elbow gave out on rings

[kymel]

when i was just trying to lower as far as i can go for cross my left elbow gave out on me. 3/10 dull achy pain near the elbow on the inside area next to the bicep and forearm. i don 't think i tore anything but i did feel a crunching feeling when the elbow gave out. any advice on what i should do? i am freaking out and i kinda just want to stay away from alot of things.

[Larry Roseman]

ice immediately

[kymel]

i am guessing i should take it easy for a bit and achieve XR planche first after i have healed up then come back to cross training?

[Guest SuperBru]

You obviously didn't have the required strength and or mobility to perform the iron cross. As a result you may have suffered an unnecessary injury. Have you had any prior ring experience? I don't know how to treat injuries or pain however I do know how to prevent them.

[kymel]

i have been training rings for over a year, i have a back lever and almost a front lever. i can do muscle up, swing into inlocate, dislocate, felge; press to handstand but can almost hold it for a few seconds. i have a bad form straddle planche and i can straddle press to handstand, also lower from handstand to straddle planche

[Daniel Burnham]

Press to handstand on floor you mean?

How is your ring handstand? Are rings turned out?

[kymel]

i can press on rings and floor but arms aren't all the way locked on rings during the press. ring's aren't turned out and they're more like turned out a little but not completely. they turned out to a point where my palms are face each other parallel like p bars

[Daniel Burnham]

Ok. When you have allowed time to heal work on completely straight arm work on rings. Get rings turned out in a handstand. I am pursuing straddle planche on rings first. After this build up volume slowly.

I'm also guessing you are using straps to press on rings. Rings should really be turned out the whole time to prevent this.

Someone else with more experience may chime in like hari or coach listen to them.

[kymel]

i don't lean with my arms in the straps at all but i use them to hold myself up for my legs when i straddle up  and sometimes i can pike up and sometimes balance for like a second before forward rolling. thanks for the advice and it is much appreciated. (excuse my grammar) how long should i lay off the training for?

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

(...) how long should i lay off the training for?

 

Anything from 2 weeks to 10 years - it all depends on how much damage you've done and if you'll have the discipline to rest and heal without re-injuring yourself.

Only time will tell.

[kymel]

ten years? what?

[Piotr Ochocki]

During elbow movement now, do you get grinding/cracking - that wasn't there before?, does the elbow locks/blocks at some position? You could have broken off a bit of cartilage.

Anyway if you have any clear signs of problems, that were not there before, go to doc, x-ray/mri will show the problem.

Also does the elbow feel warmer than other one? (what would be a sign of inflammation to deal with asap).

[kymel]

it's slightly warm and theres no grinding but it on a rare occasion it can crack.

[Mats Trane]

Have you seen this?

https://www.gymnasticbodies.com/forum/topic/8084-preparing-the-elbows-and-biceps-for-iron-cross-training/

[Joshua Slocum]

First, wait until your elbow heals before doing any more strength work. 

 

Second, before doing any more cross attempts, you should master the prerequisites listed in the thread Mats Train posted. Your elbow is clearly not yet prepared for cross work. If you wish to succeed with learning a cross, you must first develop a good deal more strength. Some supplemental bent-arm pulling work (e.g. rows, chinups, inverted muscle-ups) will help too. 

[kymel]

DOC SAYS UCL IS INTACT!!!!! my forearm muscle gave out first and took all of it. i sprained my forearm so i am to lay off it for 6 days and slowly reintroduce training to my elbow. iam staying away from rings for awhile.

[kymel]

i have seen all the pre reqs just my planche on rings is bent arm and not pretty. i really don't consider it a planche until i can do straight leg arms locked out chen yibing status(2008 of course)

[kymel]

i plan on getting a straight leg planche with hands turned out on the floor
 i'll then go back to rings and work on getting it on rings.

[Joshua Slocum]

Make sure you follow proper progressions with the straight-arm strength. Trying to go from a bent-arm planche to a straight-arm planche is a recipe for failure at best; injury at worst. What you need to do is start with perfectly straight arms, and build your way up through the easier variations: tuck, then advanced tuck, then straddled, then half-lay, then full lay.

[Blairbob]

 Take it slow. Sprain is better than screwing something up at the joint.

 

 That is one of the things about joints. They go when they go and there is often no warning when they do. It will seem fine and POP!

 

 Planche on floor and rings are not the same animals and will not directly transfer over. You will need to go back to developing the planche with locked out arms from tuck to straddle to straight and the inbetween positions like advanced tuck, half lay or bent leg straddle, etc.

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

 (...) i am to lay off it for 6 days (...)

 

Better that than 10 years... I guess you didn't need another "Oh Sh!t" moment

Be prudent.

[kymel]

i believe hands turned out on floor planche can have a good carry over on rings or atleast be a nice small prereq for preparing for planche on rings. i am not trying to say if i can get a planche on floor with hands turned out then i can easily get it on rings. i am just trying to say it may help prepare my joints for that type of training so i can avoid oh no moments

[Brian Li]

I think they have the same amount of stress on the elbows. If not then maybe rings planche has slightly more stress on elbows. Make sure you lock your arms at all times in planche training now otherwise you're wasting your time. Do you have supinated grip BL or RTO HS?

[Joshua Naterman]

i have seen all the pre reqs just my planche on rings is bent arm and not pretty. i really don't consider it a planche until i can do straight leg arms locked out chen yibing status(2008 of course)

I don't know why this hasn't been mentioned yet, but your foundation in gymnastic strength is not good. You can do a few things, but you keep saying you can lower down to planche, do a bad form planche, yet your arms are bent? That's not a planche.

 

I got my arm caught in an armbar two-ish years ago and something crunched in my elbow, no idea what it was. I am still not back to 100% in that elbow, but it's getting there. You will need to be patient, both with rehab and training. I don't think you really understand that yet, based on how you are talking.

 

The Foundation series is made to specifically prevent these issues from ever becoming a problem, and if you really have the goals that you say you have, it would be a worthwhile investment for you.

[kymel]

the  lowering and planche  i can do is on floor with arms locked out hands point forward with shitty form. my rings psuedo planche is bent arm which isn't a planche at all and i agree. i plan on going back to adv tuck and tuck push ups on the floor, so my form gets better. focus on leans and push up leans with hands turned out and come back to rings later when i have developed a better handstand form, and planche on floor with hands turned out. i will continue to swing, inlocate,dislocate, felge, and work on press handstand on rings as soon as i am healed up.