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Thread: The Elbow Problem

  1. #11
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    Sep 2010
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    Quote Originally Posted by Franklin Arias View Post
    Hey Jordan thanks for the article it could not come at a better time for me since I was starting to encounter the problems that you have mentioned . Especially pain going down the side of my arms starting at my lateral delt past my triceps and ending at my elbow. Towards the end of the article you mentioned a deload to help correct the problem at a lighter weight do you recommend a 10 % or 20 % reset . I'm currently at 340 lbs pounds and have been making 5 lb jumps your advice will be welcomed. Thanks in advance
    Thanks, Franklin. You will have to deload to a weight that allows you to have a perfect elbow position, which may be 10%, 20% or more (or less)

  2. #12
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    Jun 2009
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    Hannover, Germany
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    Thanks for the article. This is exactly pointing at the problem I was having and what I discussed with Tom in my last technique videos about 2 months ago. Unfortunately my habit of getting the elbows as high as possible has dug in over several years and is hard to get out of the system. But it only became obvious as soon as I hit 100 kg in the squat. The bar began to feel "funny on the back" and at least on the rep 4 and 5 of a set it was out of position, which made the ascend look a bit ugly. I still could work it up till 107.5 kg. Than the pain in the arm was too hard and I couldn't finish my sets although I had the imagination that I had enough power in the legs. This also compromised the next exercises, as I could not do any pressing movement with the arms after that. I recognized, that my elbows were getting alot higer with overextending wrist as soons as I started to come out of the hole. While I was starting the set fairly narrow with the hands, at the end the hands had moved out at least the width of the hands itself.

    I've taken of weight and it's getting better, but I'm still not there yet.

  3. #13
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    Jul 2016
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    Great explanation. I have shoulder issues (torn labrum) and I was cranking up my elbows. I don't think I need to go into such extreme internal rotation which would be impossible.

  4. #14
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    Sep 2015
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    Norway
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    Thank you for clarifying. Soreness in my upper right arm went away “overnight” after adjusting my elbows and getting my chest up.

    Living in rural Norway without access to good strength coaches the Starting Strength community is an invaluable resource.

    (29Y, 182 cm/6 feet, SQ 5RM 157.5 kg/347 pounds, “advanced” novice)

  5. #15
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    Jan 2014
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    I've got to thank you again Jordan for this. Fixed the problem I had for a long time after reading your article.

  6. #16
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    Thank you Jordan! Based on reading the article several times, and this thread, I deloaded on July 7 to work out the serious shoulder pain I was developing from squatting. The changes I made were to keep the elbows down and the chest out, and that seems to have fixed me right up. This weekend my squat was back up to where it was before the deload, but with no shoulder pain at all. In addition the bar no longer tries to roll up my back in and out of the hole. All goodness here.

  7. #17
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    May 2016
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    I am having a related problem. I have been trying to get the bar down into low bar position. I finally did it - but only by bending the wrists back. My thinking was that I could get the bar down into the correct position and eventually I would get more flexible and could straighten the wrists. I began experiencing the awful headache-like pain from elbow to shoulder described in the article. It goes away after about two hours. I realized there was no reason to expect the wrists to straighten over time. Seems like I must carry the bar higher and keep the wrists straight. I'm 57 and I have been struggling with this since July. A wider grip has not really helped me get the bar lower. I would really like to hear from someone who has had this trouble and managed to stretch enough to do a low bar squat with the wrists straight. How long did it take?

  8. #18
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    Jan 2014
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    I've found that now that I've been doing it this way, that I'm not lifting the elbows up enough and chest while grabbing the bar. Today I noticed that this screwed me all up. It made for a rounded back that wasn't tight and the bar sinking in to my back, as described in the book. Sure I had fixed "the elbow problem" but now I've noticed I've been concentrating so much on "the elbow problem" instead of following the figure 2-20 on page 25 of the book. I'm gonna try going back to lifting my elbows and chest at the same time. Then concentrate on pointing my nips towards the floor at the same time. With the other way I believe it causes problems with having a back that is too horizontal.

    In truth I can not lift my elbows up "too far" I'm just not that flexible. I mean way too far like the picture you posted in your article. I don't know I guess they have to be at the exact right place because I never had the problem of the bar rolling up my back like I did today. Seriously though I'm gonna try and lift my chest and elbows at the same time like it says in the book next session and try to fix this problem.

  9. #19
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    Jul 2010
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    Jordan,

    When squatting what force (if any) should my hands be exerting on the bar. I think I have a tendency to be pulling down on the bar, especially out of the hole, to help keep my chest up. Is this likely a cause for the elbow pain I've been experiencing? I am using thumb-under grip with wrist wraps.

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