Straight arm work through mild tendinosis/itis

[Charles]

This is my first post here so before I go on I'd really like to recognize you Coach for being a major influence in my training structure and my new obsession with gymnastics as a whole.

With that, I'm currently recovering from an overuse injury in my left distal biceps tendon which developed from over training for bouldering. Since the problems began I have refrained from any intense pulling work on my left arm. It's been about 2 months now with very light, maily eccentric work on the arm.

I know from trial and error that I receive no physical signs of pain from pushing motions, and recently I've only mildly toyed with straight arm planche/lever work. Would switching to a more structured routine based around static straight arm holds affect the recovery process at all or would this be ill advised?

I have an obsession with my training that no book, movie, tv show, or video game could ever distract from...

Thanks to anyone with insight!

Charles

[John Sapinoso]

If you go about straight arm work incorrectly, you can put unnecessary strain on your elbows.

I had a similar question and here's what Coach Sommer said:

Ring Strength Hyperextension

The hyperextension of the elbows when training advanced ring strength elements generally occurs due to one of two primary causes:

1) A failure to first establish a solid foundation of basic strength. This is really key; as basic strength builds a solid physical structure from which you may progress onward into more advanced Gymnastic Strength Training™ components. Many people, not just those with hyper extended elbows, often make the mistake of prematurely focusing on advanced straight arm ring strength elements (crosses, malteses etc.) when they have not yet built an impressive degree of bent-arm strength or press handstand strength. Often the discomfort from prematurely training advanced ring strength elements will naturally begin to alleviate itself as the athlete develops more biceps muscle mass to help protect the elbow from over-extending itself and more shoulder mass to stabilize the shoulder girdle.

As an example, I have an intermediate level athlete who, for that level, is one of the best at performing my developmental maltese exercises (we'll go over them later Wink). Now he also has one of the best 'cirques' on the team. A cirque is a special kind of rope climb where first the athlete climbs to the top of the rope with arms only and then during the descent completely releases one hand, and keeps it extended out to the side, while lowering as slowly as possible with the other arm (in this athlete's case the negative one-arm chin takes approximately 5 seconds). When that arm is straight, the athlete switches hands and continues the descent in the same manner with the other arm. Essentially a cirque is an arms-only rope climb followed by a series of negative one-arm chins.

As an interesting aside, I have two other more advanced athletes who are even better at cirques, with negative chin cycling times of 8-10 seconds per arm. And yes, their malteses are substantially farther along than the other outstanding cirque performer.

Please note that this is not an invitation for you to enthusiastically begin training cirques without the proper physical preparation. This is a very demanding element and exposure to it prematurely WILL give you a signficant case of elbow tendonitis, the very thing that we are trying to avoid. Approaching training with enthusiasm is excellent; however for enthusiasm to be effective in the long-term, it must be wed to diligence and self-restraint. Always be careful to gradually work your way through the various progressions which I will provide to you.

2) A failure to proceed through the proper ring strength progressions, coupled with the appropriate safeguards. As with all else in the Gymnastic Bodies program, advanced ring strength is something that is gradually and progressively developed. The forthcoming All Muscle, No Iron is a complete guide to developing both general and advanced ring strength elements.

I constantly hear it asserted that tendonitis of the elbows is unavoidable when training advanced ring strength elements. Nonsense. It is usually due to a failure to lay a proper foundation and then, compounding that mistake, by failing to use proper ring strength progressions. As you can see, there is a reason that Building the Gymnastic Body, which deals with developing basic strength, is the first Gymnastic Bodies volume that I am releasing. We will need to explore and establish a solid basic strength foundation prior to moving onward, and including other more demanding gymnastics strength components.

If you have a solid foundation of bent arm strength and train though proper progressions you might be safe, but personally though, I'd say wait till your elbow is better.

[George Launchbury]

Hi Charles,

Welcome to the forum.

Just to clarify: by distal, I assume you mean the insertion of the muscle at the elbow end of the biceps, rather than the origins at the shoulder end? Has this problem been diagnosed by a qualified specialist? Have you been given a specific rehab plan?

I'd also suggest you take it slowly and safely. Straight arm work can put an enormous strain through the biceps, and as far as your tendons are concerned tension is tension, and lever work can involve high levels of tension for extended periods of time. It can be very frustrating when you're injured and want to train (I am injured at the moment as well).

I always feel nervous about making statements like this on here (due to all the experts and actual gymnasts) but counter-intuitively a planche is a pushing exercise that hits the biceps (preventing hyper-extension of the elbow), whereas a front-lever is a pulling exercise that is hard on the triceps (keeping the elbow locked straight). I mention this as you said that you get no pain from pushing motions right before you enquired about adding planche/levers into your training. Apologies if you already knew this.

Cheers,

George.

[Charles]

Ah alright. Thank you so much for the feed back both of you.

To George, By distal I did mean the insertion point. I have not been medically diagnosed. I'm a personal trainer but still a relatively poor college student. I'm doing my best to get some professional advice once I get home in a month or so.

I'm fairly new to levers and planches so your general description of them helped. I'll reluctantly stay off of them until I can get some clear cut data/medical advice.

Thank you!

[George Launchbury]

I was having a think about the anatomy around that area, and recalled an article I read a while ago concerning the differences in activation of the biceps vs brachialis dependent on movement speed:

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), muscle activation of the elbow flexors during arm curls was found to vary depending on the speed of movement. During "fast" eccentric contractions (2 seconds lowering of the weight), the biceps brachii appears to be preferentially recruited.

In contrast, during "slow" eccentric contractions (10 seconds lowering of the weight), the brachialis seems to undergo the most activation.

The biceps brachii spans two-joints and has a fusiform structure (tapering toward each end). This renders it capable of rapid, forceful shortening. In contrast, the brachialis is a single joint muscle with a multipennate structure (a muscle whose fibers approach the tendon from several directions). This slows down its contraction speed and makes it ideal for joint stabilization.

http://www.t-nation.com/article/bodybuilding/biceps_fast_or_slow (WARNING might not be work/family safe)

As a trainer you'll probably know that flexion at the elbow is primarily the work of the biceps and the brachialis (the prime mover, I believe?), with the biceps also being a supinator of the forearm. I'm not sure as to the balance of activation between the two muscles during static work ...there might be an even larger swing toward the brachialis, which would explain the 'long' look of gymnasts biceps?

Maybe it's been discussed elsewhere before? Maybe it's been shot down? Be interesting if anyone has thoughts either way, I guess.

With this in mind, the static lever work might be less hard on the biceps, since the majority of work may be taken up with the brachialis? You could always have a gentle experiment with the levers and see what you can do without pain. Tuck front levers should be OK, since you'll be working more to keep the elbow straight using the triceps, as might Frog stands (especially as the elbows may be bent for this stage, meaning less focus on the elbow joint anyway).

You have probably read Coach's article (http://gymnasticbodies.com/articles1.html) for form and progression? The main thing is be safe, and don't risk making it worse - you'll regret it!

Cheers,

George.

[Charles]

Oh I've absolutely read the article and I'm positive his book will be a healthy several hour distraction from my injury

I've progressed passed frog stands into beginner tuck planches. I'm fairly certain I have proper technique/elbow alignment when doing these. I tested my progress yesterday (just inching a little further into more dynamic movements to see what load/intensity would cause pain) and now have that "off" kind of feeling in the affected region. I'll give it a week or two before performing the planche test.

I'll make sure to update this once I do.

I'm also curious to hear anyone elses thoughts on the biceps vs brachialis situation for straight arm holds.

Once again thank you!