Post
by reinhard » Mon Aug 15, 2016 12:43 pm
It's definitely helped significantly -- though I can't say it's 100% fixed (doesn't help that my 3-year-old son keeps hiding it!).
I feel fine shugging (with relatively low rep counts -- 14-16 usually -- per movement) and can even bang out modest numbers of chin-ups without pain (7 or so vs the 12 pull-ups I can currently do). These are big improvements -- for a while, even a single chin-up was torture. But it's not gone -- I should be able to do more chin-ups than pull-ups, and the acrobatics I used to be able to indulge in with my son with impunity are significantly more constrained.
Another caveat is that I'm not quite as perfect in my compliance about doing these exercises as I perhaps ought to be. I aim to do them twice every N day, three sets of 15 per session, massaging the affected area between sets. I'd guess my actual compliance is closer to 1.5 times a day on average, possibly even lower. The one time I do reliably get them in is when I do them as a pre-cursor to my morning shovelglove routine.
Anyway, best of luck figuring out what works for you and keep us posted. I hadn't though shovelglove was causally related here, but hey if you've got it too our antennae should be way up. My explanation had been "40+ year old dad can't quite keep up with a toddler anymore," and though I still lean to that, it can't hurt to be extra vigilant. It certainly makes logical sense that any frequently repeated movement could cause some form of repetitive stress injury. I've heared that simple doing too many pullups/chinups (as people are encouraged to do in the popular p90x workout) can also cause it.
So one thing I'd definitely advise is sticking with lower rep counts. Shovelglove shouldn't hurt. If it does, you're doing too many reps, or movements that you should skip entirely. You can always ramp up (slowly) when your body seems ready for it again.
All in all, I'm still convinced shovelglove is quite safe compared with other routines. In the 14 years I've been shovelgloving, this "uppy arm" is the most annoying thing I've run into, and as I mentioned, I'm far from sure that shovelglove caused it. Contrast this with running, about the most "normal" exercise anyone can do, yet leaves me injured several times a year (usually IT band), and I don't even pursue it all that rigorously.
Reinhard
. "Silver Sagan" fits the bill nicely, at a total weight of 9.4#. Not one to be left out of the fun, my 8-year-old son is getting started with a little shovelglove of his own, "Mjolnirsson," coming in at 3.4#.
. I figured a light shovelglove would be safe and enjoyable for him, and the short handle further reduces any leveraged strain on his still-developing bones and joints.
!
