# MEMBERS EXPERIENCES > OVER 40 FORUM >  Forearm pain

## tbaylight26

For the past 2 months or so I get really strong pains in my forearms when doing curls. Its at the midway point between my elbow and wrist on the outside. My doctor said Im using too much weight and to go lighter, but I feel that this will prevent me from getting the gains I want. 
Anyone hear or experience this themselves? Any suggestions?
I'm 40 and have been lifting serious for about three years.

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## CHAP

Sounds like normal sh1t to me. probably something you have to deal with or work through.

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## Papa Smurf

It happens to me when I go heavy on straight bar or preacher bench. I just leave those out of my arm routine for a couple weeks and things go back to normal.
Do heavy dumbbells hurt?

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## turk1968

Sounds nothing seroius , for me at 48 lots of stretching and massage mate to promote healing . Dealing with injuries comes with the nature of the business as we get older. I have injured just about everything you can think of . If you are smart you can remedial most gym related injuries and keep training .

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## molecule

Is the pain near the elbow on the outer side? Does is hurt when u do upright rows? 

If the answer is yes to either one of the questions then u can be suffering from tennis elbow. I am facing the same problem cause i ignored a small pain and my workouts agitated it more. I am on rest for 3 weeks. Please google for tennis elbow and see if u have any symptoms.

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## Mysterio1

I have had this pain issue since I was in my teens, I am 46 now and I still have to watch it. It's always with preacher curls, and straight bar. 
The word out there is that you have to really pace yourself and go up in weight gradually, your out performing what your tendons can handle.
If the pain is bad like a knife shooting through the forearm, then it's just time to stop and rest. It won't get better, and you can't work through it.
I found that if I switched to dumbell curls I didn't have the problem anymore.

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## bass

> I have had this pain issue since I was in my teens, I am 46 now and I still have to watch it. It's always with preacher curls, and straight bar. 
> The word out there is that you have to really pace yourself and go up in weight gradually, your out performing what your tendons can handle.
> If the pain is bad like a knife shooting through the forearm, then it's just time to stop and rest. It won't get better, and you can't work through it.
> I found that if I switched to dumbell curls I didn't have the problem anymore.



i agree, i had the same problem and totally stopped for two weeks then started with really light weight dumbbells, and gradually increased the weight, and every time i feel i am lifting too much i go back to my previous level and continue gradually. i had tennis elbow before and it hurt like hell, the only thing fixed it was steroids shot, not sure what kind but thats what the doctor told me. i got my pain when i was lifting heavy doing backward curls, i dont do them anymore, at least for now.

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## kaju

There are a lot of threads on this subject here in the over 40 section. we over 40 guys are falling apart. we just have to be careful. 

do a search on this in the over 40 section you will find it full of info.

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## Kornsy

Wow, I just was just complaining about this to my girlfriend last night. My forearms feel like they're gonna break in half when I do straight bar curls. Glad I'm not the only one.

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## gigabitbucket

> Wow, I just was just complaining about this to my girlfriend last night. My forearms feel like they're gonna break in half when I do straight bar curls. Glad I'm not the only one.



Old post my friend, 

I dont use a stright bar , get alot of pain in my forearms, always have.
I use a EZ curl barl , works great!

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## bass

Yes old thread but worth responding. Gigabiti is right, this is how i got my pain is with starlight bar. I think most of the forearm pain is an inner tennis elbow. i have it now but its going away, the S4 helped but it didn't go away completely. Here is what i am doing and its getting much better every day. i bought two ankle straps and strapped them on my wrist, then hook the cables to them and did my biceps workout. This way it bypasses the wrist joint and doesnt use the injured muscles and tendons. Also use wrist straps with hooks to use a curl bar, it take allot of load off your elbow. See photos...

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## hot stuff

> I have had this pain issue since I was in my teens, I am 46 now and I still have to watch it. It's always with preacher curls, and straight bar. 
> The word out there is that you have to really pace yourself and go up in weight gradually, your out performing what your tendons can handle.
> If the pain is bad like a knife shooting through the forearm, then it's just time to stop and rest. It won't get better, and you can't work through it.
> I found that if I switched to dumbell curls I didn't have the problem anymore.


Right on track! I have gone through the same thing. Stop doing the exercise that causes this for a while, and then go back up GRADUALLY. At our age, we need to take care of those joint and tendons!

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## Kornsy

sorry about it being an old thread. Im new here but l had the same problem. I like the strap idea!! Gonna try that!! thanks

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## ScotchGuard

When you straight bar curl your wrists turn outward to their extreme. This stretches the little ligaments and tendons in your elbow, forearm and wrists. At our age our joints are as limber as it used to be. So you're putting a ton of stress on already stretched tendons and ligaments. They're going to hurt. I've gone through the whole thing myself. I stretch my wrists and forearm everyday. I have carpal tunnel syndrome which doesn't help my curls. But stretching everyday keeps me from getting too tight and keeps the pain away.

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## hot stuff

This may be an old post, but look at all us guys who respond to it. Pretty popular subject. No one wants to hurt themselves! (or do they?) We all have twenty year old-like muscles, but 50 year old tendons and joints. LOL

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