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Injury and Injury prevention
So recently the big question came up? ?Kyle, why are you always injured?? Well? Let?s set the record straight. My first, and only, injury is the two bicep tears. Once training resumed I unfortunately strained my left pec within a month, but not a serious injury just a minor setback in my current training block. Nonetheless there is a lesson here.
Tearing my biceps was a horrible experience. Literally set me back months on my journey to that 500lbs bench press. My last competition, pre-injury, I was at 480lbs and was making solid progress toward the 500. While deadlifting I have a horrible habit of curling the bar as I lift (mostly due to smaller hands and a weak grip, the curling helps me consolidate my grip). This resulted in two tears? yes two. I tore one, didn?t realize it, a few weeks later tore the other with a very noticeable contraction up the arm. Two surgeries later and a few months of only posterior chain work I went back to lifting upper body.
While waiting for my injuries to heal I concentrated on squatting? a lot. I ran the Smolov program and made some really nice progress on my squats. I would say my upper body downtime was about two months.
Resuming upper body training was? quite intimidating. One day I came in to the gym? ?ready? and I benched. I hit a light weight for a good 20 reps, then the next week a little heavier, then the next even heavier. Within 3 weeks I was back at 405lbs and within 6 weeks I was at 445lbs? then boom, I felt a grinding / piercing strain on my left pec. FAIL! So, what happened?
Pre-bicep injury I was benching and had a solid strength baseline in my back, shoulders and triceps all of which are supporting muscles in the bench press. After two months of not directly touching these muscles they were extremely weakened, my pec being a larger muscle did not diminish as much in strength and ended up super compensating for my other weakened supporting muscles once benching resumed and therefore strained.
Takeaway: When engaging in a lift your stronger muscles can overcompensate for weaker supporting muscles which can lead to injury.
In my case my pecs were overcompensating for my weakened shoulders and triceps which usually assist me in completing a heavy lift.
This is basic stuff, but it directly clashes with our innate human nature. Sure I knew better? but I also felt comfortable and confident benching and was making great progress. I was nervous to start doing rows, heavier triceps, biceps, and shoulder presses?all of which strain my biceps more than benching did. As a result I put those exercises off as long as I could? until I came in one day and tweaked my pec.
So this is the basics of my injury and how it could have been avoided. Now another important note for those of you who want to be big pressers.
Remember your supporting muscles are SUPPORTING they are not the movement itself.Accessory movements (movements that strengthen supporting movements) are not what you are competing in.
No one cares how much you can shoulder press, skull crush, or bend over row. If you are competing in bench then they care what you can bench.
Train for what you are competing in (bench)
Remember supporting movements will reach a point of diminishing returns (yes, a point will come where being a better shoulder presser isn?t going to drastically increase your bench?)
Happy lifting fellas!
Oh my bicep fears are gone I even did a pull-up the other day. BooM!
Www.facebook.com/kbrownfitness
So recently the big question came up? ?Kyle, why are you always injured?? Well? Let?s set the record straight. My first, and only, injury is the two bicep tears. Once training resumed I unfortunately strained my left pec within a month, but not a serious injury just a minor setback in my current training block. Nonetheless there is a lesson here.
Tearing my biceps was a horrible experience. Literally set me back months on my journey to that 500lbs bench press. My last competition, pre-injury, I was at 480lbs and was making solid progress toward the 500. While deadlifting I have a horrible habit of curling the bar as I lift (mostly due to smaller hands and a weak grip, the curling helps me consolidate my grip). This resulted in two tears? yes two. I tore one, didn?t realize it, a few weeks later tore the other with a very noticeable contraction up the arm. Two surgeries later and a few months of only posterior chain work I went back to lifting upper body.
While waiting for my injuries to heal I concentrated on squatting? a lot. I ran the Smolov program and made some really nice progress on my squats. I would say my upper body downtime was about two months.
Resuming upper body training was? quite intimidating. One day I came in to the gym? ?ready? and I benched. I hit a light weight for a good 20 reps, then the next week a little heavier, then the next even heavier. Within 3 weeks I was back at 405lbs and within 6 weeks I was at 445lbs? then boom, I felt a grinding / piercing strain on my left pec. FAIL! So, what happened?
Pre-bicep injury I was benching and had a solid strength baseline in my back, shoulders and triceps all of which are supporting muscles in the bench press. After two months of not directly touching these muscles they were extremely weakened, my pec being a larger muscle did not diminish as much in strength and ended up super compensating for my other weakened supporting muscles once benching resumed and therefore strained.
Takeaway: When engaging in a lift your stronger muscles can overcompensate for weaker supporting muscles which can lead to injury.
In my case my pecs were overcompensating for my weakened shoulders and triceps which usually assist me in completing a heavy lift.
This is basic stuff, but it directly clashes with our innate human nature. Sure I knew better? but I also felt comfortable and confident benching and was making great progress. I was nervous to start doing rows, heavier triceps, biceps, and shoulder presses?all of which strain my biceps more than benching did. As a result I put those exercises off as long as I could? until I came in one day and tweaked my pec.
So this is the basics of my injury and how it could have been avoided. Now another important note for those of you who want to be big pressers.
Remember your supporting muscles are SUPPORTING they are not the movement itself.Accessory movements (movements that strengthen supporting movements) are not what you are competing in.
No one cares how much you can shoulder press, skull crush, or bend over row. If you are competing in bench then they care what you can bench.
Train for what you are competing in (bench)
Remember supporting movements will reach a point of diminishing returns (yes, a point will come where being a better shoulder presser isn?t going to drastically increase your bench?)
Happy lifting fellas!
Oh my bicep fears are gone I even did a pull-up the other day. BooM!
Www.facebook.com/kbrownfitness