Why Bodybuilding High Risk for Tennis Elbow

So you love the sport of bodybuilding, you’re in the gym and having a great workout.  Your strength and stamina are up, you’re setting personal records with your lifts and you’re pumped.

But just as you are about to do your last set of dumbbell curls, as you pick up the dumbbells – bam – your upper forearm pain is back with vengeance!  Yes, your outer elbow pain is tennis elbow.

You are not alone!  You can get tennis elbow from the most innocent type of activity or repetitive movement.  Even Dentists and hairdressers are considered high risk.

So why is it that bodybuilding is so susceptible to tennis elbow?  Why are bodybuilders constantly complaining about their upper forearm and outside elbow pain and discomfort?  And why is it that it seems to strike only when you are doing dumbbell exercises?

First you should now that what physically happens when you get tennis elbow is that the tendon that attaches your forearm muscles to your elbow bone, suffers a small tear.  Any sort of repetitive gripping or squeezing actions over a long period of time only increases your pain and the size of the tear.

The reason why body builders frequently suffer from tennis elbow is because of the constant tight gripping of the bars.  To be more specific, any sort of dumbbell exercise can cause tennis elbow.  It’s because when you perform dumbbell exercises you need a tight grip to lift the weight plus as you fatigue your form is compromised so you start to cheat and your elbow goes beyond it’s normal range of motion.

So what should you do if you are a bodybuilder who wants to avoid getting tennis elbow?

Your first course of action is to avoid dumbbell curls on bicep day.  This is one of the causes of your forearm pain and is by far the worst exercise that can cause tennis elbow.  Secondly, if you insist on using dumbbells – please go for form over weight!  Just increase your repetition count and cut back on your normal weight.

Secondly, if you’ve just started to notice a dull aching pain on the outside of your elbow – then you are in the early stages of getting tennis elbow.  You most likely have a small micro tear but it will get worse if you don’t take immediate action to treat it.

The thing about tennis elbow is that if you follow a proven treatment plan, you can still hit the gym as you your recover!

And the best part is that you can do these 5 simple tennis elbow treatment techniques from the comfort of your own home while watching televison!

 

 

 

 

 

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