Newbie With Shoulder Injury

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

Warning! Newbie?s Long First Post

This will be long, so let?s cut to it. I?ve lurked for a little over a year, used a lot of workout information on T-Nation (the greatest site I know), and now I need some help. All this info may not be needed, but I?m putting everything down, just in case.

Stats:
33 Years old Male
5?8?
Weight: 157 lbs

Body Stats (sorry no direct measurements at this time):

Chest: Bigger than a few years ago?but still reminds me of that kid from Home Alone 1

Arms: Look like Rubber bands

Legs: In proportion to the rest

Calves: HAH!!

Abs: top 4 protrude beyond my ribs when I tighten them. Lower 2 are in there somewhere under fat?17 years of MA training trained those abs?stupid shit, huh? Hell, my abs stick out from my body than my chest.

Lifts:

I?ve not tested for 1RM, so I can only tell you this (what I?m currently doing on week 2 of Waterbury Method):

Bench: 10x3@175 lbs
Squat (ass to ankles): 4x6@225 (knees can get wobbly about 1/2 way through 3rd set.
Deadlift: 10x3@ 235

Eating Habits: About 3000 cals/day (6 meals at about 500 cal each)…about 240g Protein. Mostly solid meals except for the occasional Protein Shake.

(I wish I could tell you more?and to be fair, when I started 3 years ago I was about 133 lbs?and at the beginning of last year I was at about 150 lbs so there has been MUCH improvement)

For 17 years previous I did traditional Martial Arts. Never incorporated a weight training program with it.

So (for many other reasons)?about a year ago, I decided to go into strength training. Hell, I?m a man, and a man should be strong. I wanted some size too in order to just to be pleased with what I see in the mirror.

Fucked around for a while until I started CW?s ABBH?went to ABBH II?then injured a shoulder and laid off for 2 months. Got back into it again about 3 months ago and got my BF measured?I was at 175 lbs and 24.1 BF. ?Oh hell no!? So I stepped it up, and lost 18 lbs in that time. Did CW?s TBT and did HIIT sprints in the AM?s. Seemed to work.

Now, I?m doing Waterbury Method. I?m still deciding if I should do the Neanderthal No More program instead b/c I need many things worked on (too many years of wrong training put many imbalances).

But it may not matter…today I re-injured my shoulder. Yesterday I went back and punched the heavy bag for my GPP work for 30 minutes for the first time in about a year(not GPP really, but I love to punch the bag?gotta do what you love). I guess it was too much strength gains and my punching tendons couldn?t bear it.

I?m no doctor, (obviously), so I could be way off with that ?diagnosis.?

Bench presses aggravate it, any overhead presses are a stabbing pain

I don?t want to have to quit lifting now?I?m just in the groove. I got the fever.

If I do decide to lay off for a while?how can I still stay in shape and not get too damn fat again? I want to keep training?badly. I don?t want to gain ?bad size? nor do I want to lose the gains in strength and size that I?ve worked so hard to achieve.

I apologize for the length and if I provided too much information, but I wanted to get everything out there?in case it makes a difference.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

2

You really need to see a physio/Osteo/ART practitioner.

In the mean time, we need more details mate. Where EXACTLY does it hurt and what were you doing when it happened.

Probably the two most common injuries in the shoulder are:

  1. rotator cuff problems (often caused by stronger/tigher internal rotators and weaker/looser external rotators).

  2. biciptial tendonitis (inflammation of the long head of the biceps tendon which goes right up into the shoulder and is again often caused by tightness/overuse in the front of the shoulder).

Tell us more and see an expert. Also, do you stretch reguarly (and I mean properly stretch)?

3

It’s pretty much never a bad idea to address muscle imbalances. So, the NNM might be a good call, assuming your shoulder can handle the workload.

[quote]But it may not matter…today I re-injured my shoulder…I guess it was too much strength gains and my punching tendons couldn?t bear it.

I?m no doctor, (obviously), so I could be way off with that ?diagnosis.?[/quote]

Then, it might be a very good idea to run your shoulder past a doctor or chiropractor, for an “official” diagnosis. Without that, we’d just be guessing, at best.

Then don’t do them, problem solved. Is it those two exercises (flat bench press and military press) that give you problems, or is it those movements that are aggrevating? Meaning, have you tried dumbbell benching, or incline bench, or a dumbbell overhead press? There are dozens of options we can try, that can work around those 2 motions.

4

[quote]will-of-iron wrote:
You really need to see a physio/Osteo/ART practitioner.

In the mean time, we need more details mate. Where EXACTLY does it hurt and what were you doing when it happened.

Probably the two most common injuries in the shoulder are:

  1. rotator cuff problems (often caused by stronger/tigher internal rotators and weaker/looser external rotators).

  2. biciptial tendonitis (inflammation of the long head of the biceps tendon which goes right up into the shoulder and is again often caused by tightness/overuse in the front of the shoulder).

Tell us more and see an expert. Also, do you stretch reguarly (and I mean properly stretch)?[/quote]

Thank you for the reply.

I’m out of the US/westerized countries for a while…I’m not sure how/if I can find one, but I will most definately give it a shot.

It seems to be the same injury that happened a few months ago. It sounds strange, but originally I hurt my other arm bicep doing DL’s (not using my arms for merely "hooks’ but I tried to lift with them.)…then once that healed I went and injured the OTHER arm (shoulder) doing Chinups. Weird, man.

As for exactly where it hurts, it’s REALLY hard to explain on the internet…okay, if you put your arms bent to 90 degrees in a bench press position and reach over with your left hand to (what would normally be) the top of your right shoulder, you find that there is a separation in the shoulder muscle right (kinda like a divot or depression). Assuming we are standing up, the pain tends to seem to be deep in the front/top area of that depression. Not in the depression, but in the surrounding tissue. I hope I gave you a clear picture. If not, then I thank you for the attempt, but that is the best description I can give.

But if I raise my arms over my head and try to straighten them, the pain is in the front of the shoulder…about the middle of the muscle.

All I know for sure is that my shoulder is REALLY tight right now.

And what is strange is that yesterday was the first time I thought of stretching (really stretching)…guess I should have listened to my body, huh?

Again, thank you for your time.

5

[quote]Minotaur wrote:
I?m still deciding if I should do the Neanderthal No More program instead b/c I need many things worked on (too many years of wrong training put many imbalances).

It’s pretty much never a bad idea to address muscle imbalances. So, the NNM might be a good call, assuming your shoulder can handle the workload.

But it may not matter…today I re-injured my shoulder…I guess it was too much strength gains and my punching tendons couldn?t bear it.

I?m no doctor, (obviously), so I could be way off with that ?diagnosis.?

Then, it might be a very good idea to run your shoulder past a doctor or chiropractor, for an “official” diagnosis. Without that, we’d just be guessing, at best.

Bench presses aggravate it, any overhead presses are a stabbing pain

Then don’t do them, problem solved. Is it those two exercises (flat bench press and military press) that give you problems, or is it those movements that are aggrevating? Meaning, have you tried dumbbell benching, or incline bench, or a dumbbell overhead press? There are dozens of options we can try, that can work around those 2 motions.[/quote]

And thank you for your time and reply as well.

I’ll take a few days off (and TRY to find a sports dr or the like…I’m out of the westernized world for a year so I have to find this country’s equivalent).

I’ve not tried variants of those exercises yet. I’ll do so at the next opportunity…just for trial.

Thank you for your time and suggestions as well.

6

AlphaDragon,

Well the first thing that a doc or PT should rule out is a rotator cuff injury.

Since this just happened yesterday, I would ice the shoulder 10-15 minutes every couple hours for the next 2-3 days. Some OTC NSAID’s (if you don’t have any contraindications for use)would be helpful for the next few days as well.

PM me in a few days and let me know how it is doing. Then we can address it further.

As far as working out, you can do some leg training and core work for the next couple days and then try some light upper body exercises and see what exercises you can do without pain.

Keep me posted.

Take care,

Ryan

7

thank you for your advice Dr. Ryan. Will do.