If you have tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis as it is officially known, you know one thing – it hurts and you’d likely do anything you could to stop if. In this video, I’m going to show you the best way to fix tennis elbow pain once and for all by actually continuing to workout rather than stopping all together, which is never really the optimal solution to any orthopedic inflammatory issue.
When we talk about tennis elbow, we are talking about the pain that radiates from a specific spot on the top side or outside of the elbow whenever we reach to pick something up or hold something with a palms down grip. This spot is where many of the extensor tendons of the wrist converge and attach. The issue with this group of muscles is that they are very weak and unable to handle a significant load on their own, when unsupported by the muscles that are supposed to contribute to making their job in function easier.
The irony is that many of the tennis elbow injuries don’t come from playing tennis. The backhand stroke in tennis is the one that requires a forceful extension of the wrist at the moment of striking the ball that powerfully drives it towards your opponent. That said, this is not ever going to be as strong as it could be if you are leaving these weaker muscles on their own to produce maximal force.
Well, as is almost always the case, the mechanics that are out of whack when the tennis stroke goes awry carry over to the gym as well. The same things that are lacking on the court can play out in the weight room that lead to almost immediate aggravation of these tendons in weightlifters. Keep in mind, while this is known as an overuse injury it should probably be more properly termed an overtaxing issue.
This exercise is almost always the side lateral or front dumbbell raise for shoulders. It pains me to say it because this is one of my all time favorite exercises for building up bigger middle delts and shoulders in general.
When performing a side lateral raise you can either use a weight that is challenging but attainable to complete 10-12 repetitions, one that is lighter than what would normally be used here or one that is even heavier than usual but relies on body swing and momentum to get the weight up. I’d argue that the worst weight to use here is the one in the middle. This is because it often times exceeds the isometric strength capacity of the wrist extensors.
Instead, as I’ve advised countless times on this channel, choosing the light dumbbells for strict form side lateral raises is the only way to go. Incorporating additional intensity techniques like slow motion reps and one and a half reps is going to help equalize the load and take a weight that may be too light and create an overload that is appropriate for causing muscle growth.
The exercise that does this better than any other? The kettlebell swing.
That’s right. The swing allows you to progressively and gradually load the muscles that are being subjected to too much isolated load right now and incorporate the muscles that are supposed to be assisting in the first place.
Start with a two arm swing (one being the injured arm and the other being the healthy one that can serve to spot the other through the initial recovery). Perform sets of 30-50 swings at a time with a light to moderate weight. This should be performed as 2-3 sets two to three times per week. As you are able to handle more, you can either increase the weight of the kettlebell or shift to a slightly lighter kettlebell but hold it with just one hand rather than two and perform the same movement.
Also, you can offset the load by swinging it to one side rather than straight down the middle. The key benefit here is that you turn the exercise from a sagittal plane driven exercise into a transverse plane exercise as well. This will help to load up the hips into rotation for additional power recruitment and further blend every day function into the ultimate demands of the forearm extensors.
If you find that this video helps to fix tennis elbow once and for all, be sure to leave your comments to let me know. If you are looking for a program then head to athleanx.com via the link below and get the ATHLEAN-X training plan that fits your current goals. Build a ripped, strong athletic body by training like an athlete for the next 90 days.
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Exactly what happened to me yesterday, thank you so much for the tips. Time to heal 👍🏽
No one explains problems and solutions like Jeff.
Its this exact same movement that causes my pain – lifting petrol hedge trimmers in outstretched arm like this.
Perfect timing, just getting over a case of TE and yeah, looks like I tweaked it with side lateral raises ( unless it was the reverse curls? ).
I thought on the strict control lateral raises you said to have the hands (pouring water) down though?
Hey everyone! I tried EVERYTHING. I just suffered this injury but luckily I have a history of overcoming injuries so this didn’t take me years to figure out. I wasn’t able to even kettlebell swing without pain….so I’m doing the landmine press HEAVY with a Viking bar with a slightly wider grip. Not only do I not have pain….it’s helping heal my elbow. Just another exercise for ya ll to try if you don’t want to break from pressing. The landmine is godsend, hope Jeff sees this! I have no idea why it doesn’t hurt at all. I notice a closer grip gets tricky. I have the yes 4 all and the titan. I usually do close grip yes 4 all but not for this. The titan Viking bar wide neutral grip zero pain..try it!!!
I have to use my adjustable dumbbells for this (I guess I could buy the adjustable kettlebell), but it's helped a lot. I'm 35 and recently got a nasty case of tennis elbow that actually left me unable to train anything other than legs.
How can we hide a calvical bone
Excellent tips! I now have purchased a 20 kg kettlebell, that I will start swinging TODAY.
Here I am going on a year with three cortizone injections. The combat vet side of me always knew I needed to work the shit out.
I've had Tennis Elbow since April 2021 that over the last few months got so bad my shoulder is now having problems.. been going to PT for 3 weeks now. Heat, Ultrasound therapy, massage, exercises, ice 2 days a week. I also do strength training exercises at home everyday. I'll start incorporating this and see if it helps. I'm desperate at this point. Appreciate the advice man!
How to fix ulnar nerve entrapment??? Pls I’ve been stuck for months 🙏🏽🙏🏽 thank u
I'm a pilates teacher trainer for over 35 years and also do weights and …I got tennis elbow about a month ago. Other treatments haven't worked at all (and I deal with a lot of rehab in my studio in Sydney, so know most solutions). I'll give this a go and report back on the results.
Jeff, can you do something about golfers elbow please?
I've been dealing with tennis elbow for months with minimal relief. I'll try this for 2 weeks and see how it goes.
Thank you!! Just stressed out for a few hours thinking I had to stop going to the gym for a while. Gonna try this tomorrow 💪
Will this work if it was caused by tricep extensions or is this another problem?
Is there an alternative exercise if you don't have a kettle bell? Thank you!
Not knocking this channel, but I got my tennis elbow from doing the face pulls recommended by Jeff. I didn't have any idea what was happening at first, so I just kept on doing them ( and lateral raises). It's been well over 6 months, and I still feel it. Hopefully this solution works. Tried all the rubbing, etc. Doesn't seem to help.
What bicept workouts can I do with a bad case of this?
Haven't been able to do biceots for months
thank you , I will begin the swings today and let you know in a week or 2 how this is going.
I NEVER NEVER NEVER post comments on Youtube but I gotta do it. YOU SAVED MY ARM. You have no idea how grateful I'm with you. After watching this video I did two things. First, I started doing 4 sets of 15 reps of Kettlebell swings at the end of my workouts. Second, the first shoulder workout that I did after watching this I didn't do any lateral raise. Within a couple of DAYS, my unbearable pain on the elbow went away. It hasn't even been 2 weeks and I felt normal for the first time in months. No more massage, no more pain relief ointment, nothing. My guess is that the issue was the lateral raises. I wasn't doing them with any crazy weight, but I guess that it just wasn't working for me.
Suffered with this for a while and its infuriating, will try this out and hope it helps. Great informative video Thanks.
Pretty sure mine was caused by a shoulder press machine
First time having this pain and it is no bueno especially trying to sleep with it
My brother is a doctor and recommends Athlean-X and these videos all the time. Question though: I assume these exercises should WAIT until the injury is better right? I'm a drummer and a tennis player, so get the double whammy… and I'm in the midst of it. Assuming that I should NOT do these exercises now??
After just 3 kettle ball workouts I noticed a definite improvement in my elbow pain…both tennis AND golfer's. After 2 additional workouts it's pretty much completely gone. Never in a million years would I have thought this would have resolved my issue so quickly.
I am 60yrs old and have tennis elbow pain, my orthopedic Dr has given me wraps with ice pack, to use on my elbow and PT but not improving as, the pain comes back in few days. He said the only thing he sees that’s giving me this by using too much phone for games or watching YouTube or WhatsApp, as that position bends my hand from elbow to cause that, so use less time on iPad or phones. I don’t exercise like you guys, the exercises in this video looks like for gym people. So can you give some exercise stretches to improve the strength.
I had used your YouTube did your sciatica sit down stretches and for 2x a day for 2wks and that pain is gone and it worked better, than what my PT and orthopedic Dr Recommed for 3wks and still there was no improvement in sciatica but, your stretches were the best.
I even used your YouTube for planter fasciitis stretches, when the podiatrist recomended to wear prosthesis for 2 months still, no improvement, then recommended surgery, but you stretches for heel and hip to heel really helped and I am free of surgery since 6yrs. I do both the stretches regularly to keep me stronger
Please have video for regular people too. You are too good to save us from expensive Cortisone shots and surgeries. God bless you🙏
WHAT! iam so annoyed, i have been a subscriber and follower of jeff forever, and i have serious tennis elbows or tendinitis and WHY have i NOT come across this video!! Ok, iam going to try this today at gym! Will update you jeff, THANK YOU FOR VIDEO!! you ARE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE! 💓🙏😘💪👏👊
Going to give this a try! Dry needling just isn't working and yes I'm wearing the shitty arm brace. Totally gave up on the gym! Wish me luck
Thanks, Jeff. I strained tendons around my elbow joint a month or so ago from poor 'jerking' form doing tricep kickbacks. I will definitely add these two recommended exercises into my (recovery) routine.
I do side laterals and front dumbbell raises often, but in my case, it was doing too many Hammer Curls while standing up that I started having elbow pain.
Anybody else got that problem? Good thing it doesn't take long to recover, unlike other injuries.
Amazing. I'm having tennis elbow pain (goes up and down) for more than 1 year. I noticed I developed it in the second lockdown here in the Netherlands. It took nearly 5 months. In that time I did resistance bands workouts. And idd I did the lateral raise too… Last I noticed more pain. What I did? I did the lateral dumbell raise (and too heavy). So I had more pain.
I visited 2 physiotherapists and one personal trainer. Nobody told me the lateral raises were the cause.
Now doing the kettle bells swings and hoping for better days.
My doctor also told me to keep exercising the muscle but she didn’t tell me how. Thanks so much for the video. I will try.
I needed this desperately, both my elbows have started killing me. Thank you
I hope the fuck this work my left elbow has been annoying the shit out of me for few years now. I even stopped training for months and no elbow pain and started again lifting and within few weeks it was back , it’s def lack of muscle use and too much too , thank you Jeff you do have great advice in this area , appreciate your videos
Jeff, thanks a lot. I asked for help before. Not sure you did this video cuz i asked but that is exactly i needed. I saw this vidoe when you uploaded it, but forget to leave responce
So happy you’ve provided this video. I’ve been suffering from this far about 3 months now. My doc said just that…. Wear a brace, don’t use your arm in certain ways. Hot and cold treatments. But like you said, they’re just temporary bandaids. I know you did video’s on lower back pain and how to solve it permanently so I decided to look for tennis elbow and sure enough you’ve provided the solution. Thank you so much!!
Thank you for this superb video!