Need advice pls! - Strength training with tennis elbow

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vb2012
vb2012 Posts: 134 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have had pain in my elbow for over two months now and I finally caved and went the doctor. As suspected, it is tennis elbow. She recommended ibuprofin, ice, forearm/wrist stretches, no lifting, and PT. I don't like popping that much Advil (800mg x 3 per day!) but will do if it will let me get back to lifting. She said it might take several weeks, even months to heal :frown:

I have been lifting bar/free weights, as well as doing body-weight routines, and strength machine circuits for about three months now, more seriously than I did before (previously mainly did body pump classes and some weights for strength training). I see some muscle definition and strength gains and don't want to lose all that now.

Does anyone have suggestions for strength training that does not involve stress on the forearm/elbow? I can't think of any (even planks and pushups are out!).. Thanks.

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  • triggsta
    triggsta Posts: 140
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    For upper body? You're pretty much out. But that doesn't limit you! You have the opportunity to work on your core! Work those abs and legs!

    Honestly, I think you should find yourself lucky you have tennis elbow. I had tendinitis in my ankle a year back and couldn't do anything BUT upper body. I may have some decent arms now because of it, but I couldn't do any lower body OR cardio for a month! I was limited to just abs, upper body, and the arm bike if I felt adventurous.

    So you still have a ton of exercises including cardio :) And core is arguably the most important to strengthen, so you've got something to work on!

    Edit: If you need some ideas on lower-body only workouts, please message me and I'd be more than happy to share some ideas with you.
  • vb2012
    vb2012 Posts: 134 Member
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    Thanks Triggsta! Sorry to hear you had to go through that... I guess lower body could have been worse. I'll keep doing core work without planks (which are my fav by far) and be optimisitic about a quick recovery. Thanks for offering lower body work tips :flowerforyou: , but I think I'm okay with those for now :)
  • lessjl
    lessjl Posts: 20 Member
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    i had tennis elbow two years ago and it was really a year before i was truly back to normal! that said, i sometimes feel slight pain even now, but i was able to go back to upper body weight training after about 5 months off. i know that sounds like a lot. maybe yours isn't as bad (and i'm almost 50, which i'm sure is a factor). but, as the pp said, concentrate on your core and lower body. i didn't do planks for a long time, but i think i was able to do them before i went back to weights machines, i believe. it's all about giving your body rest.

    incdiently, i wouldn't take the advil for very long. i guess it's good in the beginning to get the inflammation down, but after a while i don't think your body has much use for it. esp if you're doing less w/that arm. btw, did you get a brace for it? that really helped me to remember not to use it too much. and the pressure helped it feel better.

    best of luck!

    jeri lynn
  • GravyBrah
    GravyBrah Posts: 34 Member
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    Squat variations? The back squat is a compound lift that will benefit the entire body. Don't be afraid to squat beyond parallel and keeping short rest intervals will really ramp up the intensity. Try supplementing the lift in 3 times a week, if you really want more variety:

    Back squats
    Front squats
    Hack squats
    Box squats
    Squat thrusts
    Burpees


    Don't be surprised when you get even leaner and stronger than before your injury!
  • vb2012
    vb2012 Posts: 134 Member
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    Jeri Lynn, 5 months? A year?! Yikes.... And I'm not too far from 50 myself... Responses so far seem to indicate that it is going to be a while and I just need to accept and modify. I can still have a strong core and lower body, lol. I didn't get a brace, but considering it now. Thanks for your input :)
  • vb2012
    vb2012 Posts: 134 Member
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    Gravy, thanks for your suggestions! Question about the back squat - I guess using the power rack to get under the bar will help, but will it still put stress on the elbow if heavy enough? Hopefully not. I squat but have not used the power rack yet. Time to try it! I think squat thrusts and burpees are out as they involve putting weight on the arm.
  • GravyBrah
    GravyBrah Posts: 34 Member
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    As long you can bend your elbow, you will be ok. Technically, the arms/hands are only there to act as a guide to keep the bar in place and from rolling off your body, there should be little to no tension in them. When you get under the weight, it is braced by your entire body/spine as if it were to become a part of your body weight.

    Here's a picture of how the bar should line up in relation to the rest of your body:

    http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/startingstrength/images/thumb/8/8b/Squat_Bar_Placement.jpg/500px-Squat_Bar_Placement.jpg


    These are some more squat tips, the website is a little intimidating but there's lots of good information on there:

    http://stronglifts.com/how-to-squat-with-proper-technique-fix-common-problems/


    As for burpees and ST's, you should be able to do them minus the push up? Just keep your arms lock and focus on the lower body portion of the movement. If you cannot brace your bodyweight on your arm, maybe you could change the lower portion of the movement to alternating lunges. So deep lunge - standing position - deep squat - standing/jump - standing position - alternate side deep lunge.

    Happy Squatting!
  • vb2012
    vb2012 Posts: 134 Member
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    Gravy, this is awesome, thanks!!

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