Elbow Health🧬
Elbow pain is one of the most common overuse injuries in Bodyweight training. This happens -mostly- when we expose ourselves to movements that the elbow joint is not ready to handle yet. Aka: rushing.
Therefore, the first solution or way to prevent this from happening would be to NOT RUSH. Build up your movements gradually if you want to train pain-free for a long time.
That kind of advice is hard to accept for many people -including myself- so another piece of advice is to strengthen the structures that assist elbow movement. When we refer to strengthening those structures, we typically refer to the biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles.
Here are 2 movements that assisted my recovery from golfer’s elbow in the past. Resting was the first step of course, but building strength back up was key.
1. Bodyweight Tricep Extensions – A staple of calisthenic strength building. Unlike a traditional push up which can be considered a compound push exercise, this movement isolates the triceps which are responsible for extending the elbow. The more you lean, the harder it gets. Drop to your knees if needed.
2. Declined Bicep Curls – this variation trains the bicep in its lengthened position. A position that mimics some statics skills (ie: back lever) making it great for our calisthenics purposes. It also targets the long head of the bicep nicely.
The elbow is not a so simple joint and therefore just these 2 exercises might not be the total solution to elbow health. Other factors such as poor shoulder mechanics can also lead to elbow pain. However, I just wanted to share that when we refer to conditioning a joint is “as simple” as reinforcing the muscles that surround that joint.
Keep improving
Keep observing
Keep experiencing
With Love,
The SM Team