Biceps tendon question

Hi!

I did some calisthenics training before for about two years and when I did hanging leg lifts on single bar( not stall bars) I used to fill pain in the front of my left shoulder but when I used undergrip the pain was gone. Do you have any idea of what this could be? Maybe bicep tendinitis? I still feel little pain there ( I used to train back lever a lot among other things).

Thanks a lot!

Nuno Duarte

probably shoulder impingement from having inflexible shoulders.    underhand grip would externaly rotate the upper arm which would help avoid that.  just a quick speculation.  Its early in the morning and i havent had coffee.... maybe see what mark or something else says.

I will but thanks anyway!

If you are fatigued or have bad mobility, you start using lats and shoulders to help raise the body, in particular your hips move away from the stall-bars/plane where your hands are. This can cause stress on the shoulder. Its very common for people with lack of compression strength as the butt moves far away from the stall bars so the athlete is able to touch the bar with his toes. Undergrip alleviates the problem somewhat, but the most effective way to reduce the pressure is by working on compression.

Read post above. You start to use lats but that is not what makes problem. When hanging triceps is stretching and when you pull yourself with straight arms (which you probably did) triceps is flexed to maintain elbows locked and pressure on triceps tendon in this position is to big.

Try this - http://prntscr.com/a178jg, and elevate your shoulders to mimic hanging position as much as possible and then try to pull with straight arm and then try to find triceps tendon on armpit with other hand. When you find it you will see how flexed it is.

When doing leg lifts on stall bars your lower back should be touching stall bars so lat is activated at its minimum. If you dont have stall bars avaliable then try to have hands as much in line as possible with your but when doing leg lifts or find place where you can lean with your back same as on stall bars.

Pafke said:

When doing leg lifts on stall bars your lower back should be touching stall bars 

Pafke,

From a gymnastics perspective, when doing HLR (hanging leg raises) on stall bars is the main goal working on compression, spinal articulation, or both? (abs aside). Why is it important for your back to touch the stall bars?

I don’t have stall bars (yet) so I’ve never done them from there. I’m imagining that if you lean your back against stall bars it’s easier (less shoulder stabilization required) than say doing HLR from a fix bar or rings, where you’re trying to control your descent while minimize your body swing... Just trying to get a grasp of the gymnastic way here and learning from all you! thanks.

Eva, it's much harder to do the leg lift with your back against the wall bars.

You can easily verify this by doing a leg lift on your pull up bar, and then having a friend stand behind you and push your shoulders while you attempt another leg lift.

Thanks to all! Just one more question: what about the pain in front of the shoulder? Do you think it is the tricep tendon or the bicep tendon or something else? ( I'm a little confused)

This is fairly common, let's keep it simple and chalk it down to limited shoulder mobility. 

The Integrated Mobility for the Rope Climb progression of the Foundation Courses is very helpful for this issue.

Cole, understood. The primary goal is shoulder mobility (opening) which is why I was asking if compression or spinal articulation are also the target or perhaps secondary abilities for this exercise. Do you do the HLR with active shoulders (depression) or passive hang?

HLL is primarily a core exercise, shoulder mobility is a distant 2nd  - unless a person's overhead mobility is limited.

Hang from the shoulders, the lats may help, but ideally not much.

In the beginning these may also wind up be more of a lat pull if one has limited hamstring mobility, and in this case the toes won't touch the bar, rather the ankles or shins will. That means it's time to hit the iM's hard.

But as a new member to GB, you certainly have a few progressions to work though before hitting HLL. The process will answer most of your questions.

Most certainly Cole. Thank you for the context. I got plenty to work on!

This forum has been great so far in getting acquainted with the GB ethos and tenets. Looking at what lies ahead motivates me and roots my current training. No matter how much I trust the process, if my mind sees something that makes me question my previous understanding, I will pursue it and seek closure. At this initial stage I’m “cleansing” my brain so to speak. I know first hand how old habits or things one has learned previously can get in the way, so I use every situation I encounter as a learning opportunity.

I’m re-evaluating my past training experience, which is the main reason I decided to come closer to the source to build a gymnastic foundation properly. Honestly, I’m tired of putting the cart before the horse and being asked to run, AND pay the price. Having practiced many of the PE or SE from F1/H1 in the past, in not nearly such an incremental progressive manner like coach Sommer has brilliantly laid out, is disappointing and of limited value to say the least.

I feel very fortunate to have found GB. This methodology reaffirms my strong beliefs on always refining the basics and working in an incremental progressive fashion. I will continue to keep my eyes on the road ahead and my feet in the present moment. Oh, and ask less “futuristic” questions. Good day!

I want to thank everyone on this forum. Really, really helpful.

Thanks for the responses. Really appreciate it.

Thanks Nuno, also it might be better for you to do the reverse grip HLL until you straighten out your shoulder issue. That one can go eitehr way with people some find it easier some harder. They are both good.

Nuno Duarte said:

... I did some calisthenics training before for about two years ... maybe bicep tendinitis? ... I used to train back lever a lot among other things ...

Yes, this is bicep tendonitis. A direct result of working too long with too much intensity, too much volume and too little mobility work.

The bad news is that this is going to take a considerable amount of time to get better. In the interim, use undergrip for your HLL work.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

On 2016-02-12 at 9:06 PM, Coach Sommer said:

Yes, this is bicep tendonitis.....The bad news is that this is going to take a considerable amount of time to get better. .......

Hello.

I recently posted a question about some pain i have been having in my shoulder, and I recognize myself in what is written in this thread. How long time is "a considerable amount of time", and what should one be doing to heal? What do I need to avoid, and what do i need to do more of?

Best regards,
Alexander

Hi Guys,

We have taken this general discussion as far as it can go in the free public forum.  Further specific discussion will need to occur in the private course forums were the appropriate integrated mobility exercises are already assigned and can be discussed in more depth.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer