Arm recovery from jerks

[SparkleGlitterElite]

If I could be a weightlifter who didn't have to jerk, that would be awesome. Alas, that is not the case.

I have been doing Bulgarian programming for the last three months. Six days a week, one session per day of squat-snatch-C&J-front squat alternating days with power versus full lifts. I have been recovering from squats just fine. Snatches don't seem to beat me up, I think mainly because my snatch is so light.

In that three month time period, I have spent very little time on cleans and jerks. At first, I had a sore at the base of my neck from the bar knurling that wouldn't heal, and I spent about 4 weeks letting that get better (now I still wear a fashionable backwards polo just to be safe). Then, I got back to cleans and jerks and promptly hurt my collarbone. I had an x-ray and it wasn't broken, so I suspect that it was a deep bone bruise, and it took about 4 weeks to heal. I was training clean high pulls and jerks from behind the neck in order to work around that, and my clean and jerk numbers haven't suffered.

But, my arms don't seem to recover well from jerks at all. The times when I have managed to have more than one heavy clean and jerk session in a week have left my arms throbbing. I managed one very good clean and jerk session this week where I jerked to 70 (PR is 72). The other ones were fairly disastrous with cleans being okay and jerks hurting. Yesterday, once my arms started throbbing, cleans started sucking also.

It is basically biceps, triceps, forearms and elbows that hurt, and it is a throbbing pain. I have had manual therapy in the past, and the thought (from more than one person) is that I just have messed up arms with a lot of tightness.

I just started taking fish oil again. I am not opposed to regular massage or ice baths or really anything that would potentially help this. Since my legs have adapted to squatting six days a week, I don't know if just giving the programming more time where I finally can clean and jerk more often will help my arms to adapt. I'm also not opposed to jerking fewer times each week and just spacing those days so that my arms get a chance to recover.

I have yet to meet anyone who has this same issue, so I am open to any ideas.

Thanks.

[Michael Hartman]

Not sure I really have an answer for you, but after reading through this I do have a couple general thoughts:

Starting jerking less per week. Not trying to be cute or anything, but if you can't jerk multiple times per week without problems, attempting to do so may just be making matters worse. You could still train as planned, just do not jerk on the Power days.

I assume it is the lockout and supporting weight overhead of the jerk that causes you pain, but I am not entirely sure that is the cause of the problem. It has to be somewhat cumulative...the combination of squatting (how you may position and grip the bar can put a beating on your shoulders and arms) snatching, cleaning, and then finally jerking may be a problem. Did you have any problems with arm pain before you switched to this program? Maybe move squats to the end of the session, or a separate daily session, to see if that provides a break for your arms?

Is it possible that the injury to your collarbone has impeded circulation to your arms? Along with the throbbing is there any swelling?

[SparkleGlitterElite]

I have always had a problem with jerks. This goes back to when I was CrossFitting also. Some of it then had to do with exertional compartment syndrome with high reps.

I don't think it is cumulative, as I don't seem to have the same problems with push presses or presses or even behind the neck jerks. And, when I am not jerking (like for a significant portion of the last 3 months), I don't have this problem. I honestly don't think squats play into it at all, since I never experience any discomfort during squats, and I wasn't having any arm pain in the last 3 months when I was squatting but not able to jerk.

I talked to Glenn about it tonight, since he has seen me lift on more that one occasion, and I am going to work on some of the things he suggested. He thinks it may have to do with my rack position on my jerk as well as not starting my split early enough. I may not be summarizing our conversation in the best way, but I have some specific things that I am going to try.

And, I think you are right that I should probably just be jerking less often. Today was a power clean day, and I did strict presses after and did not jerk.

I'll report back after trying some of Glenn's suggestions.

Thanks!
T

[kderbyshire]

I talked to Glenn about it tonight, since he has seen me lift on more that one occasion, and I am going to work on some of the things he suggested. He thinks it may have to do with my rack position on my jerk as well as not starting my split early enough. I may not be summarizing our conversation in the best way, but I have some specific things that I am going to try.

Listen to Glenn... :-)

I was going to suggest that there might be some kind of form issue. For example sore elbows are a common indicator of hyperextension, in lots of different contexts.

Katherine

[SparkleGlitterElite]

Well, I will see how things feel tomorrow.

I cleaned and jerked to 70 yesterday and today. Yesterday, I also got 73 overhead, but I don't think that would have been white lights at a meet.

I made my grip more narrow, which let me get my elbows down without pain. Having my elbows down seemed to alleviate all of the pain I was feeling in the rack position prior to the jerk, and then I didn't have the horrible throbbing in between reps or after.

Maybe it's really that simple. I hope so.