As I have gotten older I have found out that none of the pains and injuries goes away no matter how long I rest.
This a BIG indicator that you have imbalances or form/technique issues, imo,
and/or your tendons are in more advanced stages of disrepair.
It takes the tendons about three times as long as muscles to regenerate (by most sources). Additionally, the
way the tendon heals impacts its ability to function well. Eccentric exercises have been repeatedly shown to reorganize the tissue of the tendon. Read the article below, as it is one of the better, more concise ones out there. It explains all this.
Update – My book Overcoming Tendonitis: A Systematic Approach to the Evidence-Based Treatment of Tendinopathy is on Amazon, and the digital edition in my store. Update 2 – Medial elbow (golfer’s elbow, climber’s elbow, etc) 8-12 week Video Rehab Program has been released! Tendonitis is one of...
stevenlow.org
As far as form/technique goes, I suggest the following:
-post videos of your kettlebell work AND your pullups for form checks. Ideally get a video of each from multiple angles (as best you can): front/back/side.
If you are comfortable with it, it's best if your shirt is tighter or you are not wearing a shirt so the movements of the shoulders and ribs can be seen more easily.
-see a good sports physio
in-person.
Lastly, I'll repeat this point: if rest does NOT make the pain any better, either your tendons are in higher stages of degeneration and thus need longer periods of deloading and
appropriate rehab exercises, and/or your technique/form is off.
If your technique or form is off, consider this. It may just be that you need to adjust what you're doing. OR, it may be that some areas in the relevant kinetic chains (pulling movements such as pullups and cleans/swings) are not moving or stabilizing properly. If this is the case then
other parts of the kinetic chain will have to
compensate, likely putting extra strain on . . .guess what? Your tendons. Since a breakdown in mechanics (the kinetic chain) can be a wide variety of things, this is why it's recommended to see a professional in person, who can diagnose them.
For example: I had golfer's elbow on and off for
years. It would improve with many of the exercises above, but would always come back when I increased volume or load. It only
stayed better when I improved the relationship of my scapulae to my ribcage. Since there was no stable platform to push/pull from, my elbow and wrist joints experienced "unstable" loads, and BAM, tendon problems. I would never have learned that had I not gone to see a physio.
Hope that helps.