Injury or Overtrained?

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes.

Early february I decided that I was fed up with sitting still and growing fat, so I started working out with a friend of mine. Since then I’ve been doing a 5-split, and I’ve cleaned up my diet.

Lately though, my shoulders and elbows have started aching, and the pain has gotten so bad that I can hardly move my arms. Needless to say, I’ve taken a break from training now for a couple of days.

So, to the bright heads of T-Nation, does this sound like a symptom of overtraining? I am in the middle of my exams, so stress levels are high and sleep is basicaly something that happens to other people :stuck_out_tongue: Thinking about going to a doctor, but most doctors here are worthless, especially if I am overtrained.

My 5-split:
monday: shoulders (+abs)
tuesday: arms
wednesday: legs
thurdsday: rest
friday: chest (+triceps and abs)
saturday: back (+biceps)
sunday: rest

My diet on a usual day:
8am: 2eggs and one bowl of oatmeal
11am: about 50g rice and 200g fat free chicken
3pm: same as lunch, with small variations
6pm: 2-300g chicken or other meat with some veggies
10pm: protein shake

I also drink a protein shake with some carbofuel after training sessions.

Do you take any sort of fish oil?

It doesnt sound like overtraining per se more that you have trained harder than your body is used to and its fighting back…

I got a similar issue with my elbow but I havent been taking any fish oil suppliements so I have stepped back from training till pay day when I can get some Flameout on order…

If you are not getting enough sleep and have exam stress you will be putting more pressure on your body than its used to, which will cause minor issue to flare up.

Rest and recharge your batteries, and perhaps some anti-inflammatory painkillers if the pain and stiffness is too bad…

I agree with mt006. fish oil, anti-inflammatory painkillers and rest are a good idea.

It’s hard to tell if it’s overtraining because the stress from your finals will create the same physical symptoms (depression, soreness, difficulty sleeping) as overtraining. Give it a week out of the gym, take some fish oil and reassess.

Well since the problem seems to be around your arms, I was thinking that maybe you were training them too much. Biceps movements put lots of stress on small forearm muscles which can lead to elbow pain. Doing your chest and back works your triceps and biceps enough, don’t do extra exercices on those days.

Thanks for all the advice :smiley:

the rest and fishoil is easy, but anti-inflammatory meds are prescription only here =/

Kataklysm, I thought about the arm thing when I first experienced the pain, but I was having such great progress that it was hard to cut down. When I get back to training again however, I’ll be more careful.

the rest and fishoil is easy, but anti-inflammatory meds are prescription only here =/

You cant even get Ibuprofen?

Sold in supermarkets over here…

Oh yeah, here too, just didnt know they were anti-inflammatory ^^

Another thing to think about is how your quality of training is: are you just going in and doing every arm workout you can think of on your arm days? There should be method to the madness, you should also think of changing your routine too. If you hurt chances are you are doing an exercise improperly, not resting enough or not dieting well either.

The fish oil is an excellent idea, I also recommend drinking a shitload more water for starters. Your diet looks good, and if you adhere to it religiously then good for you. I’d however consider eating more and fueling your body properly, you get better gains.

Also whoever says that training an injured body part is nuts, if you keep working out sore shoulders you can promote more serious injury or muscle imbalance. Soreness creates tension, and muscles stay contracted longer during an exercise which could mean smaller range of motion or improper technique.

Do upper/lower body routines first and work your body to a level where you can target specific areas. Train in technique and form first, take the time to research and then hit the ground running. Cheers

recently my arm days have looked like this:
(not sure about the english names of the exercises, sorry)

bicep curl and frenchpress - superset
seated hammercurl and pressdowns - superset
preachercurl and and rope pressdowns - superset
usually arnie curls and kickbacks or something as well.
+2 forearm exercises

my normal range is 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

I sometimes change the order I do things or the intensity of the workout - that often depends on my mood. I’ve changed exercises a couple of times, but usually stick to the same ones for a few weeks at the time.

I know I’m not eating quite enough, and I’m training a little too hard. But training really hard is the fun part. :smiley: