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And We Were Swingin'

Smile-n-Nod

Smile-n-Nod

Level 5 Valued Member
Yesterday, I tried a handful of military presses, rows, and swings with a 50-lb kettlebell. This morning, my traps hurt again (nothing else--not my arms, not my shoulders, not my chest, just my traps). It's not muscle soreness--that feels different. I've been staying away from kettlebells for about three weeks, but I guess I need to give my traps more rest. I'll stick to walking and martial arts activities for a while.
 
Smile-n-Nod

Smile-n-Nod

Level 5 Valued Member
I saw my doctor today about my sore traps and my knee. The traps are probably sore from months of overuse after I strained them when I started kettlebells in January. The knee has no structural damage, and the "looseness" that I feel may come from muscle imbalance.

More rest ahead, followed by slowly restarting S&S while making sure to rest between sessions and not thinking that the discomfort will go away eventually.
 
Anna C

Anna C

Level 9 Valued Member
Elite Certified Instructor
Sinister
Smile-n-Nod said:
Yesterday, I tried a handful of military presses, rows, and swings with a 50-lb kettlebell. This morning, my traps hurt again (nothing else--not my arms, not my shoulders, not my chest, just my traps). It's not muscle soreness--that feels different. I've been staying away from kettlebells for about three weeks, but I guess I need to give my traps more rest. I'll stick to walking and martial arts activities for a while.
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50 lb is actually pretty heavy for presses and rows.

What if you get a REALLY light bell (like a 10 lb plastic coated one, from the local sports store) and practice presses, rows, and swings with that while you are resting? Try to tune into what muscles are working, and use the traps as little as possible.

Just a thought. It can't possibly strain anything (almost), and it might give you some good practice along with feedback about what's going on.
 
Smile-n-Nod

Smile-n-Nod

Level 5 Valued Member
Thanks for the advice, Anna.

Last night, I noticed that my traps felt almost normal for the first time since January or February. I've been "off" kettlebells for five or six weeks, and it's taken fully that long for the traps to heal. (I went to a doctor last week and he confirmed that it's almost certainly just muscle pain that I'm feeling).

I did three 50-lb military presses with each arm this morning, just to see how they felt. So far, so good.

I plan to carefully ease back into S&S, paying close attention to any ongoing soreness. Being a newbie to strength training, I didn't realize that I was developing chronic soreness in my upper back; I thought the soreness would just go away over time. I have a 25-lb kettlebell, and I might start really slowly--like one set of 5 swings at first, and a couple "naked" (or "shoe") get-ups. If that's too much, I might buy something lighter, like a 10-pounder.

I'm still waiting for my knee to feel better. Going on two months now....
 
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Smile-n-Nod

Smile-n-Nod

Level 5 Valued Member
Walking, 2.2 miles.
S&S warmup.
Swings, 24 kg, 3x10.
Martial arts, 45 minutes.

My knee has felt almost normal for the first time in 2.5 months. Grateful.
 
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