After increasing my weightlifting routine about a month ago, I notice a nagging chronic pain in my right elbow at the joint (outer side) just below it toward the forearm. Touching the bony part of the joint doesn't hurt but just below it which I guess is tendons is where the sensitivty is. I wonder if this is a "tennis elbow" type thing from tricep work. I see some guys in the gym walking around with a forearm band that looks like a 1" piece of velcro wrapped the forearm just below the elbow and wonder if something like that is what I might need. I haven't stopped to ask someone what they use it for but perhaps I should.

Anyone else ever had this? Any help appreciated - thanks!

I've been going through the same thing for the last couple of months. I up'd the weights and my elbows starting aching, then they got to the point that any stress applied to them was generating a lot of pain. Finally, I had to take time off of lifting, which I am currently doing.

A forearm band is one of the suggestions I've found in the forums. Also changing up your lifts to minimize the pain/stress on your elbows is definitely something you'll want to look into. If those don't help, then rest is the best solution.

Just doing a search on 'elbow pain' will give you enough reading material to keep you busy for a while...

Good Luck.

I think I know the exercise that caused it too: dunno the technical name but where you are standing with dumbbell in each arm, gripping it palm-down and with arm stiff you alternate left and right arm raising it in front of you until its eye level and then back down.

I gradually went from doing 3sets x 20lb to 3sets x 40lb in less than a month so while the muscles can handle the increase comfortably and with good form (no swinging) I guess the joint is crying foul.

Hi odditory, I had elbow tendonitis for a good many months (with a couple of periods when it eased off for a while). For a lot of this time, it made it difficult to do many kinds of pressing or rotational movements.

I found bands gave me some relief from symptoms while I wore them, but they didn't help to cure the problem. I also tried some of the exercises that are commonly suggested for this condition (as well as more controversial exercises such as intense negatives) , and these were of no longterm benefit either, even when they sometimes brought temporary relief.

The turning point came when, working with my trainer, who has an uncanny knowledge and intuition about biomechanics, I started correcting an imbalance in the way I made pressing movements (namely, I had to learn to involve my lats). The elbow problem very rapidly went away and has not troubled me again for nearly a year.

I'm not saying that every case of elbow tendonitis will have a similar cause to mine, but it does show that sometimes the real problems are somewhere else in the body.

Odditory....you're not alone. I've read bio's of pro's that get that too.

Probably everybody get's it at some point or time if only temporarily.

Certain ex's seem to trigger it more in some people. In the pro bio's I've read they simply drop the ex that causes it.

In my case I no longer do skullcrushers. The FROM on a skullcrusher will give me Tendonitis. So I don't do those. I use other ex's as a sub.

Deep tissue massage and elbow wraps will help.

But realistically...this is a sign that there's trauma in the elbow tendons.

If you keep pushing the issue by overworking the elbow regardless it's only going to make it worse.

Rest it up/change the ex if necessary/let it heal/.:)