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2002/10/26, 09:40 PM
My attempt to post this in the "Over 40" section failed, then I noticed the higher traffic so I thought I'd post my questions here instead:
I'm a relative newbie to weight training. I started for the first time ever in June of this year, and am currently side-lined while a tennis elbow injury subsides. My question is about how to restart in a few weeks - how intensely should an Olde Bastard go at it at first?
In June I started a general fitness program that consisted of 3 full-body resistance workouts per week, alternating with 3 days of running 3.0-3.5 miles at an 8:00-10:00 pace. This was the first time ever for any sort of resistance training for me.
I have started running a number of times in the past, normally my lungs limit me for the first week or so, then my leg muscles limit me for the next month, then can quickly go to 4, 5, 6, 7 miles until I'm stopped by shin splints. After reading a bit about running, I concluded that I'd be much better off limiting myself to 3.0-3.5 mile runs & 10-15 miles per week until my tendons, etc have acclimated (maybe 6-12 months?) before adding more distance or speed workouts. Since doing this it is the first time I've ever run for 5 months with zero problems.
I started the weight training a bit differently. After reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weight Training, and a lot of stuff at the ExRx.com website and others, I started my 3X/week program as follows:
12-15 different dumbell & Weider cable machine exercises
1 or 2 reps of each
weighting to hit failure at 10-15 reps.
Nearly all of the stuff I read stressed the need for real instensity if you want any progress, so I trained quite hard from the start.
The first week I hurt my "central" left elbow doing dumbell curls - after reading up on proper curl technique I realized that I was doing EVERYTHING wrong - too much weight, using momentum, swinging my body, letting the weight fall back to max extension, etc.
A bit of web surfing suggested laying off for a bit, icing it, then resuming with hammer curls instead, doing wrist flexion & extension stretches, and later adding wrist flex & ext dumbell exercises to strengthen the wrist to avoid wrist & elbow problems in the future. So far so good.
After a week or two I upped my wrist flex & ext weights by 5 lbs each (to 25 flex & 20 lbs ext). The 3rd or 4th time I used those weights, while doing Set #1 Rep #2 of the left wrist extension, I had a searing pain in my OUTER elbow. I stopped immediately, and haven't tried a left arm wrist extension or left arm lateral side raise since. (I couldn't if I tried with the pain I've had ever since Rep #2 that night)
I did keep up the rest of my routine though, including lat pulldowns & bent-oer dumbell rows - not surprisingly, my elbow didn't get much better.
Last week I finally went to my doc (a longtime weight lifter) who diagnosed it as tennis elbow, and said to stop all arm exercises until the pain was gone, and advised 3 Glucosamine/Chondroitins daily.
Finally, my questions (still there?):
-When I resume weight training in a few weeks, should I ease into it, maybe doing 2 or 3 sets of 12-15, at weights that I COULD get another 2 or 3 reps out of I a really tried? (with the requisite grunting, grimacing, trembling they'd require)
-Are most of the books & lifting websites really targeted at a younger athlete? Should I give my 43 year old tendons & ligaments 6-12 months to acclimate to lifting before really pushing for heavy weight/low reps/single sets I read about so frequently?
Thanks,
Cb
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2002/10/26, 09:41 PM
PS: Is there a time limit to writing a post on this site? My second attempt to post the novel above crapped out also - fortunately I'd done a Copy this time & could quickly retry it.
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2002/10/26, 11:29 PM
Welcome to the community C_B.
I am not as experienced as some on here, but I would suggest you start off lightly with more reps.
I am 46 there are other in here in 50's -60's.
Definately work on the legs (curls and extensions, and calf raises. This will help you for the running for sure.
Again start off lightly! Don't go to failure on any of your excersises.
Sounds like you have a good dose of tendonitis. Try getting a brace. There are some good postings in the Injury board that might give you some insight also.
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2002/10/28, 12:08 AM
Ease yourself into things. As stated, you should probably start off with a 3 day a week workout for about 3-4 weeks. Use light to moderate weights for this period. Do basic, compound exercises to fully work the muscles. If you are feeling pretty good after this period, then your ligaments and tendons are ready for progressively heavier work. See, muscles adapt and get stronger much faster than the nerve endings, ligaments, tendons, and joints. So, if you proceed this way first, you will give everything the time it needs to adapt without overstressing things. Then let us know, and someone will help you proceed. Forget too many of the books. Like Nike, just do it! Good luck.
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2002/11/09, 09:50 PM
Regarding the tendonitis: I had the exact problem for months, to the point where I couldn't lift a couple of sheets of paper without wincing. It was triggered worst when I did lat pulldowns, probably due to having too tight a grip on the bar.
I tried the braces, etc. and nothing worked. I've cured it with the following... Moderate doses of Ibuprofen (always with food), massaging the heck out of the "valley" between the two main muscles running from the elbow to the wrist (after warming it with a heat pad or warm shower), but the real cure was stretching this set of muscles 10 to 20 times a day.
I did the following stretches (I hope this makes sense without pictures). Extend your arm out in front of you with your palm facing down, and gently grab (with the opposite hand) just above your big knuckles. Then slowly pull your palm (now facing back toward you) toward your body. Hold it for about 5 seconds. To this five times. Then reverse the stretch by facing your palm to the sky, placing the opposite hand's thumb on the back of your palm (near the knuckles) and the rest of your fingers on your palm. the bend your palm back so the muscles on the under side of your forearm feel the stretch. That's it.
I've passed this along to several people at my gym who I've seen wearing those silly, useless arm bands. They've all received significant improvement. Then you just have to make sure to continue doing these stretches before and after any exercise that requires a tight grip.
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The longest journey begins with a single step.
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2002/11/15, 11:39 PM
Thanks to all! Billy, I've been doing those stretches, but only once a day, because Ithought doing more might just be re-injuring the tendons. My psin is subsiding gradually - I'll increase the number of stretches throughout the day.
Cb
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