It is an undisputed law of strength sports that you will experience pain. Some pain comes during the training session — this is the kind that you want to endure. It means you're getting better. But the other kind of pain, the pain that sneaks up on you over time, settles into your joints and aches throughout the day — that's the pain that you don't want. It isn't a badge of honor; it's a cost of the sport but it's something you can and should overcome.
These aches are most troublesome when they begin to limit your training. What if your heavy bench day falls after a squat day that tore up your shoulders? What if your elbow pain and biceps tendonitis keeps you from pressing forcefully from the bottom of your bench?
These are issues that build up over time primarily through inflammation. When flare-ups occur, there are ways to circumvent the pain and prevent future irritations. In this edition of Table Talk, Dave Tate tells you how.
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Bicep tendonitis: Squats and hammer curls aggravated my bicep tendon. SSB squats and using wrist straps on most dumbbell exercises, including db bench. Since part of the biceps actually help rotate the forearm, any exercise that involved me squeezing my hand aggravated it...thus, wrist straps allowed me to loosen my grip and let the tendon heal.
Tricep tendonitis: I had to quit almost all barbell skullcrusher type exercises and never go below 6 reps for consecutive weeks.
Shoulder/Pec tendonitis: high rep, very controlled movements along with moving my hands in on barbell movements. No fast reversals of motion. Also partial range of motion bench with a towel wrapped around the center of the bar or a neck saver squat pad.
Knee tendonitis: Switch whatever shoe I've been using....if flat like Chucks, switch to a raised heel Oly shoe or vise-versa. Also switch stances...if squatting wide, go narrow for a while. Where knee sleeves to keep the knee warm during the entire workout.