Speed bench w/ bands = elbow pain?

I just started powerlifting training about three months ago, starting with Dave Tates 8 week program. Last week I used mini bands on DE bench for the first time, the following ME bench day I had to cut short due to intense pain on the inside of the elbows, around the bicep tendon area. Yesterday and DE bench with bands the pain returned which is when I made the connection. Do you guys think it’s the bands, and will this problem lessen as I get more experience with them? Thanks for any input.

I use to get the same problems The bands will have alot to do with it. If u never used bands i would cut it down to mainly chains, and maybe only a week or two of band work. If i can also recall on DE bench this would happen because i was all over the place with the bar. You need to learn how to explode the weight up and drop it back down under control, not just unrack the weight and fire it around for 3 reps. That is whats goign to hurt you. Another suggestion is if your squating too, not just a bench person, then your grip on the squat bar is screwing up your biceptical tendionitis. What i mean is if your gripping the bar to close to your body your putting large amounts of stress on this muscle. YOu want move your hands out so that your elbow is less bent. So you want to move your grip out so that its out by the plates rather than in by the rings. I hope that makes sense. IF anything helped me it was that.

Get some Active Release Therapy (ART) done that works wonders. Also try using some type of linament before your workouts and ice after your workouts, you want to correct this problem before it gets outta hand.

All good advice from Dan.

I have the same problem and ART is the only thing that helps. I stopped benching with bands because it just gets to be unbearable. I only use chains now… straight weight seems to flare it up a little too.

That BlueHeat shit they sell at EFS is awesome. I load it up, and cover that with elbow sleeves.

Also look into wrapping your wrists because this seems to help as well.

Thanks for the advice dan. I had already planned on limiting the use of bands. Don’t have chains yet but will definitely look into getting some soon. I already grip the bar on squats all the way out to the rack. The closest ART guy is 150 miles away but if it doesn’t get better I’ll have to consider it. Thanks again.

Redkell- I’ve got some chains. Maybe we can do some benching sometime if Gold’s will let us bring them in, they make a lot of racket. I used to use them at my gym in St. Louis all the time (dad owns a gym there), unfortunately I haven’t used them here because there ain’t no way I’m carrying 100+ lbs of chain up three flights of stairs at the downtown Gold’s.

Ya, that’s one reason I haven’t gotten them yet. I don’t know about downtown but Nifong is pretty dead on Saturday with only a college kid or two working. We might be able to get away with it then.