One Of The Most Dangerous

Exercises for Tennis Elbow

by Todd Scott

 

Here's a cold hard fact...

Tennis elbow usually doesn't go away over night. So if you're already experiencing pain, or if you want to avoid tennis elbow... then read this carefully.

If you're looking for an off court program to improve your game, and you should be if you're serious about winning, one of the worst things you can do is follow the training advice in fitness magazines..

... if you do, you may as well cut your arm off...

I know this because I'm a training advisor to 2 of the most prominent in the fitness industry - Men's Fitness Magazine and Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine.

The simple truth is that these magazines are great, they have great content, great advice from real experts at the top of their game, but they're not for tennis. Some of the advice can help, but if you can't determine what applies to tennis and what don't...

...it can hurt your game, cause you pain, and put you on the bench... faster than greased lightning.

But that's why I'm here...

...So you don't hurt yourself
 

The Upright Row & Tennis Elbow

There are different variations to this exercise and it CAN be beneficial if you do it properly, but if you're just hitting the gym, stay away...

Incase you're not sure what it is, I'll briefly explain.

The upright row is performed with either a a pair of dumbbells or a barbell. A person grabs the bar with the hands placed about 5 inches apart and lifts it straight up the body stopping just below the chin.

If you're not already performing this exercise and you play a lot of tennis... with a little time it can cause tennis elbow bringing pain you've never imagined. I don't care how young or old you are.

When the tendons of the elbow are tight, this exercise is particularly dangerous because of the 'unnatural force' placed on the joint.

With the hands placed close on the bar, the upward motion places stress on the elbow... stress against it's unnatural bending motion.

... let me explain.

Let your arm hang by your side and contract your bicep bringing your forearm closer to your upper arm. You're forearm will move in a vertical line to the ground. That's the natural motion.

As you're bringing your forearm toward your upper arm, stop half way where your arm forms a 90 degree angle.

With your arm at a 90 degree angle, imagine trying to bend your elbow laterally (or across your body) without rotating your shoulder. You can't, the elbow joint isn't made for it and the ligaments and tendons serve to keep the elbow from bending in that direction.

The force placed on the elbow joint during the upright simulates trying to bend it in a way in which it wasn't made. It stretches the ligaments and tendons, causes inflammation, and BAM... there you are on the sidelines with tennis elbow... for how long? Who knows... so it's best to play it safe and use alternate exercises to strengthen your shoulders!