Suggestions? Weights with "tennis elbow"

muffle1969

I am not a "serious" weight lifter. I used to work with a trainer, and now I do a little bit with weights 2-3 days a week. I have pretty strong muscles, but my joints and tendons are not good. Right now I have a really bad case of tennis elbow in my right arm, and it is hard to grip anything or twist my arm.

I've been doing bicep curls and some other exercises for arms and chest, but my elbow is too painful right now. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do in the meantime while my elbow heals so I won't lose momentum? My general exercise plan normally is:

3-4 days a week: Swim for 45-50 minutes
2-3 days a week: Treadmill and bike for 40 minutes total; lift weights for about 20-30 minutes.

On average, I end up at the gym anywhere from 5-7 days in a week.

I appreciate any help! Thank you!

muffle1969

insert hopeful bump here?

trelm249

Ditch the curls. If you have an inflamed elbow or overly asymmetrically developed muscles, curls will likely exacerbate he problem.
Stay away from the close grip lifts due to the pressure they put on the elbows. For example, close grip barbell bench press or v-bar seated cable rows.
Swapping out flat bench dumbbell press or bent over barbell rows may be an alternative for them.

The lift frequency is fine.

Make sure you are getting a good blend of pulling lifts to complement the pushing lifts.

You may try doing cable rear lateral raises. Supinate the forearm on the extension and pronate on the negative to work the elbow throughout the movement with a full extension across the body. It basically makes it a rowing rear lateral raise that gets a good stretch in the elbow and works the forearm as well. Keep it light to begin with. This will help strengthen the ancillary and oft neglected supporting muscles around the elbow.

Also make sure to ice the elbows down after your work out for the time being.

All that being said, I am not a doctor or a medical professional. I am just a golfer who also enjoys weight lifting and have worked through my own elbow issues.

If it gets worse, stop and consult your orthopedist.

rkr22401

Ditto everything said above with one extra piece of advice:

I had a similar issue. I purchased tennis elbow strap (not sure what it's really called). It's a nylon/velcro strap with a small integral air bladder. You tighten it around your upper forearm just below the elbow. I used it during pulling exercises. I found the additional pressure in the area helped quite a bit.

muffle1969

Thank you to you both! I already have the elbow strap, and I have used it successfully on my left elbow, but my right seems to be much worse and hurts in a few places. I'm going to take the lifting advice to the trainer in my office gym to get it translated from weightlifter-speak to geekspeak (I'm a geek), and hopefully she can recommend what I can do without hurting myself.

If it is not better by the first of the year, believe me, I'm orthopedist-bound. Thank you both again.!