A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BATTLING FOREARM PAIN
I am always looking for and trying new ways to prevent and treat forearm discomfort and pain. This is something I have been trying for a while and I am interested in hearing what YOU think, and what you do to prevent and combat forearm pain in your training. Please leave a comment to let us know what you do to stay healthy…For now here is something I have been trying lately. Wondering what your thought are.
We’ve all heard of the acronym R.I.C.E for addressing pain and injury.
As you can see, the first letter, R, stands for REST.
Unfortunately, when your mental stability depends on your ability to get into the gym and hit it hard on a regular basis, REST isn’t always on our list of priorities.
Forearm pain is common for many dedicated strength enthusiasts. Labeled with many different names, including tendonitis, epicondylitis, and others, fixing forearm pain can be just about as hard putting the correct name on it.
I have dealt with this condition over the years, because of my concentration on Grip Strength Feats and competing in Grip Strength Contests. My hands and lower arms take a beating throughout the year.
To my benefit, since so much of my time has been devoted to keeping my lower arms healthy, I have spent a lot of time researching and putting into practice many methods for injury prevention and recovery.
To prevent and recover from nagging forearm pain, I have been using my own R.I.C.E. acronym that is slightly different from the classic one, but has served me very well for most of the nagging conditions that come with intense forearm and grip training.
R – Raise:
Just like Elevation from the classic acronym, I try to keep my arm raised above my heart when injured.
I also especially keep my lower arms off any hard surfaces at all times. If I put my elbow down on a desk or table, I put a towel between my arm and the table. I avoid any kind of undue stress or pressure from things like the edges of tables, doorways, etc. Reducing the amount of external trauma helps you manage the trauma you already have. Sounds crazy, but it makes a difference.
I – Increase Temperature:
I have had ZERO luck with Ice over the years, so I go a different routine and do all I can to increase blood flow to the forearms. As a preventive method, I will wear them at the beginning of a workout to get blood in there from the beginning, and if I feel any inflammation coming on, I keep them on when I am not even lifting in order to maintain that increased temperature within the area.
I try not to use them all the time in my workouts because I do not want to become “dependent” on them once the pain is gone. This might just be “in my head” but I’m not sure. My sleeves are loose and are worn to the point that they can really only be useful for increasing temperature and do nothing for aiding lifts.
C – Compression:
If I get pain the forearms, I compress the tendons down, away from the spot of pain. This elongates the area of tissue that rubs with other surfaces and can reduce inflammation in the main spot that is causing pain.
This type of wrap does not have to be expensive or flashy. I use an old velcro wrap when I start to feel my forearm start to ache. If you use this method, don’t wrap so tight that you cut circulation off through the rest of your lower arm. Just wrap it tight enough to change the way the forearm muscles move in your forearm.
E – Extensors:
Far too many people are strong in their flexors but weak in their extensors. This imbalance at the very least will keep you from developing your full potential for strength, while it can also lead to injuries.
I knew this for years, but still neglected my extensors until this year. BAD JEDD!!!
Now, I work extensors every single workout. One of the easiest ways to do this is with rubber bands. I have the IronMind Rubber Bands that I use at my desk, but I keep other rubber bands throughout the house, in the car, and in the gym, so I don’t lose or ruin my IronMind set. The rubber bands I use I got from Staples and are #83 rubber bands.
Just wrap the rubber band around the outside of your fingers and then open them up against the resistance. You should feel the muscles in the back of the forearm working. If not, then open your fingers more.
When I hit these with one rubber band, I go for 50 reps without stopping. When I do it with two rubber bands per hand, i shoot for at least 20 reps without stopping.
This kind of high-rep work is great for blowing the forearms up and flushing the area with blood, especially the spot on the back of the forearm/elbow that gets riddled with pain from lateral epicondylitis.
If you don’t like the idea of hitting Rubber Bands for so many reps, another variation of Rubber Band Extensions I like is the Double Extension. This is done by first extending the fingers against the band and then fully extending the wrist. This heightens the level of contraction in the muscles in the back of the forearm, stimulating them even more intensely. I work this variation in quite often and love it.
First, Extend the Fingers and then Extend the Wrist for the Rubber Band Double Extension
Keeping your lower arms and hands strong and healthy requires a balanced approach between proper strength training and injury prevention in your program.
The things above is just a sampling of what I do to stay healthy for Feats and Contests. I do a lot of other things outside of the gym to prevent issues from occurring and to keep current conditions from worsening, but these are some of the things that you can do that require very little time and money. They are just slightly different from the classic medical approach.
What are some things you do? Leave your comments below.
All the best in your training.
Jedd
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