Hello everyone! Longtime BBM follower and first ever post to the forums. I am a 23 year old, 6’2, 231-pound male with no signifiant past medical history, taking no medications, supplementing with 5 grams creatine monohydrate per day, and I have a consistent diet with macronutrient tracking. I have been lifting for about 10 years (initially for youth sports then transitioned to CrossFit and then to Olympic Weightlifting). My life/work stress is moderate as a Paramedic and PA student. I have had no significant injuries. Within the past two years I have recently focused fully on powerlifting and I have competed once. Best training PRs (squat: 532, bench: 345, deadlift: 675) and best competition PRs (squat: 507, bench: 322, deadlift: 622).
I recently began the Barbell Medicine 12-week strength template for a meet I am training for and I am 3 weeks in with the meet being approximately 9 weeks away at this time. I decided to begin the program with my competition squat being a high-bar squat (best high bar squat: 502). The reason I made this decision is because of relatively intense nonspecific left elbow tenderness that occurs and worsens with low bar squatting at high load. This pain prevents me from consistently training both the bench press and the deadlift due to the pain. I have tried to modify my technique multiple times and just recently according to Dr. Feigenbaum’s “The Grip Problem” article and I have still not been able to solve this elbow pain issue.
My question is if I should continue high bar squatting due to the reoccurring pain I get from low bar squatting or if I should switch back to low bar squatting for the remaining 9 weeks of this program to maximize my performance on the platform despite the pain it may cause in training. Please let me know if you need any additional details to formulate a response!