I had not been working out regularly for a few months, and of courses it has resulted in the typical and predictable addition of a few pounds to my frame. But nothing serious.
So I thought I’d get back into the gym last week and hit it, starting with a back and bicep workout.
I figured that I would get rolling with something that wasn’t anything esoteric or really specialized, just a basic back and bicep bodybuilding workout. So I started off with a very light set of pulldowns and a light set of cable rows. I should point out that this of course was after 20 minutes of interval training on the hill program on a treadmill, and stretching exercises.
Anyway, I felt like I was ready to tackle some weight. I did three sets of 15 using a pronated grip on a wide pulldown bar. It felt pretty good, and I was using about 80% of what I previously used for this exercise. I rested for two minutes and then moved to cable rows, performing another three sets in the same fashion. Then it was time to get back to the pulldowns only this time with a supinated grip, essentially duplicating muscle movements of a pull up.
At this point in the workout, I felt pretty good so I moved on to my biceps workout. I did three slow and careful sets of eight of alternating dumbbell curls. Follow that up with three light sets of hammer curls, pulling the dumbbell across my chest. I love using this technique. It is a completely different feel from a typical dumbbell curl ending with the hand in a supinated position.
The way I like to do these is to start with my hands at my sides in a neutral position and then alternate my arms. I bring each end up without rotating my forearm until I can touch the top of the dumbbell to the opposite shoulder and then slowly lower back to a neutral position on my side.
Anyway, I finished up three sets of these and ended a single “burn out” set of concentration curls with a very light weight — at this point my arms were fried.
30 minutes later, back at the house and feeling pumped and energize. It was great to be back in the gym, and great to be doing a sort of traditional back and bicep workout. The problems started later that evening.
The inside of my elbow joints and attendant leading from my inside elbow joint of my forearm really started to feel stiff and hurt. I put it down to DMOS, although somewhere in my mind I knew better. I iced my arms down with some bags of frozen vegetables, took some ibuprofen and hit the bed.
When I went up the next morning my arms were essentially immobile. I could not straighten them all the way out, and I certainly couldn’t take much up with them.
To make a long story short, it has take a full week of ibuprofen, rest, ice and heat to get my arms back to normal. Lesson learned: you may still feel strong and fit after laying off for a few months, but this doesn’t mean that your ligaments tendons and joints feel the same way. They need to ease back into things just as much as your muscles do.
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