).

Something in the back of my mind a few years back made me think that the traditional split routine was no longer good for me. This resulted in me taking a hiatus from solid lifting routines to do crossfit. Without offending the xfit-cult, I will just say that due to lack of progression and in my view their inexperience with going for long-term gains resulted in this not working very well either (I stuck it out 2.5yrs, and could give you an earful of why crossfit sucks, but will spare you and don't care enough to fend off the xfit zombies that can sniff out the slightest of negative comments on the internet...internet wars are like their food or something).

I finally listened to an older lifter, and learned that I could keep my basic lifts, keep progression, but would heal much better by switching to full body routines. Now, my lifting routine really looks very similar to what I used for years and years using a traditional split. One way to think about it is this: imagine you had a board that had all of your muscle groups broken out and the associated lifts with your proposed rep/set scheme. With a full body routine you are pretty much using all of the exact same lifts, virtually everything is the same. But, now things are arranged as full body but instead you have a Heavy Day, Light Day, and Medium Day.

In my earlier years I would've called this out as sacrilege. The reason is because split routines Do Work really well, zero question. But, as you get older, your ability to completely blitz a muscle group decreases. This can lead to all sorts of recovery issues, increase likelihood nagging injuries pop up / won't go away, etc.

[Now, let's wait and see how many 23-29yr olds throw rotten eggs at this approach. (I probably would've too).]

Post: #7

Great ideas all around, thanks for your input.

I especially think the suggestion for mobility work is important and I'll be adding some of that in now.

My warm-up and stretch routine has been quite good for awhile.

Post: #8

Paging Prophylaxis...

Seriously, that guy helped me diagnose and eradicate my knee pain. Shoot him a PM

Post: #9

I had all sorts of joint pain after doing starting strength and trying to push for more weight.

I did the exact opposite for 3 weeks. Super light weight- 30% of max. Super low up and down, contracting the muscles up and down. I felt like the "push fast and hard" had neglected to develop my joints and tendons properly.

I started upping the weights and it all felt more solid. I had done deload weeks before (no workouts or just cardio/abs), but this just FELT way better.

I am also working on expanding my ROM especially for leg exercises. I am sitting all day and that causes all sorts of problems.

Post: #10

Have you tried any direct forearm work?

TBH the best advice I could give is to go over to gymnastic bodies and buy Coach Sommer's "Handstand One" and just do that three days per week. It will save you more time and frustration than anything else, though it's like eighty bucks. I've had tendinitis in my wrists on and off for a few years and it disappeared almost immediately. Best pre-hab money can buy.

Post: #11

Sometimes, the only thing that will cure injuries is REST.

Rest the effected areas. Work other muscles, do different exercises.

Rest "aggressively" by using stretching, hot tub, sauna, yoga, massage, and sleep.

See a doctor about the injuries.

Always get a great warm up.

Adjust your form. If something is painful, adjust your posture, grip, angle, and/or form and try to find a more comfortable way to do it.

Use a lighter weight.

Work around the injury -- If your leg hurts, do upper body. If you arm hurts do legs and core. Get creative. Try new machines, etc.

Talk to trainers and gym veterans to get their advice on all of this.

Post: #12

sthesia summed it up, and I will add a few recommendations. What do you eat? And are you sure you are not dehydrated? Do you drink regularly? On any meds? Getting sick will always throw you off but you can get back on track if you just stay consistent. And thats key, consistency. Daily, doing the above recommendations, staying hydrated, eating a proper diet, eliminating needless stressors in your life(i.e. gf, careless finances, substance abuse, drinking) My own opinion on cortisone is that its just a bandaid, thats all, you will get it again. Its fun to take because it fixes you quick, but the underlying issue is that you are tight. From my experience only a good massage therapist, rolfer, and acupuncture can fix overuse injuries.

Post: #13

I had forearm tendonitis for 1 year. It was so bad I couldn't even hold a bag of groceries for about 3 months.

I will say that the one thing that made it heal was just leaving it alone. Lots of ice and rest.

Tendons take a long time to heal.

Do not STRETCH at all (the affected tendon area). You know why ? Because you are causing more micro-tears on the tendon every time you stretch it out - causing the recovery process to take longer. When you have a cut on your arm do you stretch the skin or anything to aggravate that cut ? No you leave it alone and let it heal. Expect tendons to take 2x as long to heal because of the limited blood-flow to tendons.

Best advice is to leave it alone, don't stretch it, ice, and be patient. Don't freak out.

I was patient for 1 year and it's back to 100%.

I chose not to get a cortisone shot because, I could have been damaging it even further and not realized it. It just masks the pain and not the problem. The solution was try to minimize the amount I used it, ice and rest.

Post: #14

(04-10-2014 12:13 PM)DonovanVC Wrote:  I have been trying to lift weights for the past 2 and a half years or so but minor injuries have spoiled my consistency and overall results. How do you overcome this while maintaining and pushing your results forward?

About 2 years ago I started having forearm tendonitis probably due to overworking myself. It was also exacerbated by my computer use (no way to get around that, as I work a desk job). Saw a doctor and had forearm tendonitis, received some cortisone shots and rested my arm for probably a year and took up running instead.

Got back into lifting last year using a program with fewer exercises and focusing on compound lifts and lighter weights. My results were quite good and my forearm didn't bother me much... but then in late October 2013 I got terribly sick (was living abroad) for close to six weeks and couldn't lift for like 2 months.

I got back into lifting in January and was going good until last week when my forearm tendonitis started coming back.

I have tried to manage it by stretching my arm out throughout the day, and warming up before each session. I don't feel pain when I'm not in the gym and only from time to time due to the computer.

I also had some scar tissue in my knee from about 7 years ago and that tightness/pain flared up too last week as I am focusing on leg presses and dead lifts.

So now I got tightness/annoying pain in my forearm and knee and taking 1-2 weeks rest really messes up my consistency and results.

Anyone have advice on how to manage this?

I'm thinking after I get back in the gym next week after 1.5 weeks rest, I drop the weight significantly but retain the same exercises and see how it goes.

Hey Donovan,

Forearm tendinopathies and tennis elbow can be incredibly frustrating and take months to heal.

I can show you some great exercises to help manage the elbow, but first I want to make sure whether it actually is 'tennis elbow' or not.

Do you mind me asking how old you are? Typically tennis elbow is most common between the ages of 40-60, and often affects those who have had a history of manual labour.

In the younger males, or office workers I have seen with 'tennis elbow'/tendinitis - it is more often referred from the neck or a problem with how well the nerves 'glide' down the forearm. This is opposed to the traditional 'wear and tear' associated with tennis elbow, that I see in the older population.

Have you had any bouts of neck pain, that you find coincide with the elbow pain?

Have you had any previous injuries to the elbow? (Sometimes problems inside the elbow joint can masquerade as tennis elbow)

Do you experience any tingling or pins and needles down the arm?

If you resist your middle finger (below) does that cause any elbow pain?



One thing to remember, (as backed up by recent evidence) - is that cortisone injections are the worst thing for tennis elbow. It will have a short-term effect, but ultimately reduce the healing in the long-term (research shows that literally doing nothing is better in the long-term than having an injection). Just FYI.

The vast majority of cases respond well with the right exercises over time, just want to make sure you're going down the right path.

Post: #15

Thanks for the input all around.

DVY - This is what I am thinking of doing. Starting over after 2 weeks of full rest with very very light weights for my three exercises - dumbbell bench press, leg press and deadlift. I might not integrate the deadlift in again until I am 110% confident.

Regarding just resting it - that is the best idea, I agree. I haven't gone to the gym for almost 2 weeks now and my knee is feeling better. My forearm is up and down, depends on whether I have been on the computer much. Ice has also helped.

Prophylaxis -

I am 30 years old. I haven't had any history of arm or elbow injuries at all.

In fact, I have never felt any discomfort or pain near, at or emanating from my elbow during this situation.

I don't feel any discomfort in my neck, or when I push down on my finger like in the picture you posted. Never had any other neck issues either.

Everything has been localized right at my forearm basically. The doc took an xray 2 years ago and stated it was straight up forearm tendonitis, and fluid had accumulated in my wrist area due to going at it too hard in the gym.

After one year of rest and no lifting, my arm felt much better and my first several months in the gym were good until the recent problems I described above.

Post: #16

(04-13-2014 03:23 PM)DonovanVC Wrote:  Thanks for the input all around.

Prophylaxis -

I am 30 years old. I haven't had any history of arm or elbow injuries at all.

In fact, I have never felt any discomfort or pain near, at or emanating from my elbow during this situation.

I don't feel any discomfort in my neck, or when I push down on my finger like in the picture you posted. Never had any other neck issues either.

Everything has been localized right at my forearm basically. The doc took an xray 2 years ago and stated it was straight up forearm tendonitis, and fluid had accumulated in my wrist area due to going at it too hard in the gym.

After one year of rest and no lifting, my arm felt much better and my first several months in the gym were good until the recent problems I described above.

Thanks for that Donovan.

In regards to the elbow:

I would focus on improving grip strength and forearm muscle strength before going back to heavy deadlifts and bench.

Rest will relieve the symptoms, but won't address the underlying cause of tendinitis. To help with that I would advise incorporating regular strengthening of the wrist extensors within your workout over the next few months;

Here are some exercises:

Focus on slowly lowering a light weight (~1-2kg) down only (below). 15reps X 4



If you improve grip strength - it will help keep your wrist in a neutral position as you start to fatigue from exercises such as bench and deadlifting - these things are worth their weight in gold and won't stress the elbow too much



I'd also recommend regular stretching the wrist flexors (as these can inhibit the extensor muscles that are affected).



Finally, you'd want to make sure your ergonomic setup is perfect and you are not typing with your wrist pointed upwards or overly downwards - a wrist gel pad can be useful.

Post: #17

See an osteopath.

Before I was having trouble getting past 200 doing one rep while squatting, now i'm squatting 225 a2g while pausing at the bottom. No momentum. Back straight. If everything goes accordingly I want to be squatting at least 300 in a year.

Was recommended to me when I was training with an Olympic Weightlifting coach. Before I was doing Starting Strength and ran into problems with Squats, Dead Lifts and Power Cleans. No more problems now and doing weights higher then what I was at before.

What my osteopath did was examine my whole body and point out to me everything that wasn't right and proceeded to fix it. The two major problems being tight on gluts in front of my pelvis in my right leg (solved with ball rolling) and not being able to flex my transverses muscles.

Post: #18

i've had to get professional help due to some injuries before, hang in there

Post: #19

Thanks all, for the great advice.

Today I experienced a lot of pain in my forearm and even in the bicep and triceps areas from computer use. My shoulder was also a bit sore.

Since I've had a lot of RSI type problems since 06, I think I'll start by improving my ergonomic set up, which is non-existent currently as I am between offices, and then focus on the forearm strengthening exercises and routines.