Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Monkeyleg on July 03, 2009, 02:54:58 PM
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I know that asking for medical advice on the internet is dangerous, but here goes.
Back on 4/1, I injured my elbow while putting the wide wheels and tires on my car. I got "Golfer's elbow." I let it go for a couple of months, backed off on exercises at the gym that aggravated it, but it never went away.
Finally, last month, I went to an orthopedic surgeon. He gave me a shot of cortisone to the elbow.
The problem is, the elbow still hurts from doing curls. My shoulder hurts from doing presses, too, and the side of my bicep hurts from doing something else, I don't know what.
The pain is there during and after the session at the gym, stays the next day, and sometimes into the second day when I go to the gym again.
I don't think I'm overdoing it on the exercises (the weights would make most of you guys laugh). I know that the elbow is a real problem, and will probably have to see the doc again for another shot.
Does the rest of the stuff sound like normal workout aches and pains, or am I just wrecking my body in a vain attempt to have a little bit of muscle for the first time in my life? (For the first time ever, I actually wouldn't be ashamed to take my shirt off).
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Right, from looking online golfer's elbow is pain on the inside of the arm on the bicep tendon.
I've had that, from low bar squats and benching with too wide a grip. General rule is - if it hurts don't do it. I'm no expert, but all I did was stop doing things that hurt, but also did a lot of reps of light exercises designed to flush the area with blood. I have no idea if the theory has validity, but 'people say' that tendons have poor blood supply, so high reps gets some blood to the area, providing materials for repair.
I did high rep tricep pushdowns and hammer curls. Sets of 20-30 with weight I could easily do for 30-40. If that hurts, don't carry on. (Oh, and it may be called golfers elbow but not be caused by golf, but don't let that lull you into thinking that because golf didn't cause it you're ok to go to the driving range. That bloody hurt)
Tell me about the shoulder - are you pulling with as much volume as you are pushing? Shoulders can be weird, at the moment I can't bench, but can dip, overhead press and have no pain at all, except when I try to bench. Messed it up swimming.
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Iain seems to have the rational answer side covered so allow me to interject some Marine wisdom for yucks.
"Pain is good, extreme pain is extremely good!"
"Pain is just weakness leaving the body!"
"Carberry, what the hell are you doing?!"
That last one might not actually be a Marine Corps wide saying...
=D
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Sounds like severe case of "Old" to me.....
=D =D =D
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I suggest yoga. =D I know that's my answer for everything, but stretching works:
http://www.iyogalife.com/elbows/Yoga_Cures_Tennis_Elbow.shtml
http://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Tennis-Elbow-Knees-Anastasia/dp/B000ERVFTE
http://www.efuse.com/yoga/
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Ice and ibuprofen!
Ice the spot, let it warm up, ice it again. Do this regularly, the expansion and contraction of icing and warming is supposed to flush the toxins away.
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If it's your right elbow, the cure is easy. When you next do curls, set your left tennis shoe on fire. You will no longer notice the right elbow pain....
=D
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Thanks for the replies (and the burning shoe ;).
I did some stretching and rotating exercises between sets this afternoon, and it seemed to help.
I've done ice, and it really helps for a while.
I know that age has tons to do with the problem.
As for the shoulders, it's either the overhead press or the lat pulldown that's causing pain there. Strangely enough, the shoulder hurts the most if I lay on it. Don't know what that means.
I love getting old. ;)
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When I was young and playing fast pitch softball, I'd ache a bit after a game. Then into the next day. Then a couple of days. When I got to the age where I still hurt from the last game, a week before, when I went to play again, it was time to quit.
I work out on a bow flex. I mean I used to work out on a bow flex. I felt good after the exercise and for a couple of hours. Then I hurt all over till the next day. Exercise is overrated. So is diet. I have learned that all of that stuff is a Communist Conspiracy to get you to stop doing the things that feel good, like drinking booze, eating fatty foods, snacking and wearing Sansabelt pants.
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You might look at your vitamin and nutrient intake to improve your recovery time.
For example, Vitamin C (at least this week) has been shown to speed recovery from exercise.
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Grampster, your comments remind me of a comment made by Winston Churchill: "Whenever I get the urge to exercise, I lie down until it passes."
I'm now at that point you mentioned where I'm still aching the day I return to the gym from the exercise two days prior. I guess I'll have to spend more $$$ to see the doctor and get his opinion. It may just be that my skinny frame is no longer going to accept abuse.
The reason I started going to the gym originally was to give my wife company and moral support as she tries to lose weight. As I found myself growing some muscle, I thought it was pretty cool. I've never had that before.
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You're probably just overdoing it. It takes time to build back up. I just started back on the Airdyne and I've only been doing 10-15 minutes every other day but still my left Achilles tendon is being achy now.
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Yep... give up on the exercise, sell the 'Stang and the Harley. Replace with a new Bug and a Vespa, and just accept that yer gonna always be a runt... :P
What... you thought I'd actually be HELPFUL???
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What... you thought I'd actually be HELPFUL???
You've never been before. Why would you start now? ;)
280plus, I've been working up the amount of weight very, very slowly the past five months. I have to because of a herniated (two, really) disc.
When I'm able to comfortably do two sets of eight reps each at a particular weight, I'll increase by 2.5 pounds and continue at that until I can do it without any strain. I don't know how much easier I can make it.
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Yes, yes, yes, on the stretching/yoga.
I completely deep-sixed six months of work in the gym by not doing enough stretching.
And once you try it, yoga isn't nearly as hippy-dippy as it superficially seems. Many of the positions have some serious isometric strengthening qualities to hold those poses. And you're getting flexibility at the same time.
Seriously considering it myself once I get out of the hospital.
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I didn't want to hijack the blood clot threat. What are you doing in the hospital? Is this actually a serious heart problem?
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Again: when did AJ get a heart?
Seriously though: you COULD slow yourself down a lil' more. And maybe, instead of increasing weight, increase reps...
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And maybe, instead of increasing weight, increase reps...
Increasing reps is for people who gain weight normally. Ectomorphs (skinny people) gain muscle mass by doing a few reps, but with as much weight as possible.
Besides, I'm really not lifting very much, so as to protect my back. I lifted much more years ago.
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Then the only thing you have left is ice and ibuprofen. Don't overdo the IB though. One a day maybe. The stuff will rot your stomach.
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Increasing reps is for people who gain weight normally. Ectomorphs (skinny people) gain muscle mass by doing a few reps, but with as much weight as possible.
Besides, I'm really not lifting very much, so as to protect my back. I lifted much more years ago.
Is it about looking good in a speedo, or getting healthy? If you're injured, don't push your luck.
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Is it about looking good in a speedo, or getting healthy?
For me to look good in a speedo, I'd need to get a professional trainer, and spend $100,000 on cosmetic surgery.
It's primary about strength, as in I didn't have any before. Sitting at a computer all day doesn't build muscle.
There's also some vanity involved. The last time I was able to wear a shirt that exposed my arms was in the mid-1980's. At that time I was doing a lot of physical work at the studio where I was employed, and also doing tons of bodywork and general lifting on a car I was restoring.
The stretching and the ice seem to have helped. There's just a little bit of pain. We'll see how it feels after I wash and wax the car.
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Wax on, wax off. =D
People don't move and stretch and then they gripe about being sore and fat.
*front teeth out in overbite* "Oh, I'm so stiff and sore, I must be just old."
I tell them, you're 24, you are lazy. Put down the Cheetoes, turn off the Wookie porn and get to yoga class and then go for a run. You'll be fine.
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Noooo, not the WOOKIE PORN!!! :O =(
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I tell them, you're 24, you are lazy. Put down the Cheetoes, turn off the Wookie porn and get to yoga class and then go for a run. You'll be fine.
Don't let him fool ya......he just wants all the Wookie porn for himself.... =D
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And just how far are you from being 60, El Tejon? ;)
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Be careful and take it easy. Doing light weights high reps will build endurance, and down the road when you're feeling better you can crank the weight up again.
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yea, what Jamis said. Very light weight x 10-12 reps per set. The problem is as you get older (and especially if you're not exercising regularly) your muscles become less durable(?) but retain enough strength that you can inadvertantly injure yourself by simply using them to max capacity, like opening a tough jar for example. Lou Ferrigno was talking about it yesterday in terms of his training MJ. He said around the age 35 your muscles begin to "atrophy".
High weight low reps builds mass (which you don't want at your age) and strength. Low weight high reps builds endurance and strength which should be what you are shooting for. Also if you're running, I suggest you stop and either walk, ride a bike or swim. The pounding you recieve when running is too much stress on all your joints, especially if you're carrying extra poundage.
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>especially if you're carrying extra poundage<
Obviously, you've never seen Monkeyleg.
While trying to get CCW up here in Cheeseland, Dick was our secret weapon against legiscritters. If one tried blocking us out, we'd slip Dick under the door. There is NO extra poundage there...
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The instructors at the gym (and others I've talked to) have said that skinny people need to lift maximum amount of weight with low reps. I explained that, with my back, that wasn't possible. I don't go anywhere near maximum, but instead lift what is comfortable yet challenging after two sets.
When I move the weight up 2.5 pounds, I'll usually do eight reps on the first set, and by the third, fourth or fifth rep on the second set, I can tell when I'm going to be straining, so I stop before I do. Then I keep working very slowly to where I can do two sets of eight reps comfortably for about two weeks before increasing the weight again. This means that I increase the amount I'm lifting about five pounds a month.
I don't run, as my knees won't take it. I walk very briskly.
As for "extra poundage," I'm down to 158 pounds, which is a few pounds more than what I weighed in senior year of high school. Before I stopped drinking in October '07, I was at 192. Now the only fat I have is a small paunch at the waist.
Even trying to lose that is a battle. As I said, I'm trying to gain weight, but not in the gut area, but that's where the calories go. I'm trying to find a balance between calorie intake, exercise and keeping the paunch in line.
208plus, why is mass something I don't want at my age? I'm not looking to get body builder arms, just some visible muscle. I see guys my age with normal looking arms all the time, instead of these sticks that I've had.
Very funny, Strings. ;)
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I know I am. Unfortunately, looks aren't everything in life... :P
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I still say yoga in the way to go. All the young guys want to be huge, but I just want to be healthy. =D
If you cannot run, have you tried jumping rope?
Have you tried Ross workouts? We use them in Wing Chun, burpees, throw the sandbag, hit the tire with a sledge hammer, inter alia. His book Never Gymless I highly recommend.
Ross Boxing: http://www.rossboxing.com/
The only way I could ever pump my biceps was with preacher curls. I used to do 21s until I got sick.
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More mass means more strain on your heart. Fat or muscle, it makes no difference.
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ML - none of this stuff is as simple as it is generally portrayed to be.
For a long time I did all my strength work in the 85+% zone (5 reps or less). Recently though I've gained a great deal of strength, particularly on my squat, working with lower percentages and higher reps than this.
I've also seen good chest and tricep size gains from sets of 20 dips (5 sets, so a lot of volume).
Crudely speaking you need to take into account volume in addition to reps per set. For example a popular set up is 3 sets of 10, you'd need approx 70% of your 1 rep max. 30 reps in total. You can however flip this on its head and do 10 sets of 3, and use a higher load, say 80-85% of 1rm. Speaking in generalities, you'll get more out of 10x3 size wise than you would out of keeping 3 sets and dropping the reps to 3 (so 3x3).
There are endless arguments about this stuff, and I find that some of these out there things work and some don't and some work on certain movements/bodyparts and not on others. I get good chest gains out of a volume based approach, but make progress on chins with much less volume.