Tendonitis and the Effects on Your Routine

[Mr.X]

Tendonitis and the Effects on Your Routine

Author: Marc David

What turns out to be a small, yet annoying pain in your joint,
can quickly turn into something much more debilitating. At
first, you just think it might be a pulled muscle. Maybe I did a
bit too much weight? But the intermediate to advanced
bodybuilder knows what muscle soreness feels like after a
workout. This isn't it. But there is a potential solution.

My biceps routine, which was progressing quite nicely, turned
into a non-existent routine (curling a 30lb dumbbell was
impossible) after I was "officially" diagnosed with acute
Tendonitis in my right arm (just below the elbow joint). The
doctor said that this particular Tendonitis doesn't heal. It can
get less painful but the micro tears and damage are permanent.
As usual, the recommendation was to 1) quit whatever aggravates
it 2) use a cream that gives some heat to the area.

Rather the follow rule #1, because if you are a hardcore
bodybuilder, just quitting the exercise isn't how this injury
happened in the first place. I found something that worked. I
didn't want to quit doing bicep curls. Bicep curls are one of
the most recommended exercises for building mass. It's a simple,
basic movement that works.

I did stop doing biceps movements until the pain subsided. Once
the pain was significantly less, I decided to adjust my form,
have a spotter assist on certain bicep exercises and used a
topical cream (Biofreeze by AST). I changed the movement to go
strict on any and all bicep exercises. My arms are now tight to
the sides with constant tension on the muscle. Using a spotter
for dumbbell bicep curls helped me eliminate the natural
tendency to flare out the arms to get that weight to the
completion phase of the exercise. Heavy weight with the arms
slightly out tends to put a lot of pressure on that tendon.

Taking a break from the exercises allowed me to heal enough to
think rationally about the adjustments I needed to make in my
routine. Going back to strict form, using a topical (heat) cream
and having a spotter assist with a few of the bicep movements
has all but eliminated (in a medical sense) my Tendonitis . I
suffer no more pain from bicep movements because of these
modifications.

Marc

About the author:
Marc David has a degree in Criminal Justice from Sacramento
State, a 16 year history of non-competitive bodybuilding and is
the owner of Freedomfly -the fitness network! For free fitness
tools, discount supplements, fitness consultation, and workout
routines, visit http://www.freedomfly.net