straight arms...dangerous?

I started working on levers four times a week and i'm afraid of hurting myself because of too much straight arm work...

has somebody got any problems whith such frquency?i wonder how is it possible but high level gymnasts seems to do well so...

Any answer or experience would be great,thanks

I practice straight arm work 4 times a week and I've had dramatic strength gain. As long you pay attention to your limits, you should be fine. If your muscles are really soar, don't be afraid to take a rest day.

Just keep and eye on your volume. Its normal for the elbows to be a little uncomfortable at first. That is why SSC is great and it gives the joints and connective tissue time to adapt to the stresses of straight arm work.

If you start feeling pain or tenderness in the elbow, ice, take a few days rest and assess your workouts. See if your are doing to much. i.e too many sets, or too much heavy bent arm work after (tuck rows, tuck push ups etc).

I started working on levers four times a week and i'm afraid of hurting myself because of too much straight arm work..

Straight arm work is no more inherently dangerous than any other conditioning movement; providing that the proper progressions and the appropriate control of volume/intensity are adhered to. This is the primary reason why I always recommend that your static strength sets are performed at half of your current maximum hold. This Steady State training cycle allows you to increase strength while simultaneously helping to ensure to you do not exceed your window of recovery.

And as been already mentioned, when in doubt - take an additional rest day. In the long run, the only one who benefits from the "No Pain, No Gain" mantra is your doctor or therapist. Yes, there should indeed be sweat, effort and a reasonable degree of discomfort; but when it edges into actual pain, you have overstepped your limits. Stated simply, discomfort is temporary and will immediately begin to subside with the termination of the exercise, while pain will continue to increase, growing more severe, despite the exercise ending.

Knowing the difference between discomfort and pain will require a gradual accumulation of experience; another often overlooked benefit of following a Steady State training cycle in the development of your static strength elements.

An excellent example of the benefits of meticulously following a Steady State training cycle for both FSP and FBE is available here.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

thanks coach it's always a great pleasure to benefit from your knowledege, and thanks everybody your posts will be useful :wink: