Pin Firing
Good ol’ pin firing. This method was devised by Rip, and comes from his experience in the horse business. I know nothing about horses, but essentially it was a method by which they introduced more inflammation to an already inflamed tendon, causing the body to heal the original source of inflammation along with it. We apply this concept with the use of chin-ups. Chin-ups have a tendency to really piss off the elbows if they are already inflamed. This approach will vary slightly depending on how many chins you can do, or if you can’t do them at all. The goal is to hit a very high volume of chins in a single session using many sets with very few reps per set. If our theoretical lifter can do a set of 10, he should do 3-4 reps per set, for anywhere from 10 to 15 sets. If one can only a set of 5 reps, do 10 to 15 singles. The goal should be to increase the number of total reps by a little bit each session.
Regardless of how many chins you can do, the concept is the same. It’s important to note: this method is extremely painful – we are actively trying to increase the inflammation. Naturally, it’s going to hurt. By the end of the session, you might be questioning your reason for existing and asking your god why hath he forsaken thee. Keep doing it anyway. After doing this protocol two times per week, after a couple of weeks you’ll find that the pain is either greatly lessened or gone altogether. This was the protocol I used to remedy my elbow tendonitis, and it works extremely well if you can tolerate the pain. For those that either cannot do a single bodyweight chin-up and for those that can do very few chin-ups (less than 5 reps), assisted chin-ups with a band work well here. Adjust the band tension as necessary, but be sure not to add more assistance than you need to get your chin over the bar.
There is a systematic and logical approach to deal with this injury and rehab it effectively. If you are one of those suffering from elbow tendonitis: Fix It Now. Even if it is mild and it’s not preventing you from getting your work done, it will get worse if left unaddressed. If the pain is bad, don’t panic or become dejected. Correct the cause, and start the rehab.The healing process takes time and patience, but it will get better if you apply these principles correctly.