Day 22. Calisthenics injuries

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Day 22. Today's workout focused on quality over quantity. For these wide grip pull ups, I was focusing on a hard squeeze at the top of the movement, trying to strengthen and develop the muscles that retract the scapula. These pull ups are incredibly difficult and take a ton of back strength. As soon as I felt that my upper back was unable to maintain the proper position, I terminated my set, keeping my reps pretty far from failure. I can't say enough good things about this movement. If you want to fully develop your pulling strength and musculature, throw these in your program and get good at them!
Note: I am not an MD, so do not interpret my discussion, or personal/professional experiences as medical advice.
In my experience, basic calisthenics carry a relatively low injury risk. The loads are quite low, and there is no heavy implement to drop on yourself. However, straight-arm gymnastic style training needs to be approached more cautiously, as it can expose the joints to extremely high levels of force that they are unaccustomed to.
One common injury often experienced from 1 arm chin up training, as well as in those who start jumping in to high volume/high frequency training without adequate preparation, is Golfer's elbow.
This is a unique injury and all too often, it does not reason well to traditional conservative treatments, like rest and ice.
Personally, I have found cross friction massage to be effective, along with the Reverse Tyler
Cross friction- • Effective Self-Treatme...
Reverse Tyler- • Thera-Band FlexBar "Re...

[@lew3733]

Every fitness advocate saying: "this is not medical advice" Medical advice from any MD: stop training and take these painkillers.

[@JFreez]

Great video, subscribed. I love the simple raw minimalist outlook to training. Essentially we overcomplicate things. Keep making the videos. I would also love to see a video from you on keeping the shoulder joint healthy/ how to avoid or fix shoulder pain. Thanks

[@Kboges]

Exactly, JFreez! That's a great topic. It's on the list.

[@dst1311]

I'm hanging in with you. First time ever training 22 days in a row. Very good habit

[@jasonwelsh417]

I also got golfer's elbow in my 20s from doing one arm chins. It still bugs me sometimes at age 41 if I start doing too many pullups on difficult to grip surfaces like beams or soccer nets. I wish I could go back in time and not care about pursuing such a vanity movement. The basics are all I ever needed, I was just too foolish to know it haha

[@Kboges]

Damn Jason, well said! I feel 100% the same. I never had golfer's in my entire life until I started messing around with 1 arm chins. If I even do a few static holds it with 1 arm, it comes back immediately. I totally agree on the basics, I just wish I would have heard you share that story when I was in my 20's. Live and learn, brother. At least we can use our experiences to advise the younger guys.

[@embersandash]

I am ditching my one arm work immediately.

[@jasonwelsh417]

@@embersandash To be clear, I never had issues with one arm pushup and I think those are a great movement if done with great form and proper connective tissue conditioning. The one arm chin ups are what gave me, and a lot of people issues

[@embersandash]

@@jasonwelsh417 agreed, I’m personally referring to my one arm work, mantle chin-ups and archer chin-ups, and one arm rows (the one arm row especially aggravates my elbow). The only one arm push exercise I do is the archer push-up. I actually do really enjoy this exercise.

[@K4113B4113]

@@Kboges If you guys are interested I asked ChatGTP for some info on exercises to resolve golfers elbow. *Strengthening exercises/muscles:* Forearm flexors: Strengthening the muscles on the palm side of the forearm helps improve grip strength and reduce strain on the elbow tendons during gripping and lifting activities. Forearm extensors: Strengthening the muscles on the back of the forearm balances the muscles around the elbow joint and supports its stability during various movements. Grip strength exercises: Developing grip strength reduces the load on the forearm tendons by enhancing the overall strength and endurance of the hand and forearm muscles. Rotator cuff and scapular muscles: Strengthening the rotator cuff and scapular muscles improves shoulder stability, which indirectly contributes to better elbow function during movements involving the upper extremities. *Stretching exercises:* Forearm flexor stretch: Stretching the muscles on the palm side of the forearm helps increase flexibility and relieve tension, reducing strain on the forearm tendons during gripping activities. Forearm extensor stretch: Stretching the muscles on the back of the forearm improves flexibility and decreases tightness in the forearm, promoting better muscle balance and reducing stress on the elbow. Triceps stretch: Stretching the triceps helps release tension in the upper arm and shoulder area, indirectly contributing to improved elbow function and reduced strain. Chest stretch: Addressing tightness in the chest area helps restore proper posture and alignment, reducing the risk of overloading the forearm and elbow during various activities. These strengthening and stretching exercises aim to address the underlying causes of golfers elbow, such as muscle imbalances and tightness. By focusing on the forearm and surrounding muscles, as well as shoulder stability, these exercises help to restore muscle balance, flexibility, and strength. It's important to perform these exercises regularly and with proper form to facilitate healing and prevent recurrence of golfers elbow. As always, consulting with a healthcare professional is recommended to ensure the exercises are appropriate for your specific condition and to receive personalized guidance for your recovery.

[@mcewenben]

With building running volume and endurance it is said that you should only ever increase total weekly mileage by 10% per week. In the past i have found this to be a fairly safe principle to bring into bodyweight training in order to safely and progressively increase volume. Thanks once again for a great video.

[@Kboges]

Yeah great idea. I think it's always a good idea to add volume slowly. It can be tempting to go all out right from the start, but it often doesn't end well.

[@davepazz580]

What helped speed up my own recovery from golfer's elbow was applying ice directly to the elbow tendon several times a day plus doing a specific stretch also frequently throughout the day... The stretch consisted of planting the palm of your hand on the floor, but with the fingers facing you (so your arm is twisted)... then pushing against your elbow, almost as if you are forcing your elbow to bend backwards where it could never actually bend. This "stretch" actually felt very good (as odd as it sounds) and after a few weeks when the tendonitis subsided a bit and I returned to training pull-ups, I would *always* do this particular stretch for a few minutes in between every set for good measure. Incidentally, my experience was exactly like yours... I too trained for the 1-arm pull-up and got tendonitis after only about 2 sessions, so I dropped the pursuit of this exercise entirely and never went back to it. To this day, I still can't perform any wide-drip pull-ups (like you do in this video) because that particular grip almost immediately makes my elbow tendons flare up... in fact, just watching you do those here makes me cringe in pain (lol)! I can only do close-grip pull-ups or parallel bar pull-ups (neutral grip is so much better for the tendons overall). Thankfully, my gym now has gymnastics rings... those are *definitely* the best and safest type of pull-up and being able to rotate your hands on every rep just feels amazing!

[@karansinghbisht3402]

I'm about to complete watching all of your videos in no particular order, it was a very insightful run!! I would wanna know from you how you breathe in high rep sets. How it starts off, and would the tempo change with eccentric/concentric as breathing gets heavier deeper into the sets, more comm'on in squats and pushups than in pullups, obviously. (I would absolutely love it if you could make a video about it next 😬)

[@Kboges]

Great question. I actually keep breathing pretty natural and automatic. If I'm gearing up for a lot of reps, I make sure not to hold my breath for long periods like I would do with heavy movements, but I like to do mini breath holds with each rep to keep my core engaged.

[@DjDymond]

Another great video. They’re all great. I have dealt with my fair share of pull/chin-induced golfers elbow. In addition to consistent upper body stretching and mobility work, focussing on correct scapular retraction and upper back strength made a huge difference in pain reduction. It meant a drop in reps but they are now of a much higher quality. I think many people pull too much with their arms and not enough with the back, resulting in the excessive elbow joint overload. They are intense movements...when done properly.

[@Kboges]

TELY Thanks Sam! I couldn't agree more. I think arm-pulling is a big issue with back movements in general, but even more so with pull ups for precisely the reason you mentioned- they are really intense and difficult, more difficult than most peopler think, when done with proper scapular retraction and depression. Also, I totally agree with your observation regarding injury risk, specifically in terms of golfers elbow. Personally, I find myself very prone to overuse injuries, perhaps more so than the average person, but I've spent so much time focusing on back activation during pull ups I can handle extremely high volume without any sense of impending injury. To your point, technically perfect reps drop your reps per set WAY down, but i'm convinced they are way more productive. Excellent observation on your part! If you don't mind, I think I'm going to make a video on this topic in the future.

[@DjDymond]

K boges no issues at all with you making a video about it, man. All good. Focussing on form was a bit of an ego hit at first but I can’t train any other way now. ‘As many reps as perfect’ is my motto. Improved rep quality also made my back and arms grow noticeably. I’m sold on it.

[@turo3066]

Great content especially in regards to the bane of high frequency pullups-- golfer's elbow!

[@Kboges]

Thanks!

[@jamespong6588]

I am age 38, I had elbow pain from previous heavy weight lifting, I found that the way you sleep after a workout reactivates it, not the chin ups or the workout (unless you go nuts) Make sure you don't sleep on it unextended so that it gets blood flow , Let me re-iterate: Always be sure it is extended during sleep after your workout

[@thedon9670]

You don't move when you sleep? Wish I slept like you.

[@kimtabel5971]

I got Golfers Elbow from increasing my chin up/pull up sets from 9 per week to like 20 p/w and doing negatives on top of that. I was hoping to speed up progress but really learned a lesson there. After 6 months of rehab its 90% healed but I'm still hesitant to go back to chin ups and negatives. Now I have tennis elbow to contend with... 😵 I think not taking rest/deload weeks for 4 months straight didn't help...

[@nsiebenmor]

It sounds like Patellar Tendinitis where resting can actually make it worse and its best to do some kind of low intensity strength training like isometrics to get it stronger.

[@markushassel2737]

My wrists have been bugging me ever since I started doing calisthenics. Currently using support wraps even for normal wear. Any tips or movements you recommend? Love the videos brother!

[@Kboges]

Try using parallettes for your pushing.

[@josephshir548]

I have a weird injury--I think I injured my outer left pec while doing wide grip chinups. I'll probably take those out of my routine, but I was wondering if you had experience/advice with something similar? I have a feeling it was overstretched when I was at the bottom of the movement. I'm hoping it doesn't take me out for too long/become a recurring issue.

[@jameschesterton]

I had the opposite, tennis elbow, one year later and it still bothers me. The way I finally got some relief came from the idea that the muscle fascia somehow becomes constricted around the site of the injury. The process to release it involved taking a firm grip with the opposite hand and moving up and down the forearm from elbow to wrist giving yourself a 'Chinese burn' (apologies for the potentially politically incorrect term, but everybody seems to know exactly what that means to do). I was at a point where I thought it was never going to ease up and this did work wonders, perhaps it could help with the golfer's elbow too, no harm in trying.

[@marceloaguires]

do you have a video or a image of this i dont understand the method

[@qotaibai5112]

I have got an injury where I feel pain in my chest when doing pull ups, at first I can do 20 pull ups with out feeling any pain... then I start feeling some pain and it gets higher each rip. Before the injury happened, I did some deep push ups (I used 2 chairs and elevated my legs to go deep) I remember hearing some kind of pop and annoying feeling in my chest It felt like a string being torn, or a nail being hit into my pecs. Do you think I should stop training my whole upper body for some time? I had this injury for 2 months now, it hurts less but it sometimes becomes too strong... Not sure what to do.

[@deniz9831]

Is it possible to get not golf elbow bet tennis elbow by doing chin ups cuz i experienced tennis elbow and i just started doing chin ups and pull ups but i feel like i am getting the same injury again so could it be because of this or somethink else

[@eruston]

how about old injuries? I trained heavily with weights in high school as I prepared for football. I have found that my left shoulder is a weak link for me now (in my 50's) in trying to achieve the freestanding handstand pushup. I can incline bench over my bodyweight with traditional weights pain-free but working on the handstand pushup has been a painful process for me. I have healed other issues including a tender left elbow that did not respond well to straight arm work but has somehow healed by doing salabasana (locust pose) on a regular basis. I am hoping the same effect can happen for my left shoulder and the HSPU. Any suggestions?

[@dougie-thugie]

My ac joint injury is a turd

[@sergiojaenlara2091]

Can I ask you about knee care advice?

[@egoiorobio5988]

I just can't do these movements. My upper back is full of knots and both my scapulas are winged. I don't know what to do.

[@pedrodapaz4622]

Day 22?. São 22 dias diretos sem descanso? E esse vídeo defini o seu treino COMPLETO?

[@Dailymemes2470]

I was doing support hold on rings and started to fill pain in my chest so stopped. From next day I started to fill pain in chest when doing push-ups its been 2weeks and I still have pain when I try to attempt push-up. There is no visible injury. Is there anything I can do?

[@jayeye89]

I got a small Grade 1 tear on my lat right in my armpit area recently. Its not a bad injury but its really knocked my confidence. Horizontal pulls like ring rows are fine anything overhead feels venerable though. Anyone in the comments had this?

[@anthonywustefeld4344]

Can you do a one arm chin up ? I see you prefer training high rep calisthenics. Can you build enough strength doing. high rep pull ups to do a one arm chin up?

[@Kboges]

I can do a 1 arm chin (it's on my insta). I'm really not a fan of it though. Even doing a single rep seems to flare up my elbows. In some people high rep chins can build the 1 arm chin. It did a lot of paused reps and high reps. The key is to get really good with them and do them with perfect form and no compensations. If you are lean enough, build enough upper body strength, and become a pull up beast, you will have a pretty good shot.

[@cwhitmore88]

I did 30 squats then 40 the next day. After that my lower back was in a lot of pain. That was 3 days ago and I'm still in a lot of pain. Any ideas?

[@thedon9670]

Probably the squatting hurt it.

[@jasonwelsh417]

Are the squat sets sped up btw?

[@Kboges]

Yes sir.

[@miguelfernandes6533]

We’re all different I got tennis elbow from pull ups. Chin ups work for me better

[@Kboges]

Yeah this is what is so interesting. For some people chins are the most joint friendly grip, for others its pull up. It all just depends on the person.

[@blacklyfe5543]

You have to train legs

[@Kboges]

Yup