Recovering from a tricep injury (Read 913 times)

posted: 2/23/2009 at 11:23 PM

I seem to have injured my right tricep last week. I've been doing pull-ups for awhile, and worked up to 5 sets of 10 reps, which I would usually do 3 times a week. Last Monday, the most I could do on my first set was 7 reps, and the other sets no more than 4 or 5. I also noticed I was favoring my right arm, doing a lot more of the work with the left side of my body. I felt a little soreness in my right tricep. Not sure if it's a strain, a sprain, or something else, but something's definitely not right with that tricep. So I decided to give the pull-ups a rest for a week, to avoid making the injury any worse. After a week with no pull-ups, I tried a set tonight, and the most I could do was 5. I still noticed the tenderness in my right arm. So I think I need to give the injury a little more time. My question: is there some other exercise else I can do in the meantime, so I can keep working the lats & other muscles involved in pull-ups, while letting the triceps have a rest? Thanks for any advice.

L_Master

posted: 2/23/2009 at 11:53 PM

I'm not sure its the pull-up itself thats at fault, maybe its a product of the weight bearing. The reaosn I say this is that the triceps aren't really used in a pull-up, with the primary muscles group being the lats, and a bunch of other secondaries including the bicep, not the tricep. As far as other alternatives you could try lat-pull and see if that makes a difference, or a chin-up (pull-up with wrists supinated). Some other back type excersises you could try would be rows or reverse flys. A final possibility you could try would be the deadlift.

They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. "If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a Board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough" If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. "Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still."