fortyninethousand322 Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 So I'm pretty sure I bruised my biceps yesterday playing basketball (took an elbow while reaching in to get a steal). I was able to play the rest of the night though in some pain, but I'm sure if it was torn I would have been worse. Anyway, I can't do bicep curls. Today I was supposed to hit biceps and that just wasn't happening. I was able to do some pushups, tricep work, and forearms with minimal to no pain. But anything "palm up" I couldn't do. But I've got two questions: 1) am I just going to have to write off these next two weeks in terms of bicep work or is there some kind of alternative exercise I can do to work my right bicep (or at least minimize the losses)? 2) Anyone know of a product I can get that will protect my arm for the next time I play (just until the bruising goes away)? I've tried looking online to no avail. This is unfamiliar territory for me. I've never had a muscle or tendon injury in my almost 8 years of weight lifting. Almost everyone I know has at least gotten a torn rotator or some tendonitis. So I've really got no idea how to handle it (besides the obvious rest and such). I thought maybe some folks on here might have some tips. Link to post Share on other sites
Crusoe Posted February 2, 2013 Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) Keep it moving, don't let it seize up and use some arnica cream, it's great for drawing out bruises and taking the edge off pain. ETA, Arnica doesn't work immediately, it needs two or three days of regular application, then it becomes magic stuff. Edited February 2, 2013 by Crusoe Link to post Share on other sites
FitChick Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 A week off unless you feel better sooner. I've learned the hard way that pain is my friend. You could wind up taking even more time off if you don't listen to your body. Link to post Share on other sites
Imported Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Probably a blessing in disguise. Best thing I ever did was stop doing arm specific movements. Never mind a whole workout devoted to just the biceps. Link to post Share on other sites
suladas Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 Rest it, don't push it. I'm still dealing with a shoulder injury after 7 months because I kept pushing through pain for a month. Link to post Share on other sites
tman666 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 You won't lose that much size from laying off of it for a couple of weeks. You might look "flat", but you'll bounce back sooner if you keep the stress on it at a minimum. Keep it moving (not with weights), ice it on and off, and massage the area as you feel comfortable with. Unfortunately, biceps work is fairly one dimensional, so I don't think there's much in the way of "alternative" work for it. As someone who has dealt with a host of injuries over his athletic/lifting career, I can tell you that trying to work through the pain isn't going to get you anywhere. Train around the injury, not through it. Your recovery will go much, much more slowly if you try to ignore the pain and train it anyway. Don't step up your other training to try to "compensate" for it either. This is a good way to gain other injuries, including tendonitis (which can be very difficult to get rid of once you have it). You should probably avoid barbell squats (unless your gym has a safety bar-most gyms don't), deadlifts and rowing work for a little bit too. I'd limit your pressing volume and intensity as well. Injuries suck, but just know that you won't lose that much progress by taking a couple weeks off of it. You can probably replace squats and deadlifts with weighted GHRs, hyperback extensions, barbell hip thrusts, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls, etc. for a few weeks while you heal up without any ill effect. I know how tempting it is to dive back into things right away or too soon, but you really need to put aside any fears you have about losing ground and give it time to heal. After a week, if it's starting to feel better, you can probably start back into some LIGHT rowing work (still no direct biceps work). Feel it out carefully though. Start with what feels way too light and work up slowly. Listen to your body. Link to post Share on other sites
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