Brachiordialis & Brachialis

While working the forearms and biceps today I noticed a severe weakness with my left arm.  I am considering this may be due to a weak brachiordialis which I will address.  The difference in strength between both arms performing Dumbbell Wrist Curl Extensions, Dumbbell Reverse Curls and Dumbbell Hammer Curls was clearly evident.  I have also experienced pain intermittently in my left elbow for a few months now so perhaps this imbalance is due to an under firing and under worked brachiordialis.  Attention to this muscle on my next few workouts will address this problem.

I also noticed a weakness in my brachialis while carrying out hammer curls as I have no issues with the biceps brachii when doing supinated curls.  With the amount of things going on at the moment attention can be paid to this muscle at a later date.

Over the last few months I have consciously been monitoring this elbow pain with a lot of emphasis on technique and control.  A few examples are given below:-

 

Bench Press:

  • Avoiding bouncing the weight off my chest in a bench press (which I never do anyway) and not going down too deep keeping a few inches off my chest
  • Avoiding locking out with straight arms (especially with a snapping movement)
  • Keeping my elbows in at about 45 degrees and not flaring out

 

Back Work

  • Avoiding straightening my arms too much
  • Avoiding supinated grip to protect the already problematic biceps
  • Trying to keep my scapula in the correct position throughout the movement

 

Warm-up (light dumbbells)

  • Warm up of back first and rear deltoids
  • Warm up of chest
  • Warm up of shoulders
  • Warm up of arms (including reverse curls for brachiordialis)

 

All of the above have been carried out religiously trying to limit the strain on the arms, shoulder and chest and warm up sufficiently to allow me to eliminate poor warm-up as a possible cause for elbow pain.  I have even gone to the lengths of warming up the brachiordialis doing reverse curls so this must be thorough enough to prove some thing.  So with all of this in mind it is fair to assume that it is either past injuries (broken wrist and 3mm shorter ulna bone or tender upper biceps) rearing their ugly heads or, I am not doing some other exercise enough?

Time will tell if it is the brachiordialis as I work through these things over the next few weeks.

Meningitis B injection in L/H shoulder so no shoulder workout today.  No triceps work either as still aching from yesterday.