One arm chin ups and elbow tendons



JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:


>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:


>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>
>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
>>>>>
>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.


>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.


>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>> that makes a difference.


>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
>>strength never felt like a problem.


My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
persists.

> Grip strength isn't really the issue.


Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
 
Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
>>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
>>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
>>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
>>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
>>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
>>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
>>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
>>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
>>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.

>
>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
>>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
>>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.

>
>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>> that makes a difference.

>
>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
>>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
>>>strength never felt like a problem.

>
>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>persists.
>
>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.

>
>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?


What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?
 
JMW <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:

>>
>>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>>
>>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able
>>>>>>> to do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for
>>>>>>> days rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast
>>>>>>> my strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps
>>>>>>> about every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good
>>>>>>> sign that I had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I
>>>>>>> discovered I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take
>>>>>>> a break. A year later they're a lot better but still haven't
>>>>>>> recovered. In my weakest arm they still hurt slightly, all the
>>>>>>> time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm
>>>>>>> power, and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than
>>>>>>> tendons.

>>
>>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted
>>>>>>chins at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up
>>>>>>doing chins--maybe they were the culprit.

>>
>>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>>> that makes a difference.

>>
>>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the
>>>>elbow in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed
>>>>up. Grip strength never felt like a problem.

>>
>>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>>persists.
>>
>>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.

>>
>>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>
> What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?
>


My doctor said a lot of elbow pain is actually wrist strain. I assume the
strain on the wrist from pullups is being felt in the elbow and using
straps relieves this strain.

Hugh


--
Exercise is a dirty word. Whenever I hear it, I wash my mouth out with
chocolate. ("Ladi")
 
Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:

>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able
>>>>>>>> to do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for
>>>>>>>> days rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast
>>>>>>>> my strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps
>>>>>>>> about every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good
>>>>>>>> sign that I had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I
>>>>>>>> discovered I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take
>>>>>>>> a break. A year later they're a lot better but still haven't
>>>>>>>> recovered. In my weakest arm they still hurt slightly, all the
>>>>>>>> time.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm
>>>>>>>> power, and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than
>>>>>>>> tendons.
>>>
>>>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted
>>>>>>>chins at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up
>>>>>>>doing chins--maybe they were the culprit.
>>>
>>>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>>>> that makes a difference.
>>>
>>>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the
>>>>>elbow in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed
>>>>>up. Grip strength never felt like a problem.
>>>
>>>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>>>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>>>persists.
>>>
>>>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.
>>>
>>>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>>
>> What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?
>>

>
>My doctor said a lot of elbow pain is actually wrist strain. I assume the
>strain on the wrist from pullups is being felt in the elbow and using
>straps relieves this strain.


Hugh gets his gold star for the day.
 
Stop jerkin' off

On Mon, 27 Feb 2006 16:54:19 GMT, Hugh Beyer <[email protected]>
wrote:

>JMW <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able
>>>>>>>> to do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for
>>>>>>>> days rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast
>>>>>>>> my strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps
>>>>>>>> about every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good
>>>>>>>> sign that I had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I
>>>>>>>> discovered I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take
>>>>>>>> a break. A year later they're a lot better but still haven't
>>>>>>>> recovered. In my weakest arm they still hurt slightly, all the
>>>>>>>> time.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm
>>>>>>>> power, and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than
>>>>>>>> tendons.
>>>
>>>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted
>>>>>>>chins at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up
>>>>>>>doing chins--maybe they were the culprit.
>>>
>>>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>>>> that makes a difference.
>>>
>>>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the
>>>>>elbow in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed
>>>>>up. Grip strength never felt like a problem.
>>>
>>>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>>>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>>>persists.
>>>
>>>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.
>>>
>>>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>>
>> What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?
>>

>
>My doctor said a lot of elbow pain is actually wrist strain. I assume the
>strain on the wrist from pullups is being felt in the elbow and using
>straps relieves this strain.
>
> Hugh
 
JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:


>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:

>>
>>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>>
>>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
>>>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
>>>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
>>>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
>>>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
>>>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
>>>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
>>>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
>>>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
>>>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.

>>
>>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
>>>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
>>>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.

>>
>>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>>> that makes a difference.

>>
>>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
>>>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
>>>>strength never felt like a problem.

>>
>>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>>persists.
>>
>>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.

>>
>>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?


> What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?


It's hard to decide what aggravates it, since the aggravation often
takes hours to develop, often overnight. It's even harder to decide
what caused it nearly a year ago in the first place. Possible
candidates are using a badly placed keyboard too much, spending a
whole day tree pruning until I could no longer squeeze the shears with
either hand, starting to use a motorcycle with a heavy clutch, doing
too many pullups too frequently, and doing to many grip-strengthening
exercises while watching TV in the evening.

I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
stronger right arm recovered some months ago.

--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
 
Chris Malcolm wrote:
> JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> >>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>
> >>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
> >>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
> >>>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
> >>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
> >>>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
> >>>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
> >>>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
> >>>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
> >>>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
> >>>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
> >>>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
> >>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
> >>>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.
> >>
> >>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
> >>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
> >>>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
> >>>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.
> >>
> >>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
> >>>>> that makes a difference.
> >>
> >>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
> >>>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
> >>>>strength never felt like a problem.
> >>
> >>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
> >>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
> >>persists.
> >>
> >>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.
> >>
> >>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>
> > What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?

>
> It's hard to decide what aggravates it, since the aggravation often
> takes hours to develop, often overnight. It's even harder to decide
> what caused it nearly a year ago in the first place. Possible
> candidates are using a badly placed keyboard too much, spending a
> whole day tree pruning until I could no longer squeeze the shears with
> either hand, starting to use a motorcycle with a heavy clutch, doing
> too many pullups too frequently, and doing to many grip-strengthening
> exercises while watching TV in the evening.
>
> I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
> the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
> boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
> outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
> stronger right arm recovered some months ago.


It's called lateral epicondylitis, i.e., tennis elbow. For chins, the
hooks and straps will help. You can also try a tennis elbow brace on
your forearm, particularly for heavy curls where the hooks and straps
don't make a difference. I've had problems with it, and those
solutions worked for me.

If it's really hurting, you have no choice but to give it a rest.
 
"JMW" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >
> > I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
> > the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
> > boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
> > outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
> > stronger right arm recovered some months ago.

>
> It's called lateral epicondylitis, i.e., tennis elbow. For chins, the
> hooks and straps will help. You can also try a tennis elbow brace on
> your forearm, particularly for heavy curls where the hooks and straps
> don't make a difference. I've had problems with it, and those
> solutions worked for me.
>
> If it's really hurting, you have no choice but to give it a rest.
>


And make sure you no what caused the original condition, and then know that
it will never be totally gone.
Like an idiot, I thought I was like normal people, and quit doing my special
exercises and did not wear by wrist brace while doing a lot of computer work
the last month. I am now back to constant pain. Hopefully, I will have
learned my lesson this time.

--
Dr. Dickie
Skepticult member in good standing #394-00596-438
Poking kooks with a pointy stick.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries,
is not 'Eureka!' ('I found it!'), but rather 'hmm....that's funny...'"
- Isaac Asimov
 
On 28 Feb 2006 13:11:44 GMT, Chris Malcolm <[email protected]>
wrote:

>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>>>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
>>>>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>>>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
>>>>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
>>>>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
>>>>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
>>>>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
>>>>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
>>>>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
>>>>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>>>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
>>>>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.
>>>
>>>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>>>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
>>>>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
>>>>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.
>>>
>>>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>>>>>> that makes a difference.
>>>
>>>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
>>>>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
>>>>>strength never felt like a problem.
>>>
>>>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>>>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>>>persists.
>>>
>>>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.
>>>
>>>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>
>> What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?

>
>It's hard to decide what aggravates it, since the aggravation often
>takes hours to develop, often overnight. It's even harder to decide
>what caused it nearly a year ago in the first place. Possible
>candidates are using a badly placed keyboard too much, spending a
>whole day tree pruning until I could no longer squeeze the shears with
>either hand, starting to use a motorcycle with a heavy clutch, doing
>too many pullups too frequently, and doing to many grip-strengthening
>exercises while watching TV in the evening.
>
>I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
>the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
>boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
>outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
>stronger right arm recovered some months ago.


KMA
 
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 09:42:57 -0500, "Dr. Dickie"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>
>
>"JMW" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> > I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
>> > the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
>> > boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
>> > outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
>> > stronger right arm recovered some months ago.

>>
>> It's called lateral epicondylitis, i.e., tennis elbow. For chins, the
>> hooks and straps will help. You can also try a tennis elbow brace on
>> your forearm, particularly for heavy curls where the hooks and straps
>> don't make a difference. I've had problems with it, and those
>> solutions worked for me.
>>
>> If it's really hurting, you have no choice but to give it a rest.
>>

>
>And make sure you no what caused the original condition, and then know that
>it will never be totally gone.
>Like an idiot, I thought I was like normal people, and quit doing my special
>exercises and did not wear by wrist brace while doing a lot of computer work
>the last month. I am now back to constant pain. Hopefully, I will have
>learned my lesson this time.


Shut up, boy.
 
On 28 Feb 2006 06:33:49 -0800, "JMW" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Chris Malcolm wrote:
>> JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

>>
>> >>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>>JMW <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>>> Hugh Beyer <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>>>>
>> >>>>>>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>>>>>> In a few months I moved from
>> >>>>>>> only being able to hang twitching from a pullup bar to being able to
>> >>>>>>> do one pullup. At about 4 pullups I started developing the kind
>> >>>>>>> of elbow tendon soreness you describe. At 6 pullups it lasted for days
>> >>>>>>> rather than hours and I was getting very excited by how fast my
>> >>>>>>> strength was developing. I was adding a pullup to my max reps about
>> >>>>>>> every fortnight. I regarded the soreness as simply a good sign that I
>> >>>>>>> had strained things enough to boost strength growth.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> At 8 pullups the tendon soreness just didn't go away, and I discovered
>> >>>>>>> I had injured my tendons and was going to have to take a break. A year
>> >>>>>>> later they're a lot better but still haven't recovered. In my weakest
>> >>>>>>> arm they still hurt slightly, all the time.
>> >>>>>>>
>> >>>>>>> My guess is that after decades of driving a desk for a living my
>> >>>>>>> tendons had dropped down in strength to match my reduced arm power,
>> >>>>>>> and that muscles can be grown in strength much faster than tendons.
>> >>
>> >>>>>>Interesting... I had bad elbow tendinitis for quite a while, which I
>> >>>>>>blamed on DB swings with poor form, but I was also doing weighted chins
>> >>>>>>at the time. The tendinitis didn't go away until I gave up doing
>> >>>>>>chins--maybe they were the culprit.
>> >>
>> >>>>> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
>> >>>>> that makes a difference.
>> >>
>> >>>>What confused me is that I could never tell what was bothering the elbow
>> >>>>in the gym... it wasn't till later that I realized it was messed up. Grip
>> >>>>strength never felt like a problem.
>> >>
>> >>My experience too. No apparent problem with grip strength, and no
>> >>soreness at the time. It develops some hours or a day later, and
>> >>persists.
>> >>
>> >>> Grip strength isn't really the issue.
>> >>
>> >>Well, if it isn't, then how do straps to assist the grip help?

>>
>> > What movement causes the tendonitis in the first place?

>>
>> It's hard to decide what aggravates it, since the aggravation often
>> takes hours to develop, often overnight. It's even harder to decide
>> what caused it nearly a year ago in the first place. Possible
>> candidates are using a badly placed keyboard too much, spending a
>> whole day tree pruning until I could no longer squeeze the shears with
>> either hand, starting to use a motorcycle with a heavy clutch, doing
>> too many pullups too frequently, and doing to many grip-strengthening
>> exercises while watching TV in the evening.
>>
>> I note that although I can do a pullup without hurting it much, one of
>> the nastiest twinges occurs when tightening the laces on my heavy
>> boots. The main area of pain is just forward of the elbow on the
>> outside of the forearm. Both arms were originally affected, but the
>> stronger right arm recovered some months ago.

>
>It's called lateral epicondylitis, i.e., tennis elbow. For chins, the
>hooks and straps will help. You can also try a tennis elbow brace on
>your forearm, particularly for heavy curls where the hooks and straps
>don't make a difference. I've had problems with it, and those
>solutions worked for me.
>
>If it's really hurting, you have no choice but to give it a rest.


For goodness sake, isn't there a more appropriate group for this kind
of low-grade medical advice?

<sigh>
 
JMW wrote:
<snip>
> Try using straps/hooks for grip assistance. I think you'll find out
> that makes a difference.


How?!

is there any diagram anywhere in any book? any image on the web?
 
<q_q_anonymous@> is there any diagram anywhere in any book? any image on the
web?
>


google hand straps chin ups