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For those of us power bodybuilders who
lift the heavy iron as a means of acquiring more muscle size,
strength and power the topic of training injuries, to the
muscles, tendons and ligaments, will demand our attention
at some time in our life.
There are a number of things that cause
injury; Improper warm-ups, lack of flexibility, adding poundage
[to the bar] too rapidly, unbalanced strengths [quads versus
hamstrings etc.], fatigue during the workout and under recovery
be between workout sessions. These causes, either individually
or collectively, can create quite a bit of trauma to the muscles,
tendons and ligaments in the form of strains and sprains.
This seems to be even more evident as a power bodybuilder
gets older [30's, 40's and 50's] compared to being a teenager
or twenty year old. For example I can remember when I was
in my 20's and performing Dead hang cleans for 4-.6 sets of
10 reps with 225-pounds. I received a lot of direct trapezius
stimulation plus it boosted my pulling power in the conventional
dead lift. Now 30 plus years later if I attempt to do this
exercise I always seem to end up with a severe case of elbow
tendinitis on the inside of my right arm near the elbow. It
always gets very sore and the thing I notice most of all is
that it dramatically affects my exercise performance in exercises
like Lat machine pull-downs to the sternal pectoralis [regardless
if I use a supinated and/or prone hand grip], Pull-ups, Barbell
curls and sometimes Barbell wrist curls. I suppose I should
shy away from the Dead hang clean with the barbell, but the
truth is I like the movement enough to keep it as one of the
exercises of choice I have a two pronged attack that I use
to accelerate the healing process of the elbow tendinitis
First I start ingesting 200 milligrams of the mineral Manganese
every three hours fox three days [72 hours I learned about
this mineral mega-dose trick from the late Vince Gironda "Iron
Guru".
Secondly I use a special solvent called
DMSO. DMSO [dimethylsulfoxide] was discovered around 1866,
but it didn't perk much interest until almost a hundred years
later, when in 1966 a Chemist at the University of Oregon
Medical school discovered it potential values. DMSO is basically
a solvent made from the sap of trees. Its value is threefold
in nature in that as an anti-inflammatory agent or analgesic
it seems to reduce swelling, heat and pain and at a very
quick
rate. This of course is accomplished only if a medical grade
of DMSO that is 90-95% pure. Anything less than medical grade
[industrial or un-pure] can lead to some toxic reactions
due
to the cadmium, lead and other toxic metal contaminants found
in non-medical DMSO solvent. Many health food stores carry
DMSO as part of their existing product mix, so it should
not
be a problem securing a bottle of it. Personally, I purchase
my DMSO from Cain's Muscle World Unlimited [1.800.272.0051].
At 90-95% pure, DMSO is very concentrated, to say the least,
and can cause major skin irritation to many individuals.
It
is therefore a good idea to dilute it down with distilled
water, [Not tap water!!!] to at least a 70% solution and
more
probable to a 50/50 ratio of distilled water to solvent for
best results.
Prior to the actually application of DMSO
carefully wash the area of the body where it will be applied,
with a mild, non-detergent soap and water. Rinse with water
and dry the area. The reason for washing the : inflamed area
is that DMSO has the unique capability to carry substances
on the skin surface, such as dirt, into the body. It can also
carry the fibers from cotton or cosmetic puffs into the body
as well. Your best bet here is to use a gauze pad for the
application of the DMSO. If you want to eliminate the fuss
of gauze pads simple use a DMSO roll on.
I have personally felt, and you may more
than likely, the therapeutic relief of DMSO in a matter of
minutes and at most one hour after an application. Always
remember though that DMSO is not the answer to a professional
medical and sports evaluation!!! Stay flexed.
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