Sore forearm in both my arms...particularly when doing bicep curls.

LegacyUser

Any suggestions lads? This only happened there the last week. I think i started getting it when I got a new programme and do bicep curls with barbells as opposed to dumb bells. I feel it is stopping me from lifting as much as I can.

iregk

Would this be when using the straight barbell as opposed to the ez bar?

I used to always get that on the straight bar bell. A lot of people get it. Its basically due to the fact that natually your hands are turned inwards and when doing the bar bell you are forcing them to face out front. This coupled with weight puts a lot of pressure on your forearms and wrist. Thats why the ez bar is a lot easier as your arms are facing inwards to a degree. Try using that instead.

LegacyUser

Yeah always on the straight barbell!!!!

I'll give the EZ bar a go tonight. PS: why is it called an EZ bar?

Dragan

cheesedude wrote:

Yeah always on the straight barbell!!!!

I'll give the EZ bar a go tonight. PS: why is it called an EZ bar?

Because it's EZer on the wrists and elbows.

iregk

Dragan wrote:

Because it's EZer on the wrists and elbows.

hahaha, its funny because its true...

LegacyUser

Just to let you know, even though I was away for two weeks with no gym which did cure my forearms for a while, after being back in the gym the past 2 weeks, both my forearms are still ****ed! I can't use barbells of any sort while doing bicep curls...

Also to let you guys know, the ez bar made absolutely no difference! If anything, it made it worse! Can u say frustrating?

t-ha

I personally believe that this happens because the bones on the fore-arm are bending too much as the fore-arm muscles lag in strength behind the biceps, and possibly the mineral content of the bones themselves are not as dense as they could be. I would say to stop trying to force up the weight (or even drop back the weight) on your curls for a while and concentrate on something else while your forearms adjust to being loaded up. Almost everyone I know who weight trains has had this issue a short while into their lifting careers, and has gotten over it in time.

iregk

Cheese, in response to your pm. I had this problem when I first started lifting on the straight bar. As soon as I used the ez bar it went away.

It could also be what t-ha was saying though so maybe also try forearm lifts. Basically use a light weight resting your forearm along your quad while seated. Leaving the hand and weight out over the knee lower and lift the weight. This will strenghten your forearm.

Reyman

Does it hurt if you do wrist curls?

i.e. Forearm resting solidly on something and curling a dumbell with the wrist palm up

LegacyUser

Reyman wrote:

Does it hurt if you do wrist curls?

i.e. Forearm resting solidly on something and curling a dumbell with the wrist palm up

Yeah, that hurts too. The only way that doesn't hurt is doing hammer curls. To be honest, the best way to describe it is, it's like shin splints except in my forearms. As in, even when I am not lifting weights, if i grip my arm and apply pressure to it, the bone is sore...

Does anyone have any idea what to do? I don't want to have to stop lifting...:(

justsomebloke

does it only effect you when you are doing most types of lifting or is is just effecting you when you are doing arm work

Reyman

cheesedude wrote:

Yeah, that hurts too. The only way that doesn't hurt is doing hammer curls. To be honest, the best way to describe it is, it's like shin splints except in my forearms. As in, even when I am not lifting weights, if i grip my arm and apply pressure to it, the bone is sore...

Does anyone have any idea what to do? I don't want to have to stop lifting...:(

I'd take a good guess that you have golfers's elbow (medial epicondylitis). This is an inflammation of the tendon connecting the inner forearm muscles to the elbow joint.

It tends to come on gradually and becomes chronic very easily. It's very slow to clear and rest is the only real thing which will help.

Definitely stay away from any exercises like curls, lat pull downs, chin ups and the like. Shaking hands or gripping probably hurts
Chest press,shoulder press and similar are ok.

Get to a physio and and have some treatment - this will shorten the recovery time quite a lot (3-6 months is not unusual)

funinthesun1812

Geest wrote: »

Any suggestions lads? This only happened there the last week. I think i started getting it when I got a new programme and do bicep curls with barbells as opposed to dumb bells. I feel it is stopping me from lifting as much as I can.

Hey Cheese, am new to boards and just saw your post on sore forearms I am also suffering the same thing and it occured in the last couple of weeks. Needless to say it is infuriating as I cant train shoulders, back, biceps in pulling motions becasue my forearms are too sore. I have tried an anti-inflammatory and it didnt help. What did you end up doing??
Cheers
Jeremy

fullback4glin

Chin Ups are excellent bicep excercises and should not cause pain to forearms or wrists

lebowski11

I get this problem an awful lot.I thought at first that it was tennis elbow which is pretty hard to cure.It got gradually worse until I finally went to a physio.The guy I went too isn't a coventional physio.He was able to relate the problem in my forearm to my shoulder and chest.They were far too tight on my left side from lack of proper stretching.After a couple of sessions the pain was gone.If the tendon that runs the lenght of your arm feels inflamed when doing bicep exercises in particuliar it might well be a problem in your shoulder/chest.

funinthesun1812

Hey thanks Lebowski11! Will make an appointment with a physio, if I dont have any luck Ill hunt down an alternative therapy person. Thanks again for the advice I do have tight shoulders and upper pec area.
Cheers

ladowack

I've had the same problem for a year or so and the poster who said shin splints is probaly right on the money especially if its on both forearms, its basically the equivalent of shin splints on the forearm, the problem is the skin of the ulna stretching and causing shooting pain from wrist to elbow, the solution for me was to stretch the bejesus out of my forearm muscles every day in every way, it is very debiliating alright but it can be sorted. I'm back curling heavy again (60kg barbell for 12 reps) more or less pain free.

Burkatron

Lads,just to let you know theres loads of nerve entrapment sites that can cause this problem so you might have the same symptoms as someone it might not necessarily be the same problem. The nerve starts as a branch of the brachial plexus,the entrapment sites starts in the neck between C5/T1 .

Theres a good break down of the Anatomy of the brachial plexus on wikipedia here