The Flywheel Effect

[MarkKO]

Bench Press
130 pounds x 8/8/8/8/6/6 [44 reps total]

Sumo Deadlift
395 pounds x 1 rep
315 pounds - 8 sets x 4 reps [32 reps total]

Pushup
BW x 30/25

Hammer Curl
25 pounds - 2 sets x 10 reps

This was a bear of a workout. Took me almost 2 hours because I'm nowhere near acclimated to the volume. Everything felt good though - solid reps throughout. Most likely will take a couple days off to recover now.

@MarkKO - You may be onto something with the grip. My elbow was fine benching today but started flaring up a set or two into deadlifts, even though I was using straps. On the subsequent sets I tried to make sure the straps were very secure and didn't grip the bar quite as tightly. That seemed to help. I have a feeling the only way this is going to go away anytime soon is just to take a break from lifting. Fortunately I'll not have access to any equipment for 2 1/2 weeks starting in mid-Feb, so hopefully that will be enough time to help it heal up...

Cuffs over your forearms or elbows will probably help. They need to be reasonably tight, knee wrap material is usually what they're made of. You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

[cgeorg]

You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

This is very much a thing in climbing, antagonist training to keep from developing various pathys.

They sell things like this and this

[Clearwater47]

You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

This is very much a thing in climbing, antagonist training to keep from developing various pathys.

They sell things like this and this

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I'd not thought about this at all but it makes perfect sense. I don't see myself buying any contraptions at this point, but it should be easy enough to duplicate the effect by just using my other hand for resistance, for example. I will definitely take some time each day to work those antagonist muscles.

Regarding the cuffs you mentioned MarkKO, I have elbow sleeves I've been using on and off. Is that essentially what you're referring to? Or is it something different?
I've actually found that sometimes the elbow sleeves seem to do more harm than good. I suppose this might even be an indication that it's a biceps related issue and the extra pressure is causing it to flare up? Hard to say right now, but I'll tackle one thing at a time and see what works.

[MarkKO]

You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

This is very much a thing in climbing, antagonist training to keep from developing various pathys.

They sell things like this and this

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I'd not thought about this at all but it makes perfect sense. I don't see myself buying any contraptions at this point, but it should be easy enough to duplicate the effect by just using my other hand for resistance, for example. I will definitely take some time each day to work those antagonist muscles.

Regarding the cuffs you mentioned MarkKO, I have elbow sleeves I've been using on and off. Is that essentially what you're referring to? Or is it something different?
I've actually found that sometimes the elbow sleeves seem to do more harm than good. I suppose this might even be an indication that it's a biceps related issue and the extra pressure is causing it to flare up? Hard to say right now, but I'll tackle one thing at a time and see what works.

No, cuffs are generally narrower. They're the width of a knee wrap which is usually somewhere around 100 mm give or take, and made of the same or similar material.

They're also usually worn tighter than sleeves so they give a significant degree of compression around the area.

It's unlikely the sleeves are causing the issue. In most cases tendon issues do well with compression rather than the opposite.

[Clearwater47]

You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

This is very much a thing in climbing, antagonist training to keep from developing various pathys.

They sell things like this and this

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I'd not thought about this at all but it makes perfect sense. I don't see myself buying any contraptions at this point, but it should be easy enough to duplicate the effect by just using my other hand for resistance, for example. I will definitely take some time each day to work those antagonist muscles.

Regarding the cuffs you mentioned MarkKO, I have elbow sleeves I've been using on and off. Is that essentially what you're referring to? Or is it something different?
I've actually found that sometimes the elbow sleeves seem to do more harm than good. I suppose this might even be an indication that it's a biceps related issue and the extra pressure is causing it to flare up? Hard to say right now, but I'll tackle one thing at a time and see what works.

No, cuffs are generally narrower. They're the width of a knee wrap which is usually somewhere around 100 mm give or take, and made of the same or similar material.

They're also usually worn tighter than sleeves so they give a significant degree of compression around the area.

It's unlikely the sleeves are causing the issue. In most cases tendon issues do well with compression rather than the opposite.

Good to know! Thank you both for the education on this stuff. It's much appreciated.

[Renascent]

You can also try wrapping a heavy elastic band around your knuckles and extending your fingers out against it. Apparently this can help because it balances out the tension in your flexors by increasing tension in your extensors. I've never done it enough to find out for sure though.

This is very much a thing in climbing, antagonist training to keep from developing various pathys.

They sell things like this and this

Interesting. Thanks for the feedback. I'd not thought about this at all but it makes perfect sense. I don't see myself buying any contraptions at this point, but it should be easy enough to duplicate the effect by just using my other hand for resistance, for example. I will definitely take some time each day to work those antagonist muscles.

Sometimes the rubber bands used to bind produce at the grocery store are the right size for this exact purpose.

The aforementioned protocol has helped me nix some grip-related discomfort on numerous occasions.

[Clearwater47]

I had a bit of a eureka moment a couple of days ago regarding the elbow issue. While I'm sure there are multiple things that are aggravating it right now, it's highly likely it WAS caused by grip strain. I remembered that late last summer I moved a heavy ass armoire downstairs and strained my left forearm pretty bad doing so. Actually ended up dropping the furniture because my left hand grip totally gave out. It's really not felt right since.

Plan of attack for now is to cut out straight bar squatting (I have an SSB so why not use it...). Also will cut out or reduce intensity on rowing and curls. This will hopefully give the left arm some time to heal up.

[Clearwater47]

The following two days were meant to be in 1 workout, but life happened and I did what I could. Didn't actually finish up the second workout until almost 11PM yesterday.

Feb 3, 2023
Bench Press
180 pounds x 1 rep
150 pounds - 6 sets x 4 reps

Top single was a 9+ RPE - more difficult than I wanted. Rep work went well though.


Feb 4, 2023
Yoke Bar Box Squat
195 pounds - 5 sets x 3 reps

Close Grip Cable Row
100 pounds - 3 sets x 10 reps

The rows I did here were relatively light and had at least another 5-10 reps in the tank.

[Clearwater47]

Cambered Bar Bench
110 pounds - 5 sets x 8 reps

Bicep Curl
Orange Band - 3 sets x 10 reps

First time touching a cambered bench bar in a while. The extra stretch felt good. Seems weird though that this bar seems to fatigue my triceps more than my chest, even when using the widest grip.

[Clearwater47]

Sumo Deadlift
350 pounds - 4 sets x 3 reps

Overhead Press
105 pounds x 1 rep
85 pounds x 39 reps [7 minute density block]

I've not done a density block in quite a while. I really like them. Arms are still shaking as I type this, lol.
Haven't posted any videos since I joined here, so I decided to record one of the deadlift sets today.

[Clearwater47]

Floor Press
170 pounds x 1 rep
155 pounds - 5 sets x 3 reps

Was also supposed do squats but wasn't feeling up to it. I've felt progressively worse over the last 3 days and am not feeling up to doing much of anything. I'm sure I'll start feeling better over the coming days.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
145 pounds - 4 sets x 4 reps

SSB Squat
155 pounds - 5 sets x 4 reps

First workout in nearly a month. I was sick for about a week and then went on a vacation overseas. I got back home on Thursday, but 18 hours on a plane can really do a number on a person so I needed a few days to recover. Still not feeling close to 100%, but wanted to get some work in today. Kept the weight light but it still felt quite hard. It's a start...

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
115 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

Conv Deadlift
275 pounds - 5 sets x 3 reps

Bench felt much better today. Deads kicked my butt. Both lifts move fast and smooth. Deads in particular felt really good from a technique standpoint.
I'm light headed and have a headache now. I expect it'll take a week or two for my body to reacclimate to lifting. Just going to keep forging ahead...

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
145 pounds - 4 sets x 4 reps

SSB Box Squat
205 pounds - 8 sets x 2 reps

Energy level was a bit better today. Both lifts felt much heavier than they should have - especially the squats.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
115 pounds - 5 sets x 6 reps / 1 set x 16 reps

Conv Deadlift
325 pounds - 6 sets x 2 reps

Bench was great today, feeling strong and fresh. AMRAP on the final set was around a 7-8 RPE.
Deads moved like a warmup weight. Muscles felt strong throughout but energy level crashed after about 4 sets.
I'll probably take 1 or 2 rest days now.

[Hardartery]

Bench Press
130 pounds x 8/8/8/8/6/6 [44 reps total]

Sumo Deadlift
395 pounds x 1 rep
315 pounds - 8 sets x 4 reps [32 reps total]

Pushup
BW x 30/25

Hammer Curl
25 pounds - 2 sets x 10 reps

This was a bear of a workout. Took me almost 2 hours because I'm nowhere near acclimated to the volume. Everything felt good though - solid reps throughout. Most likely will take a couple days off to recover now.

@MarkKO - You may be onto something with the grip. My elbow was fine benching today but started flaring up a set or two into deadlifts, even though I was using straps. On the subsequent sets I tried to make sure the straps were very secure and didn't grip the bar quite as tightly. That seemed to help. I have a feeling the only way this is going to go away anytime soon is just to take a break from lifting. Fortunately I'll not have access to any equipment for 2 1/2 weeks starting in mid-Feb, so hopefully that will be enough time to help it heal up...

Figure 8 straps. They aren't great to use as an exclusive thing, but they are ideal for this situation. I can literally let go and the bar doesn't go anywhere when they are on right.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
130 pounds x 8/8/8/8/6/6 [44 reps total]

Sumo Deadlift
395 pounds x 1 rep
315 pounds - 8 sets x 4 reps [32 reps total]

Pushup
BW x 30/25

Hammer Curl
25 pounds - 2 sets x 10 reps

This was a bear of a workout. Took me almost 2 hours because I'm nowhere near acclimated to the volume. Everything felt good though - solid reps throughout. Most likely will take a couple days off to recover now.

@MarkKO - You may be onto something with the grip. My elbow was fine benching today but started flaring up a set or two into deadlifts, even though I was using straps. On the subsequent sets I tried to make sure the straps were very secure and didn't grip the bar quite as tightly. That seemed to help. I have a feeling the only way this is going to go away anytime soon is just to take a break from lifting. Fortunately I'll not have access to any equipment for 2 1/2 weeks starting in mid-Feb, so hopefully that will be enough time to help it heal up...

Figure 8 straps. They aren't great to use as an exclusive thing, but they are ideal for this situation. I can literally let go and the bar doesn't go anywhere when they are on right.

I have some and use them occasionally.
I also have Cobra Grips that I use, and at the weights I'm using I can practically deadlift without holding on to the bar at all with these as well.
I've removed Low Bar Squats out of my programming because that was proving to be a major source of irritation. I'm still benching, but that seems to not be a big contributor at this point and I'm not experiencing any elbow pain while benching right now (this alone is a big improvement).

Basically I'm finding that It IS mostly just the gripping/holding of heavy objects that is causing the elbow pain. Unfortunately, even a month off from lifting didn't do as much as I had hoped to improve it because I was regularly carrying my son, carrying luggage from one place to the next, and lifting and pushing/pulling various other things. It may just take a very long time for this to fully heal up (assuming I don't reaggravate it). I think I can work around it in my training for the most part though, with a big part of that being using (and relying heavily upon) straps for deadlifting. So I appreciate the recommendation. It's spot on!

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
155 pounds - 6 sets x 3 reps

SSB Low Box Squat
155 pounds - 6 sets x 4 reps

I know - weird to squat the same weight that I bench, lol. Squats and deads are still wrecking me though. The weight was light but I still felt like I could vomit after getting done. Just trying to build up some kind of work capacity. I'll likely increase the squat weight next time.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
135 pounds - 6 sets x 6 reps

Conv Deadlift
275 pounds - 6 sets x 3 reps

Got through the workout without feeling nauseous, so that's a win. Both lifts went well.
Deads especially felt very easy. I used the figure 8 straps today for the first time in a while - worked great! I will for sure keep using them.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press
155 pounds - 4 sets x 4 reps

SSB Low Box Squat
205 pounds - 9 sets x 2 reps

Had a few slow reps but felt good overall.