6/9
Tuesday
4 rounds of pushups, lunges, pullaparts, swings.
Upped the reps slightly from yesterday, if I had been doing this timed, it would have been a decent (though quick) session. Still haven’t herniated so all is well and I’m on track to get in the gym for the first time in some 12 weeks next Monday.
The tendonitis is bad. Very very bad. Not sure where this is going, but I’m determined to do what lifting I can despite it. I am worried though.
6/10
Wednesday
4 rounds of
-20 pushups
-20 lunges per leg
-10/10/10 pullaparts
-20 squats
The tendonitis is crippling.
Eliminated swings to avoid aggravating it, even holding a cup of coffee hurts.
6/11 Thursday
4 rounds of
-15 RFESS/leg, bodyweight only
-Band pullaparts
4 rounds of
-45 seconds plank
-45 seconds superman
6/13/2020, Saturday.
Medial epicondylitis AKA forearm tendonitis is so severe I can barely do anything. I was trying to do yard work with one hand in my pocket to keep from using that side… it hurts.
Regardless, I signed up at Gold’s Gym today, did a quick workout too:
Squats
10xbar
10x95
10x135
10X155
10x175
Standing press
12xBar
10x65
10x75
10x70
Then tried out a bunch of machines, focusing on shoulders. Can’t even think about gripping or pulling anything for the next 2 weeks.
Excited to get back in the gym though!
6/17 Wednesday
I’d better catch up the log!
Monday I went, and did this:
Squats:
10xBar
10x95
10x135
8x175 three sets.
Good mornings:
10x95 three sets.
Lunges:
5x85 three sets.
Leg Press
10x180 (or do you call it 225? 2 plates per side LOL) 3 sets
Situps 12/GHR 12 three sets.
Stairmaster 5 minutes.
6/17 Wednesday
Today I did this:
Press:
10xbar
10x65
5x85 five sets
10x65 three sets
Rear Delt Flye machine
Lateral raise machine
Rope pushdown
Trying to avoid aggravating my severe medial epicondylitis. I believe it is improving.
At the end I also did some 5lb wrist curls and reverse wrist curls. Hopefully I can strengthen while it heals and not make it worse!
Friday June 19
I felt absolutely shot this morning.
Both arms hurt, and not in a good way. My lower back was stiff and painful, not like DOMS but like being… old. Which I’m not.
3x10 RFESS 30lbs
3x12 good morning 95lbs
Decline situps 10,12,14,16,18, and captain’s chair straight leg raises 20,20;
Superset with ghr back extensions 7x12.
Figured the light weights and focus on core would be good for me.
I feel better tonight, we’ll see what morning brings.
Wednesday 6/24
Elbow pain is at its worst point yet. Incredible, because its been weeks since I really worked it…
I did plant trees the past two evenings, and I know that aggravated it, but still… its preventing me from both lifting, and normal life activities. Makes everything harder to do and it means there are many things I just cant do.
I’m going to the gym this morning anyway, for lunges, abs, and back extensions. I feel it’s all I can do without hurting myself worse.
Am seeing the orthopedist Friday, roughly 6 months since I had a cortisone shot in the same elbow.
RFESS 40lb 5x10
Decline situps and ghr alternating ad nauseum.
6/26/2020
Going back to orthopedist today for my left medial epicondylitis or whatever this is.
I have reviewed the entirety of my log, which conveniently started when I first went in for the same condition.
To summarize 19 months of history:
12/1/2019 - Severe left forearm tendonitis, trouble gripping, assumed cause: excessive pullups and other grip-intensive lifts. Stopped all grip-intense lifting.
1/15/2020 - Cortisone shot in left medial epicondyle. One week with zero load, then very slowly and carefully increase load over 6 weeks.
3/13/2020 - “my forearm seems to have healed completely”
4/6/2020 - “Grip strength has improved a lot”, no complaints of pain.
5/4/2020 - started pullups again, increasing volume linearly.
5/16/2020 - 3x pullups to failure 20, 13, 10 - no complaints of pain.
5/17/2020 - appendicitis. No lifting for at least 3 weeks.
6/7/2020 “Inexplicably, left tendonitis has set in during my appendectomy recovery… pain washing my face or pulling my seat belt”
6/9/2020 “is very bad”
6/10/2020 “is crippling”
6/13/2020 “is so severe I can barely do anything… yard work with left hand in pocket… it hurts”.
6/24/2020 “is at its worst point yet”.
What’s so strange here is that the condition became apparent during recovery from appendicitis, and not while going hard at pullups again. Even if it were caused by the previous week’s pullups, why did it get progressively worse over the following weeks - in which I continued to rest it?
Dr prescribed:
Ice at night, heat in morning
Diclofenac topical
Return to lifting despite pain?
Physical therapy including “dry needling”
I’ll start therapy this afternoon. Morning gym trip:
Press:
Bar x 10
65 x 3
85 x 3
105 x 3
65 x 10
Rfess:
50x10x3 sets
BWx10x3 sets
Superset decline situps and ghr,
20/20 3 sets
Seated cable row, neutral grip, light weight, 20 reps, 3 sets.
Elbow is worthless, lots of pain in daily activities.
7/1/20
Leg press.
Warmup
405 4 sets of 3
315 4 sets of 10
225 1 set of 20
Prone leg curls 3x12
Leg ext 3x12
Captain chair 3x20 straight leg raises
Ghr 1x20
7/6
RFESS 3x10@50lbs.
Wanted to do 5x10 but my left elbow was so inflamed I couldn’t go on. Pretty pathetic that my forearm is so bad its keeping me from doing legs… I already knew I couldn’t squat but this is ridiculous.
Leg press
Abs/ghr
1 mile walk at max incline
Overall felt pathetic and just wished my left arm worked. I can’t open a pickle jar without pain.
And my back hurts lol.
7/8
Walked 2 miles on super-high incline.
7/11
2 mile jog on treadmill.
8/5/2020
Haven’t posted in weeks as there isn’t much to say.
I jog regularly. Am disappointed with how I look and feel but am doing my best given the circumstances.
Elbow is extremely painful. I can barely use it for basic tasks, and if I pick up anything heavy it’s on fire for hours. Every week is worse than the last.
I had an MRI a few days ago and will follow up with ortho today, hopefully figure out what’s going on.
Turns out the MRI shows no real damage. No need for surgery! Got a second CS shot, which hurt like hell. Now after a few days of rest I can slowly and carefully get back to using it.
Continuing with jogging for the rest of the week.
Adding a mild leg press session at the end today.
The shot is kicking in, and the initial pain of it is gone. So I need to formulate a plan for the next few weeks. However its gonna be different than last time, when I did a 5x5 basic lifts progression, ramping up from minimal weights up to the status quo.
No, now I respect the fact that I’m getting older, I’m not invincible, and the elbow isn’t cured. So I’ll be doing PT type activities more than last time, and may just avoid deadlifts and pullups for the rest of the year.
I’ll mess around at the gym tomorrow, overcoming my embarrassment at not seriously lifting, and start feeling it out.
8/10
1 mile treadmill run
Bench press: 95# 4x10
Side raises: 5# 3x20
Left Forearm PT medley:
Wrist curls, reverse wrist curls, finger curls, resisted pronation, resisted supination.
Seated cable rows 70# 3x10
8/12
1 mile treadmill run
Squat 95# 4x10
Front squat 95# 4x5
Left forearm PT
3 rounds of
20 decline situps
20 back extensions with 25#