Above Elbow Arm Pain while Squatting

[allanjgill]

Hello All,

I'm a 44 year old male. 215lbs. Ive been back to training for the last 8 weeks after being locked out of gyms here in Toronto. Current lifts are D.L 340lbs 1x5, Squat 290lbs 3 x 3, Bench 165lbs 3x5, OHP (seated) 110lbs 3x5.

As Ive increased the weight on my squat I have felt an increase in pain in the outside of my right arm above the elbow. Pretty much right above where I can begin to feel my tricep when flexed. The pain lasts through the set and continues as a bit of an ache. It hasn't prevented me from completing upper body movements yet, but it does cause me to lose confidence as I feel a loss of feeling/strength while it aches.

I am using a false grip in my squat and have tried a bunch of grip variations to see if it changes this feeling. In all Ive read, it does not seem to be characteristic of "golfers elbow"? I do have a lack of shoulder mobility and my grip is wider than shoulder-width. I tend to get under the bar and then walk my hands in a bit to get a tight upper back and have the bar feel solid.

Any suggestions on things to try to mitigate or eliminate this? Thank you.

Here is a link to my 2nd set of 5 at 285lbs from the other day.

Allan

[Michael Ray]

Hello All,

I'm a 44 year old male. 215lbs. Ive been back to training for the last 8 weeks after being locked out of gyms here in Toronto. Current lifts are D.L 340lbs 1x5, Squat 290lbs 3 x 3, Bench 165lbs 3x5, OHP (seated) 110lbs 3x5.

As Ive increased the weight on my squat I have felt an increase in pain in the outside of my right arm above the elbow. Pretty much right above where I can begin to feel my tricep when flexed. The pain lasts through the set and continues as a bit of an ache. It hasn't prevented me from completing upper body movements yet, but it does cause me to lose confidence as I feel a loss of feeling/strength while it aches.

I am using a false grip in my squat and have tried a bunch of grip variations to see if it changes this feeling. In all Ive read, it does not seem to be characteristic of "golfers elbow"? I do have a lack of shoulder mobility and my grip is wider than shoulder-width. I tend to get under the bar and then walk my hands in a bit to get a tight upper back and have the bar feel solid.

Any suggestions on things to try to mitigate or eliminate this? Thank you.

Here is a link to my 2nd set of 5 at 285lbs from the other day.

Allan

Hey allanjgill - thanks for the questions. Outside of grip variation alterations as well as perhaps bar placement for squats, have you tried adjusting loading to tolerance (frequency, volume, and intensity)? Such an approach is outlined in the article Pain in Training: What do?. You will likely find some useful advice in the article to apply to your situation.