If you’ve been diagnosed with tennis elbow, you’re probably familiar with the frustration that comes with not being able to perform your regular workouts. When you’re dealing with this condition, it’s crucial to know which exercises to avoid with tennis elbow so you don’t worsen the pain or cause long-term damage.
This is why at Trinity Transformation, we understand that dealing with conditions like tennis elbow can make staying active challenging, especially for women in their 40s and beyond.
Our approach is tailored to your specific needs, offering safe, effective exercises that avoid further aggravating your injury while helping you stay on track with your fitness goals.
We focus on modifying workouts, providing expert guidance on form, and incorporating strength-building exercises that protect and support recovery, ensuring you can continue your transformation journey without setbacks.
This guide will help you identify which exercises to avoid with tennis elbow, and offer some alternatives that can help you stay active while you heal.
What is Tennis Elbow?
Tennis elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is a common injury caused by overuse of the tendons around your elbow. It usually stems from repetitive motions, like gripping and lifting, and can result in inflammation, pain, and weakness in your arm.
You don’t have to be a tennis player to get it—any activity that involves repetitive arm motions, like weight lifting or even typing, can lead to tennis elbow.
Some common signs and symptoms of tennis elbow are:
- Pain and tenderness on the outer part of the elbow
- Weakness in the forearm, making it difficult to grip or hold items
- Pain that worsens with gripping or lifting objects
- Discomfort during repetitive arm and wrist movements
- Pain that radiates down the forearm towards the wrist
- Difficulty performing everyday tasks, such as shaking hands or turning doorknobs
- Symptoms that gradually worsen over time if untreated
How Menopause Can Affect Tennis Elbow
Tennis elbow is a common issue, particularly for women in menopause due to the decline in estrogen, a hormone that has natural anti-inflammatory properties and helps lubricate joints.
As estrogen levels drop, women may experience more frequent joint and tendon pain, making them more susceptible to conditions like tennis elbow. This is especially common for women who lift weights or perform pulling movements, such as rock climbing, during exercise.
While it may seem tempting to stop working out completely when an injury flares up, doing so can lead to long-term setbacks. At Trinity Transformation, we encourage clients to adjust their workouts rather than quit altogether, helping them manage pain while staying consistent in their fitness journey.
By sticking to the right treatment plan, you can reduce pain over time and gradually return to full strength.
Can Exercise Help Tennis Elbow?
You might think that the best solution is to avoid all physical activity when you’re suffering from tennis elbow, but that’s not necessarily true. While rest is important, doing nothing at all can actually make the situation worse.
Over time, the muscles and tendons around your elbow could weaken, making you more susceptible to future injuries.
Instead, it’s all about choosing the right exercises—ones that strengthen the area without putting too much strain on the injured tendons. But, of course, there are some exercises you’ll want to steer clear of for now.
Exercises to Avoid with Tennis Elbow
The first step to protecting your elbow is understanding which exercises to avoid. These activities typically put extra strain on the tendons, which can worsen your symptoms. Here are a few exercises you should skip if you’re dealing with tennis elbow:
- Heavy Weightlifting: Exercises like bicep curls, deadlifts, or bench presses can exacerbate tennis elbow, especially if you’re using heavy weights. The repetitive gripping required to lift and hold the weights can put excessive stress on your tendons.
- Push-Ups and Planks: These exercises put a lot of strain on your wrists and elbows, which can aggravate tennis elbow. The weight of your body presses down on your arms, making it harder for the tendons to recover.
- Pull-Ups and Chin-Ups: These exercises are notorious for worsening tennis elbow because they require a strong grip and involve repetitive pulling motions. This can be particularly hard on already inflamed tendons.
- Overhead Presses: Pressing weight above your head, whether with dumbbells or a barbell, can place too much tension on your elbow joint, worsening your condition.
While these exercises are best avoided, there are plenty of exercises to help with tennis elbow that can strengthen your muscles and promote recovery.
Exercises to Help with Tennis Elbow
The key to managing tennis elbow is to engage in exercises that strengthen the tendons without overloading them. This way, you can build up the muscles surrounding the elbow and reduce the likelihood of re-injury.
Here are some exercises to strengthen tennis elbow and improve flexibility:
- Wrist Flexor and Extensor Stretches Stretching the muscles in your forearm can alleviate tension in the tendons. Hold a dumbbell or a resistance band, and gently flex your wrist up and down. Start with a very light weight and gradually increase as your strength improves.
- Eccentric Wrist Curls This is one of the most effective physio exercises for tennis elbow. It involves lowering a weight slowly to increase strength without overloading the tendons. Hold a light dumbbell, and slowly lower it in a wrist curl, focusing on controlling the descent.
- Finger Stretch with Rubber Bands This simple exercise can strengthen the extensor muscles of your forearm. Place a rubber band around your fingers and open your hand against the resistance. Repeat this for 10-15 reps.
- Isometric Exercises Isometric exercises—holding a position without movement—are helpful for pain relief. For tennis elbow, try pushing your hand against a wall or table in a wrist-extension position and holding it for 10-15 seconds.
- Shoulder Stability Work Did you know that shoulder instability can contribute to tennis elbow? Adding exercises to strengthen the shoulder, such as rotator cuff exercises, can reduce strain on your elbow.
Can I Lift Weights With Tennis Elbow?
This is one of the most common questions we are asked. And the answer is, yes—but with caution. Lifting weights can still be part of your routine, but you’ll need to make some modifications to avoid making your injury worse.
If you’re wondering can you lift weights with tennis elbow, consider the following tips:
- Use Lifting Straps Lifting straps can help reduce the amount of grip strength needed for exercises like deadlifts or rows, reducing the strain on your elbow.
- Lower the Weight Reduce the weight you’re lifting to avoid putting too much pressure on your tendons. Focus on higher repetitions with lighter loads.
- Modify Your Grip Switching to a neutral grip (palms facing each other) during exercises like dumbbell rows or bench presses can help take the pressure off your elbows.
- Rest Between Sets Make sure you’re giving your tendons enough time to recover between sets. Don’t rush through your workout—pace yourself and listen to your body.
Why A Physio Can Make All The Difference
If you’re dealing with tennis elbow or any other injury, it’s crucial to get it looked at by a good physiotherapist who can provide a tailored treatment plan.
A proper physio will take time to diagnose your issue through a series of tests, ensuring you get the right exercises that will help, not hinder, your recovery.
A great physio will avoid overloading you with excessive exercises, focusing instead on manageable, consistent movements that will gradually rebuild strength and mobility.
One of our coaches has a useful analogy to share based on his own experience with a physiotherapist. The physio advised him of the “bubble analogy,” where you think of your training as a bubble—when you get injured, that bubble shrinks, but it doesn’t pop.
Instead of stopping exercise altogether, you should reduce your intensity to stay within the shrunken bubble. As you heal, the bubble will slowly expand, allowing you to regain strength and progress.
Sticking to the plan and being mindful of how hard you’re pushing is key to a successful recovery.
Recovery and Prevention
Once your tennis elbow starts to heal, it’s essential to avoid jumping back into your old routine too quickly. Incorporating physical therapy exercises for tennis elbow into your long-term fitness plan can help prevent a recurrence.
We suggest:
- Stretch before and after workouts to keep your tendons flexible.
- Avoid overuse by alternating between upper and lower body exercises.
- Focus on building strength gradually.
For more targeted advice and personalized fitness plans that help you stay strong without risking injury, consider checking out our Fit Over 40 Programme.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Give Up Fitness!
It can be frustrating to deal with injuries like tennis elbow, especially when you’re committed to staying active and reaching your fitness goals. But the key is to modify your routine and focus on exercises that won’t make things worse. With patience and the right approach, you can still enjoy strength training and work your way back to full fitness.
If you want to learn more:
- Download our free guide on menopause weight loss here.
- Sign up for our free training session here.
- Learn more about our Fit Over 40 Programme and see how you can transform your body in just 12 weeks here.