Painful elbows. Failed sets.

[Will Snow]

Hi Rip,

I?m 25yo, been on the Novice routine for about 10 weeks and have started experiencing problems.

Since I started training I have had trouble with being able to get the bar in the low bar position. In fact it?s seemed to of gotten more difficult each training session. About 2 weeks ago I started getting pain in my elbows which I assumed was from them being loaded when I was squatting. So I backed off on weight for a while so I could concentrate on getting the bar in low bar position with my wrists kept straight. This hasn?t resolved the pain so I?m not sure if it just takes time to heal or if I?m still somehow loading my arms. It is difficult to concentrate on that when doing my work sets.

Anyway, after I have done my squats my arms are in pain and I think it?s affecting my press and my bench press, of which last 2 sessions I failed my work sets. The first times I?ve failed. I am unsure if this is the pain in my elbows or if I?m not eating enough as I cut my calories a bit while I backed off on on my squat as I have arready managed to go from 13 stone to 16 stone and a big bunch of it being bodyfat.

Another problem I had today was with my deadlift. I added 10lbs to the my previous work set(275lbs) but I couldn?t even get it off the ground which stuck me as odd. So I knocked 5lbs off and still couldn?t. I then proceeded to knock another 20lbs off and still couldn?t manage to budge it. I?m not sure what happened. All I know is that I was pretty demotivated afterwards. The last 2 training sessions have sucked, failing at 3 separate lifts.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks. Will.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Both of these problems are hard to evaluate without seeing your positions in the lifts in question.