Saw my doctor this morning, and it looks like I have tendonitis in my both my left wrist and left shoulder.

I’m now not allowed to go anywhere near any weights, until this is sorted out. This also includes Body Pump classes, and anything else that involves putting stress on the shoulder or wrist.

I have to go back to see him next week for cortisone injections and he has referred me to a physio.

In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions about some form of resistance training that I could do that won't impact on my shoulder and wrist.

I had thought about bodyweight training and I could probably continue doing squats/lunges etc., that way, as it is better than nothing. However, I'm not sure what I can do for my upper body. Obviously pushups and bench dips are out, but is there anything else that might be suitable?

Argh, I'm sorry to hear it. I hope it responds to treatment!

Resistance bands, maybe? If gripping them is a problem, you could probably attach them to your hands. They come in a lot of strengths, and since you're a serious lifter, you want some really stout ones.

If you look around, there are some other ways to weight yourself for squats - like wearing a weighted vest, or chaining plates on - that don't require gripping a barbell.

Instead of deadlifts, you could do reverse sit-ups. I did these in high school to strengthen my back for marching band (we all knew I'm a geek, yes? I marched xylophone and bells). I would lay down on a bench with my pelvis near the edge, have someone sit on my legs, lean down, and use my lower back muscles to pull myself up again.

Here we go - like this: http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises...rextension.html

Only I wasn't adding weights back then.

Maybe you can do preacher curl for biceps? Your shoulder should be immobilized by the posture. I don't know about the wrist, though. Maybe if you have a splint on the wrist?

I hope you can get some advice from a physical therapist on this.

Isometrics, DVRs and bodyweight exercises.

Here is a good source of info:

http://www.transformetrics.com/

ysabella and arc, thank you both for your suggestions, they are much appreciated.


I did think about using resistance bands, but have been advised by my gym instructor to wait until I've seen the physio before I use them.

Gripping shouldn't be a problem. Actually, my grip is fine, the main problem is that I can't bend my wrist back very far. As long as I keep it straight, then it's fine. It's more the strain on the shoulder, but the physio should hopefully be able to show me the correct way to use them in reagrd to my injury.

Both great ideas, and I like the idea of those reverse sit-ups ... some back strengthening wouldn't go amiss.

Good idea about the preacher curls too ... my wrist should be fine as long as I keep it straight, which I could do quite easily if I wore a support.



I've downloaded a copy of Vic Obeck's How to Exercise Without Moving a Muscle from this source, and plan to try it out.


I've been to the doctor this morning and had the cortisone shots. Now I'm just waiting on the physio to contact me in the next few days.

I'm hoping that this clears up fairly quickly, though obviously I'll have to be patient if it doesn't. My worry is that I may have permanent movement restriction with my wrist, which will totally rule out exercises such as push-ups and bench dips.