Pain in left forearm

[tacklejunkie]

I haven't done bicep curls with a straight bar in years. I use dumbells or a curl bar. Today, the curl bars were in use at the gym so i used a straight bar for bicep curls and felt pain in my left wrist up my forearm.

Is this some arthritis coming or is it simply my arms not used to a straight bar?

[mrklean]

Your arms are probably not use to it, when i do straight bar curls i dont do it very heavy lots of extra stress on my wrists compared to other arm exercises

[fishersofmen]

I would say the latter. I don't use a straight bar often either for curls but when I do I get the same pain for the first couple of sets. Make sure to start out light and work your way up in weight. Mainly thought it just seems like a somewhat awkward position for the wrists when lifting heavier weight to have your thumbs turned all the way out. I have bad wrists to begin with so I always wear gloves with the tight wrist wraps and that helps me alot.

I have heard some guys say its cheating to use a curl bar to make things more comfortable and it compromises the effectiveness of the exercise but I dont buy it. I realize you may slightly work the peak of the bicept more when using a straight bar but if an exercise gives you pain or is very uncomfortable to perform....avoid it.

[upnorth]

I won't use a straight bar for curls. Since I workout at home I stick to dumbbells for curls. I have the philosophy of if it outright hurts, something just ain't right. I am not talking about the last few reps of a set pain, I am talking about it just plain hurting to do it.

[that_guy]

I have heard some guys say its cheating to use a curl bar to make things more comfortable and it compromises the effectiveness of the exercise but I dont buy it. I realize you may slightly work the peak of the bicept more when using a straight bar but if an exercise gives you pain or is very uncomfortable to perform....avoid it.

I get the biggest kick out of people who say it's cheating to use a curl bar. When I am using my biceps in real world situations, very rarely are my hands in a position where my thumbs are pointing outward without any ability to move in. I feel lifting, should be done in a way that mimics real life movements as much as possible.

This is why I use dumbbells or a curl bar. More realistic.

Just my $.02

[DrJuice1980]

It depends on how the movement is executed. You can put yourself in so many unnatural positions with either bar, although the curl bar can leave less room for error it is still not fool proof and even if you arms are in correct position, is you whole upper body? How's you back? What are you compensating with to execute? Are you trying to be macho with the amount of weight and are totally doing the movement incorrect? And let's keep this in mind, lifting weights the proper way is often the hardest because you should only be isolating the area you are working. If it is at all possible the preacher curl with a curl bar is going to be your best option. It's leaving the least room for error and its the toughest one because the muscles the exercise is targeting are the only ones working. That's the definition of isolation. And isn't that what you are trying to accomplish?

[EBass]

How old are you tacklejunkie?

[tacklejunkie]

52 y/o

[EBass]

I'm 39 and have all sorts of issues. Age may have something to do with it. We're not in our 20's anymore yet my mind wants to think like I am.

Have you tried the straight bar again and same pain? Have you spoken to or visited a chiropractor? Something could be out of alignment in your wrist or arthritis. If its persistent go get checked out.

[DrJuice1980]

It could be you actually did the movement right and have a sore muscle that is trying to recover but can not because you havent trained your body to recover in that area.

[tacklejunkie]

It could be you actually did the movement right and have a sore muscle that is trying to recover but can not because you havent trained your body to recover in that area.

?

It only happens when I did the straight bar curl. Curl bar or dumbells, no problems

[nofishfisherman]

I'd bet that you were just overloading an area that is not used to being worked. The straight bar will put some tension on slightly different areas and I'm sure that's what you are feeling.

If you use the straight bar again try reducing the weight to build up the strength in the area that was sore.

If it was something more than just normal soreness I don't think arthritis would be a likely culprit either. If it were arthritis you'd likely have issues with it more frequently than just the one time you used a straight curl bar.

[the squirrel]

Three cracked ribs looks like I can't workout for a month

[tacklejunkie]

Three cracked ribs looks like I can't workout for a month

Yeah but think how fresh your workout will be after that time. I broke my leg a few years back and was laid up for a while and when I started working out again, my muscles felt like a beginner

[fishersofmen]

I can't believe how much strength I lose even after 1 month of not lifting! Then takes 2 months to get back to where I was.

[tacklejunkie]

I like to take a week or two off once in a while but a month would be a long time.

[the squirrel]

I hope I can start back on light weights next week but I know that is not what the Dr ordered

[DrJuice1980]

Saying you lose that much strength after taking a month off proves that you are doing things wrong when you "work out." You are training your muscle to be inefficient. Traditional training is typically all over the place as far as what information is sent to the brain due to the fact that almost every single rep is done at a different speed, different starting position, and or position at each point of transfer of load from one muscle to the next or muscle group to the next. Look into what your work out really looks like. Also when almost everything you are doing lifting weights is done at a slow speed your body is going to remember that so when you go to do some sort of activity where they need to turn on fast to support your movement, they wont and you will be at risk for injury. This is also the same when you do anything. You are so called "losing strength" because you're muscles have not been trained to be efficient or "fire" appropriately. Nothing that you are lifting for transfers to real life.

[TonkaBass]

??? I don't claim to be a genius, but if you lift weights and then take a long break, I'll put money on it that you wont be as strong as you were. Might not be a ton, but there will be a decrease in strength. If you don't use it, you loose it... at which rate depends on the individual. Don't believe me? Ask any doctor.

[DrJuice1980]

It shouldnt take you 2 months to regain 1 month. Don't believe me, ask any professional trainer. You are correct on the don't use it lose it. It goes back to my point about transition to real world outside of the gym. You're training your body to not function correctly, hence forth the loss. Do you do anything in life as slow as that squat? No or you'd be moving in slow motion, so when you train to be slow and in the real world you move fast your body/brain doesn't know the communication for that, your muscles are not efficient and you're not using them properly. Which then will cause "weakness" because you're not using them fully.

[fishersofmen]

You are correct on the don't use it lose it

[TonkaBass]

Dr. Juice, I see what your saying, but to assume that someone doesnt mix explosive povements into their training or excersize in real world circumstances outside the gym is pretty bold. I do agree with you though that it is important to change things up and mix slow and fast excersizes together. Truth is though, you assumed a lot about Fisher just because he made one statment...

[DrJuice1980]

I guarantee APs lower body routine is WAY different than yours or anybody you see at the gym. To address the use it or lose it statement, when you took that month off did you lay in bed the whole time? No. However you most likely have certain patterns where you are not effectively using your muscles when you do things like walk, stand up, sit, go up stairs, etc. When doing things like that your muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes, gastrocs) should be firing appropriately to allow that movement and your traditional (way way old school) of training has allowed your nervous system not to send the right information or send the information at the right time. Think about it this way, when you were say 8 yrs old you could go to the park, swing on the swing set, jump off at the highest point, land, go into a barrel roll, jump up and take off into a sprint with no risk of injury. What would happen if you tried to do that now? You'd probably end up with a tear of some sort. Ask yourself why that is. At 8 your body was functioning the way it should not the way you "trained" it.

[DrJuice1980]

The real world comparison was not about explosiveness but only that the communication to "turn" a muscle on was sent fast like it should, not slow. You don't have to believe me, just trying to show or explain new ideas, not from the Arnold and Lou Ferigno style, which by the way The Hulk has had double hip and double knee replacement and I'm pretty sure Arnold had a hip done. Do you honestly think it was lack of strength with these guys, or could it be there style created stress on soft tissues because the training left poor muscular function when relating to real world?

[tacklejunkie]

DrJuice...

I've read you comments with great interest and you make alot of interesting points.

What type of workout would you do that imitates real world movements? Are you going towards lighter weights and faster reps or different routines?