Yesterday I asked if you had any aches or pains. I got a few replies back.
One wrote:
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I’m having elbow pain. Maybe bad bench press technique?
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I have no idea about your bench press technique given that 1) I can’t see you lift and 2) your bench press technique would have to be mighty screwy to be the sole cause of aggravated elbows.
With this little to go on, I can’t tell you much about anything. Are you doing other exercises? Skullcrushers and tricep extensions can cause a lot of elbow grief, for example.
Are you training your biceps and forearms to balance the joint?
Do you play other sports? History of injuries?
Et cetera.
The worst my elbows ever felt was after going HAM on dumbbell tricep extensions after hard bench training. Once I even had a “pop” in my lower left arm down by the elbow that told me in no uncertain terms that this exercise, trained too heavy and hard, was not for me.
These days I keep them to 12 reps and higher.
Here’s my rules for joint pains:
1) Stop doing what makes them hurt.
2) If you do get hurt, pump the heck out of the hurt region with ultra-high rep movements.
3) Repeat step 2 as often as practical.
Step 1 is first because it is the most important and yet least obvious. I am not sure why this is, but a sizable number of gym-boneheads will experience direct and acute pain from a movement and continue doing it anyway.
“Yeah it hurt but idk I wanted to do my workout.”
If it hurts, stop. Easy.
Step 2 is about getting regular blood flowing into the hurt regions. Connective tissues around your joints don’t get a lot of blood flow. Pumping hurt joints with super high reps encourages blood flow, which sends oxygen and nutrients while removing damaged junk, all of which helps healing.
For a hurt elbow, that can be as simple as grabbing a soup can and doing 100 reps of extending your elbow.
Remember: this only works AFTER Step 1. If you keep doing the thing causing the pain and go on to Step 2, you are not going to heal.
Use it wisely.
And if you’d like my help guiding you through your aches and pains, among other my other accumulated wisdom of decades, you can get on my waitlist for coaching spots.
These only open up once a month or so, according to how busy I am and how many people are in line. If you’re interested, use this link to get notified:
Matt Perryman