Bicep Tendon Tears: Injury Prevention for Strongman Part 2

By djpope

March 28, 2012

biceps, injury prevention, pain free, power lifting, Strongman, training bicep tendon

Here’s part II of my series on bicep tear injury prevention.  If you guys missed part I you can find it HERE:

Fatigue and Injury

Unfortunately strongman puts a lot of stress on the biceps in general.  This we can’t do much about, its the nature of the sport.  This stress to the biceps is going to cause fatigue.  From research and common sense we know that increasing the frequency of training, resting less between sessions and training while fatigued is going to increase your risk of injury.  More injuries are also sustained during competition and in the last quarter of competitionTraining the biceps more frequently, resting less often and putting exercises stressful to the biceps later in your training day can increase your risk of a tear.

What can we take away from this?  Well, programming becomes incredibly important.   Athletes should give themselves enough rest between sessions that require a lot of bicep work.  Events placing most stress on the biceps should be done at the beginning of training also.  (Unfortunately stones are almost always last).   If you must do direct arm work somewhere in your training programming, its probably best to rest a day or 2 between direct arm work and events that stress the biceps.  There is also some evidence to show that getting fewer then 7 hours of sleep per night and increase your risk of injury.  From a performance and injury prevention standpoint, getting more sleep is going to be beneficial.

The LineBack, the Soccer Player, the Librarian

Think of the upper back muscles as a linebacker in a tug of war.  Also on your team is a soccer player (your biceps) and a librarian (the forearm and grip muscles).  The main work horse is going to be the linebacker.  What happens if the linebacker is out sick?  The soccer player and librarian is going to have to work overtime.  If your upper back is not up to snuff then your biceps are going to take more stress and could eventually get injured when doing exercises like deadlifts and tire flips.  From an injury prevention standpoint we want our upper back to be as strong as possible and bear the brunt of the workload during most exercises.

Direct bicep work, good or bad idea? 

So we want the upper back to be extremely strong but what about the biceps?  One thing to keep in mind is that a stronger muscle with better endurance is less likely to get damaged.  This makes sense but it gets a little bit complicated with strongman.  Doing a lot of direct bicep work strengthens the muscular connection between the brain and the biceps.  This is normally a great thing for building strength and muscle.  When it comes to moving a heavy tire though you don’t want the biceps to be especially active.   This is where technique comes back into play.   If direct bicep work is causing you to use your biceps more on lifts where you shouldn’t be using them, that’s bad and could lead you to a date with the surgeon.

That being said, doing bicep work should decrease your risk of injury, as long as it doesn’t change your technique throughout a lift.  One idea is to train the bicep as a synergist as opposed to a prime mover.  What I mean by this is improving the bicep’s strength and endurance by doing exercises that train the muscle to work as a synergist (or helper muscle)  while another muscle does the bulk of the work.  A good example of this is doing rows.  In a row, your brain and body build a motor pattern to really load the upper back, as opposed to the biceps but the biceps still get some strengthening and improved endurance.  Win-win.

 

Underhand, Mixed or Overhand Grip?

When deadlifting, using one hand under the bar and one over is great for pulling more weight but the underhand grip also places more stress on the biceps.   Some people say using a double overhand or hook grip can fix this problem but this is a bit of a catch-22 situation.  Using an overhand grip will just transfer the force to the brachialis and brachioradialis muscles.  I’ve personally pulled these muscles and have had a few friends do the same, especially on exercises that require a neutral (hammer) grip like log cleans.

The best case scenario here is probably just learning to pull with your arms completely straight.  In this way you’ll bypass the excess stress on your arms and put it where it should be, the upper back and hips.

Make sure you start each deadlift with your arms long.  NEVER try picking up a heavy weight with your arms bent and then snap your arm straight as you begin pulling!  This the single most common mechanism of injury of distal bicep tendon rupture(excessive eccentric tension as the arm is forced from a flexed position)!

Psychology and Injury

Now that I’ve scared you into thinking you’re going to get a biceps tear what I tell you next is probably going to make you feel even worse!   Competitive anxiety has been shown to be a risk factor for injury during competition/training.  Being worried about getting injured can increase your risk of getting an injury.  There is some good news though.  For the most part, after people sustain an overuse or fatigue related injury they report knowing that they were over trained going into practice or competition.  This means that people knew BEFOREHAND that they were likely to get hurt.  Listen to your body if it’s fatigued.  Pushing through pain, soreness and fatigue is just not always a great idea.

Bicep Strain Injury Check List:

  • Use perfect technique with every lift on every repetition.  I know that with the nature of strongman this isn’t always possible but using correct technique will definitely help
  • Smart Programming.   This one is a no brainer and there are plenty of good training programs out there.  Keep in mind that nothing beats rest.  Utilize frequent deload weeks.  Periods of prolonged rest could even be beneficial in an athlete who trains year long.
  • Manage Fatigue. This one goes along with programming.  Rest adequately, place complex bicep stressful exercises toward the beginning of your session and allow rest days between direct arm work and events.  >7 hours of sleep per night is also a plus.
  • Get Your Upper Back Brutally Strong to minimize stress on the biceps during event training.
  • Train the biceps indirectly through exercises such as rows.
  • Use a mixed grip with caution.  This should be safe unless you begin pulling with bent arms.
  • Listen to Your Body.  This has been proven through research and I hear it commonly from athletes after a surgery.  Your body will tell you when it is overtrained and needs a rest.
  • Keep your Soft Tissue Healthy.  We know that being more flexible and caring for your muscle tissue with massage can go a long way in preventing injury.  You can check out my video for ideas on how to perform self massage and stretching.

  • Keep Your Shoulders and Posture Healthy.  The Long Head of your Biceps attaches in your shoulder and shoulder health plays a large role in the health of this tendon.
  • Warm Up Thoroughly.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a strongman athlete go from their beach chair at a competition to underneath of a 1,000lb yoke.  You’re just asking to get injured.  The warm-up period is also a great time to gage how your bicep is feeling that day and whether pushing some heavy events is smart or not.
  • Stop SmokingSmoking greatly increases your risk of bicep tendon tear.
  • Don’t Worry.  If you are following this advice and training smart, you’re doing everything you can to prevent an injury.  Worrying about tearing a bicep could add to your risk of getting one.