At Made Possible Personal Training in St. Petersburg, we’re always looking for ways to help our clients move better, train smarter, and stay consistent, even when something hurts.
Coach Patrick recently led a hands-on workshop focused on one of the most common pain points we see in the gym: elbow pain. Specifically, tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) and golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis). If you’ve ever felt sharp or nagging pain during rows, presses, or even gripping weights, this info is for you.
🧠 What We Covered:
Tennis Elbow = Outside of the Elbow
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Caused by overuse of wrist extensors
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Pain during pulling (like rows, pull-ups), or wrist extension
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Usually easier to spot and treat
Golfer’s Elbow = Inside of the Elbow
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Caused by overuse of wrist flexors
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Pain during wrist flexion or gripping
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Often masked by shoulder or scapular issues
🧪 Quick Assessment Tools:
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Pain with wrist extension? Likely tennis elbow
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Pain with wrist flexion? Likely golfer’s elbow
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Palpation and passive range-of-motion tests help confirm
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Use light resistance to assess tolerance before loading
🛠️ How We Modify Training:
Early Stage (Painful Phase)
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Reduce inflammation, avoid flaring it up
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Use neutral grips, partial range of motion, and lighter loads
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Sub in TRX rows, neutral lat pulldowns, or Swiss bar pressing
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Avoid anything that increases pain
Return to Loading (Mid-Late Stage)
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Tennis Elbow: Isometric holds for wrist extensors, then controlled eccentrics
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Golfer’s Elbow: Shorter protocols, slower ramp-up, more sensitive to overdoing it
🧰 Tools You Can Use:
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Great Western Hospital’s 10-Minute Elbow Protocol
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Our in-house Forearm Loader Series
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Progressive loading beats aggressive stretching
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Focus on consistency, not intensity
🗣️ Communicating with Clients:
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Ask the right questions: When did the pain start? What makes it worse?
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Reassure without minimizing. “Motion is lotion”, but not painful motion.
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Use assessments to validate modifications and build client confidence.
💥 Final Thoughts:
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Elbow pain doesn’t have to derail your training
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Tennis elbow is often more straightforward
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Golfer’s elbow usually needs a little more detective work
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Always ask: Is this truly an elbow issue, or coming from the shoulder or scap?
Want the handout? Download it here
Got elbow pain or curious about how to train around it?
Let us help. Our St. Pete personal training sessions are built with long-term health in mind, smart progressions, real results, and coaches who know how to adjust when life (or joints) get tricky.
Call 727-537-9854 or book a session to get started.
👇 Drop any questions about your elbow, wrist, or training in the comments, we’re here to help.
