Training around elbow pain
I have one question: I slightly strained my elbow, the pain is only felt when I attempt to lift anything heavy without first unlocking the elbow. Should I continue lifting weights but stick to lighter ones until my elbow is fully recovered or should I stay away from lifting any weights at all? I have a feeling you are going to tell me that you are not a doctor, but I was hoping that perhaps after all those years of weight training, you might at least know whether or not it would be safe to continue lifting weights provided it doesn’t hurt the joint.
I’d continue to train and work around the injury. Often once the body is warmed up and the spirits are aroused and a few endorphins are afloat, you can carefully investigate a variety of exercises that recruit the triceps and bend the elbow, though this might require limited range of motion, light weight and specific warming up.
Listen to the pain, focus on the muscle’s action and be hopeful and patient.
Here are some possibilities:
Dips performed on a machine
Pulley pushdowns with elbows closely tucked into the torso (try a rope handle)
Abbreviated (top half of movement – don’t lock out) close grip — 12″ space — bench press on the smith machine, bringing the bar toward the bottom of the chest or sternum
Use dumbbells in any pressing to provide a more flexible groove.
Don’t be too aggressive, but by all means don’t be passive.
Not training is a loss of time, is bad for the spirits, provides fertile ground for an extended training gap that plunders and slows the healing process as injury-repairing, life-giving nutrients (oxygen, vitamins, minerals and other metabolites) are stalled and arrive in limited supply.
God’s speed,
DD