Squatting pain in left elbow only

[CitizenKane]

Hi Rip,

Basically I am experiencing an intense elbow pain like that you describe in the squat chapter of SS, and I am guessing it is due to poor shoulder flexibility and using a low-bar position. But what I don't understand is why I am only experiencing this pain in my left elbow. My right elbow has no problems whatsoever. Does this mean my left shoulder is less flexible than my right shoulder?

I am just wondering if you have any experience of this apparent 'unilateral inflexibility' and/or can give any advice as to why it's happening or how to prevent it? Or could this be caused by something else entirely (a rotator cuff issue or something?)

Many Thanks

[Mark Rippetoe]

Maybe only your left elbow is injured.

Question: In a "V" of geese flying across the sky, why is one side of the "V" longer than the other side?

Answer: There are more geese on the longer side.

[CitizenKane]

Hmm I see, so is there anything you would recommend other than just continuing to work on overall shoulder mobility?

[Ian Kovtunovich]

Maybe only your left elbow is injured.

Question: In a "V" of geese flying across the sky, why is one side of the "V" longer than the other side?

Answer: There are more geese on the longer side.

Well, they've obviously got the wrong Dalai Lama out there smiling pretty, shaking hands, and packing auditoriums with advice-hungry acolytes.

And for the OP: play with grip width a little. I had a similar problem after trying to narrow up my grip; a couple sessions of painful elbow (also on the left side--this can't be a coincidence!) and I widened my hands, and all was well. Could be also you're dropping elbows/letting hands under the bar and intercepting some weight (IIRC, isn't this what The Book advises may cause the elbow pain?).

[Carnivroar]

I had the same thing on my left elbow. I'm pretty sure it was because my left side is weaker than my right, so I threw in some arm work and it went away.

[CitizenKane]

Well, they've obviously got the wrong Dalai Lama out there smiling pretty, shaking hands, and packing auditoriums with advice-hungry acolytes.

And for the OP: play with grip width a little. I had a similar problem after trying to narrow up my grip; a couple sessions of painful elbow (also on the left side--this can't be a coincidence!) and I widened my hands, and all was well. Could be also you're dropping elbows/letting hands under the bar and intercepting some weight (IIRC, isn't this what The Book advises may cause the elbow pain?).

Cool thanks, actually I used to use a rather narrow grip and this was definitely giving me a lot of pain so I moved to a much wider position, virtually snatch grip, and it did help but the pain still remains, albeit not as bad as it was when I was using a narrower grip.

As for letting my elbows slip under the bar, you could well be right, it is something I will look into. Thanks

[CitizenKane]

I had the same thing on my left elbow. I'm pretty sure it was because my left side is weaker than my right, so I threw in some arm work and it went away.

As in, bicep work? I have read some stuff about strengthening the elbow flexors to be able to support more weight in the squat, so I'm guessing this is what you're getting at??

[Carnivroar]

As in, bicep work? I have read some stuff about strengthening the elbow flexors to be able to support more weight in the squat, so I'm guessing this is what you're getting at??

Yeah, I reached a point where my squat was going up and my upper body strength fell behind, especially since I never did any accessory arm work. I do now, and the problem has gone away completely.

[Eanderson]

I had this exact same thing. I had it from 205lbs to 295lbs on the squat (6 weeks of progression) and it sucked.

You don't want to hear this, but I just got stronger and it went away. Nothing I did to make it feel better worked, but I didn't stop squatting.

I did realize towards the end that I was relaxing at the end of the set and that's when it would hurt more, so keep your tight shrug until the weight is racked.

[Ello]

To the OP:

Not quite elbow pain, but I have bicep pain that I know is related to my lack of shoulder flexibility. What did I do? I rested on week, realized it wasn't going to go away, and trained the fuck out of it. It still hurts from time to time, but it's not going to hinder my progress.