pain in arm should I modify weight workouts?

[truthbetold]

Okay, approx end of March, I slept weird sort of half way between my side and stomach and my left shoulder was scrunched under the pillow. I woke up feeling pain in my right shoulder, a bit in my arm but just dealt with it.

 

I re-started my weight workout in early April, for the most part it doesn't bother me but has started to act up more now and since it's June it seems to be getting worse, so I don't want to do any damage.

 

The only time I feel the pain bad is when I have my arm flexed and lifting upwards, in other words like taking off a t-shirt. I feel the pain more so on the lateral aspect of my upper arm (as arm is in raised position) I'm thinking this is the brachialis? I don't think it's the biceps but could be, nor does it seem to be the triceps, but it's hard to tell.

 

I can reach behind me, arm out to the side and raise my arm straight up no problem, it's the bent raise like I mentioned. I notice too if my arm is flexed in for a time then I go to straighten it, that will cause pain. As does if I am leaning (not laying!) on my left and have my right arm bent and try to move it laterally that will hurt.

 

When I"m working out, I really don't notice it. I'm doing skull crushers with no problem. Reg delt flies are okay but if I bend my arm that causes a twinge (not as bad as taking off a top though!) I can do overhead press, chest press, chest flies, bicep curls, hammerhead curls, tricep kickbacks and even overhead triceps with no issues. I can do push ups and only feel it after I'm done and stretching out my arms, again this is all mild.

 

But it's getting worse with the raising arm thing in the morning and night, so I'm wondering if my workouts are making it worse? I workout for 1 hour 3 to 4 x per week.

 

I don't want to give up my weights, especially since it's taken me so long to get back to them, and I love how I have been feeling mentally as well as how quick I am bouncing back, I don't want to lose that.

 

Any idea what I did and how I can compensate till it heals?

[thefooloftheyear]

Go and see an orthopedist and get an MRI..You could have a tear...They generally dont heal without some sort of surgical procedure, but I doubt that you did it just sleeping on it wrong...

 

TFY

[USMCHokie]

I get this injury occasionally. Just lay off any sort of pushing movement or movement where you hands go anywhere above your head. Rest does the trick for me.

[truthbetold]

It's not as bad today. It's weird because I thought it may be an impingement but the s/s don't really match up. I'm pretty sure it's not a rotator cuff issue because I can reach behind etc..

 

Yeah, I'm def not going to have an MRI. I'm in healthcare but don't really have those that would be more expertise in that area as contacts anymore and my co-workers don't know because that wasn't their specialty either.

 

I have complete horror stories first hand of surgeries gone bad for knees and hip arthroplasties the parts used failing, thus requiring "frequent flyer" repeat surgeries and more pain than before sometimes. No thanks. I'm an awful patient I admit it!

 

I just wondered if someone ever felt something similar and if they just pushed on. Right now though it does hurt when I have arms crossed, bent and raising it actually feels more in the tricep area then extends up to the shoulder, I understand there can be referred pain so that's where I'm confused as to what exactly is going on.

 

Also, occasionally at night it will hurt or "stiffen up" from being in one position I guess. I use a soba pillow under my arm but it's pretty awkward because I'm used to moving around, but I can't lie on my right and I'm trying to avoid my left as that's what triggered it. So I figure if I can stay on my back I can let it heal better.

 

Thanks though and if anybody has any other suggestions please post. I will try to cut back on the arm raising ones even though they don't hurt to do.

[Andy_K]

I know it sucks, but sometimes you just have to rest.

 

If your diet stays balanced and you continue to exercise unaffected parts of the body, you'll lose zero or a negligible amount of muscle. Although you will feel slightly weaker when you resume those exercises, because the relevant neural pathways will be less well adapted.

 

Due to tendon issues in my left arm, I've recently had to go 2 months without any xbox/wii gaming and various exercises like chest fly which place a high strain on the tendons connecting the elbow. Quite a sacrifice! Like you, I found it getting worse if I continued. The longer you continue with the pain worsening, the more likely you are to do long term damage to yourself.

 

Your doctor or physio will tell you to try rest first of all, and is unllikely to investigate much further until you've tried that. So rest for a couple weeks, if no improvement then get a medical opinion and take it from there.

[chuzzbug]

Pain in the arm or shoulder is an excellent opportunity to do more squats.

 

If you're in the gym a lot, it's just a matter of time before you tweak one area or another. The typical reaction is "oh no, [affected area] will shrivel and all my effort has gone to waste"! No it won't.

 

All the effort you put into it has elevated the baseline. If you lay off the arm/shoulder/whatever exercises for 4 weeks, you might lose a little bit of strength, but you'll get it right back. Without aggravating the injury.

 

Lay off the arms completely. If it hurts to push, don't push. If it hurts to pull, don't pull.

 

Hammer other parts. Do a 5x3x1 4 or 6 week round of

 

- squats

- front squats

- deadlifts

- knee-to-chest or toes-to-bar

 

Your body will love you for it. You'll increase core strength (esp with front squats and the ab work) and release some endorphins pushing the heavy weights.

 

A while ago I partially tore my left infraspinatus in a skiing injury. I was superbly bummed out. It was clear I wasn't picking anything up over my head, even just an empty bar.

 

So I just squatted and deadlifted. Focusing on those activities took my mind off the injury and made me feel like I'm working hard - I actually probably worked harder during that phase than any other.

[truthbetold]

Pain in the arm or shoulder is an excellent opportunity to do more squats.

 

If you're in the gym a lot, it's just a matter of time before you tweak one area or another. The typical reaction is "oh no, [affected area] will shrivel and all my effort has gone to waste"! No it won't.

 

All the effort you put into it has elevated the baseline. If you lay off the arm/shoulder/whatever exercises for 4 weeks, you might lose a little bit of strength, but you'll get it right back. Without aggravating the injury.

 

Lay off the arms completely. If it hurts to push, don't push. If it hurts to pull, don't pull.

 

Hammer other parts. Do a 5x3x1 4 or 6 week round of

 

- squats

- front squats

- deadlifts

- knee-to-chest or toes-to-bar

 

Your body will love you for it. You'll increase core strength (esp with front squats and the ab work) and release some endorphins pushing the heavy weights.

 

A while ago I partially tore my left infraspinatus in a skiing injury. I was superbly bummed out. It was clear I wasn't picking anything up over my head, even just an empty bar.

 

So I just squatted and deadlifted. Focusing on those activities took my mind off the injury and made me feel like I'm working hard - I actually probably worked harder during that phase than any other.

 

Thank You!

 

When I first wrote this, I had been doing what I guess is more considered cardio then weights. Super high reps, light weights in the range of 8-12 lbs in supersets. I see why it's more endurance type, so I've been researching and I understand that lifting heavier may accomplish my goals.

 

I just ordered the book NROLFW (New Rules of Lifting...) I understand it will give me a bit of a map, but I've read you still have to gauge your own starting point.

 

I've only done the cardio/weights stuff and am really interested in trying out this. I do have a barbell back from "The Firm" actually mine was custom made but matched their specs...but I'm super embarrassed to say it only goes up to 40 lbs right now which I realize is nothing. I have several sets of dumbells up to 15 lbs I definitely plan on getting more plates and dumbells.

 

I don't know what to expect with NROLFW so I don't know if I have enough to start or not.

 

Not sure if I should start a new thread! I'm curious to any suggestions of how to know how much to start out with. (I've heard the whole, listen to your body and go until you could "maybe" do one more, then move on if it becomes easy) but is that good gauge? I want to build a strong core, especially for deadlifts. I am seriously lacking in upper body strength it's embarrassing and I want to improve that.

 

Also is it really true the isolated exercises are a total waste, like tricep kickbacks and hammer curls? I have a hard time wrapping my mind around that, after all that's how we trained back in the day! But I want to train better.

 

Lastly I don't want to super concern myself with diet (but maybe I must?) because I despise all that counting and crap. I'm pretty good at knowing the nutritional value of stuff. Like I can look at a food item and tell what vitamins and minerals you get from it and approx calories, it's just all the dang tallying of crap that annoys me!

 

Do I really need to eat protein enough for 1 gram per lean body mass weight? I eat meat, much prefer seafood and fish though and then there are meals that I could eat totally meatless, so I guess I have to improve that.

 

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

[chuzzbug]

When you go to the gym, do what is hard, not what you're used to doing.

 

Do you want to hammer curl 70 lb or squat 315 lb? I don't want to pull out the "what's more impressive card" here. Squats are a functional full-body exercise, hammer curls are not.

 

I'm pretty sure nobody's life has ever been saved by a strong hammer curl, but a strong squat ... it's invaluable, both as a means to burn calories and prevent injury.

 

There's no perfect gym plan, but some are better than others. When working on full body lifts, like squats (back/front/overhead), cleans, deadlifts, presses, etc, you want to make sure that your form is excellent before you start loading the bar.

 

That's why the 5x5 works for beginners. You get to do 25 reps of a moderately heavy weight which reinforces the movement pattern. Some exercises have less technique than others (e.g. bench/press probably being simplest, while the snatch is the most complex).

 

When squatting. Ass to grass. No partials. You want to engage as much muscle as you can, across the widest range of motion as you can. This means your hamstrings should touch your calves when you're "in the hole". For extra difficulty, pause at the bottom 3-5 seconds. Brutal. But works.

 

You want to improve deadlift. Deadlift more. You want to improve squat. Squat more. You get the picture. It's called "greasing the groove". Do more of what you want to be better at. There's no short cut, no magical alternative exercise that will help. Here I should point out that if you have mobility issues, there are specific things that can address spot weaknesses. But, in general, grease the groove.

 

Transitioning from isolation exercises to full body lifts can knock you down the proverbial ladder in the gym pretty quickly. Suddenly, you're not the guy who is hammer curling 70 lb, but the one who's squatting 95 lb. You know what, who cares. In 18 months, you'll be the guy squatting 275 lb, while the hammer dude is swinging 75 lb.

 

In terms of how many reps to do, check out Prilepin's chart.

 

Prilepin’s Chart | 70's Big

 

Keep in mind this is for advanced lifters. A lot of it is based on olympic East European lifters from the 70s that were steroid enhanced. So, don't worry if you can't hammer out 10 1RM in 10 minutes of lifting. It's more the principle of progression that counts.

 

When starting you want to focus on form. Strength will come shortly after. Hypertrophy eventually, but this should not be your goal. When lifting heavy (>95% your 1-rep max) a single repetition is a useful activity. In isolation exercises, it is not.

 

The 5x5 system says to do only one 5-rep set of deadlifts. I think you need to do at least 3, again to emphasize correct movement. One of the things that's not obvious is that while there's no technique in isolation exercises (anyone can do a hammer curl with 30 seconds of instruction), learning how to lift (olympic) takes a lot of time. A lot of body parts have to move in unison with focused strength. This means that it's not only your muscles being worked, but your CNS too. You might feel like you can still lift but feel generally worn down and thinned out - that's your CNS asking for more rest.

 

Seriously, spend a month on form. This means light weight - just enough to feel resistance. You should be able to do 20 reps with the weight without dying. When working on form, it helps if there's someone there to correct you. Watch youtube videos, if not. Search for "mark rippetoe". Anything he says is excellent.

 

Once you've been doing 5x5 for 3-6 months, you'll have the confidence to handle heavier weights without feeling like you're going to collapse. For a deadlift, if it's too heavy, you just drop it. For a squat, well, it can be a little more harrowing. For cleans or snatches, there's a lot of mental preparation.

 

Next step would be working off your 1RM (1-rep max)

 

5 reps 70%

5 reps 75%

5 reps 80%

3 reps 85%

2 reps 90%

1 rep 95% x 3-4

 

Again, the precise numbers aren't as important as the general progression. First, don't blow yourself out on warm-up sets. Stretch (dynamically not statically) and then warm up for 10 reps max. Save yourself for the heavy efforts towards the end of the routine.

 

Don't eat junk food or processed sugar. 1g protein per lb body mass is fine. Eat when you're hungry. If you're lifting heavy, always eat some complex carbs 1-2 hours before (50 g whey, 1 cup oats, adjust to size) so that you have fuel in you. Some people talk about back-loading carbs (after workout). Might work, but if you have no fuel in your system to support the weight, you'll be ineffective.

 

Oh, and please be wary of any advice (including mine!) as well as super-secret systems that guarantee to propel you into lifting manhood. It's all the same: lift consistently, lift heavy, rest plenty, eat and rest lots. This knowledge has been around for a long time, but the fitness industry is slow to take it up. And when it does, oh boy, it spins it good.

[truthbetold]

Chuzzbug, thanks again!

 

You've given me much to look into, one thing though, I'm a chick! Not sure if that changes any of your recs but there you go!

 

That's why I said I did weight workouts that were all the rage in the late 80 thru late 90's and just figured I would stay with that. Except I've been doing Jari Love Ripped and Chiseled and it's okay, but I don't think it will take me in the direction I want to go in.

 

My weight is fine, it's just I've gotten that dreaded skinny fat look and heck I wasn't even aware really because I'm in my late 40's I thought it was cool I didn't go the way of some women do when they get older and the whole middle age spread and blame it on hormones or whatever. But I admit I've been slacking big time as I took a few years off (count 7 ha!) but because I had wee bit of muscle from working out, it atrophied from not, and well even though my husband still thinks I look awesome and his is the only one other than mine that I consider, I know I could do better.

 

Aside from wanting to continue to wear the heels that I enjoy (some are 4 inches) I want to build a stronger core and also hopefully prevent osteoarthritis. I'm super blessed right now. I don't look my age but that's my genes, and I don't have a weight problem. But it would be really cool to challenge myself and see how far I can go. Thanks for the pointers.

[chuzzbug]

Boys, girls. It doesn't matter. A strong frame is sexy. Don't worry about bulking - it's extremely hard to do for girls (and boys, though to a lesser extent).

 

Initially, you might gain muscle and firmness faster than losing fat (I'm not implying anything, just speaking generally), so bulges might be more pronounced. This will even out over time.

 

Focus on functional full range of motion exercises under heavy load. Your body will love you for it. Give it 3-6 months. If you don't like it, switch to something else. Don't worry, you won't become a monster in that short a time - the changes will be primarily to your confidence and functional strength.

 

And this is, after all, the point.