coffeetime (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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lifting_heavy_things2013-04-04 07:44 pm
coffeetime) wrote in lifting_heavy_things2013-04-04 07:44 pm
handstand push-ups are not for me
I decided this year's goal would be to do five handstand push-ups, with the wall behind me (getting free of the wall was not the goal). I met with a trainer to get some ideas on getting from zero to five. He had me practice them with my feet just up on a step riser, to get my hands/arms used to the motion. I was also supposed to do wrist curls with small dumbbells and get a stress ball.
I started slowly with just a few curls with one-pound dumbbells and about four push-ups with my feet on the step. Two days after the first time I did this, my left thumb swelled up and hurt. My husband said maybe I sprained it. Every time I had to shovel snow, it hurt more, though I tried to protect it and not use it for lifting. Deadlifts made it hurt--I had to change my grip. I cut way back on upper-body work and used machines, for weeks. I went on vacation and had no opportunity to work out. Since I play a string instrument, this meant I also didn't practice during that week--but I STILL wasn't better. I saw my doctor and he gave me a clumsy wrist brace with a thumb support. A few days later I went to occupational therapy. By this time the swelling was going down. The OT gave me some hand exercises and a better brace.
Now my chronically messed-up shoulder was back to hurting because I had reduced my upper body workouts so much. So I went back to the gym and in addition to dumbbell work, tried doing the handstand push-ups with my brace on. And the next day, my thumb swelled up and hurt. So at least I know for sure that's what did it, because before I couldn't tell!
I'm kind of bummed, but I can't keep injuring my hand, so I'm going to abandon this goal. I'm switching to Turkish get-ups ASAP. I need to get coached, because I'm too uncoordinated to do them (I've tried). Wish me luck.
I started slowly with just a few curls with one-pound dumbbells and about four push-ups with my feet on the step. Two days after the first time I did this, my left thumb swelled up and hurt. My husband said maybe I sprained it. Every time I had to shovel snow, it hurt more, though I tried to protect it and not use it for lifting. Deadlifts made it hurt--I had to change my grip. I cut way back on upper-body work and used machines, for weeks. I went on vacation and had no opportunity to work out. Since I play a string instrument, this meant I also didn't practice during that week--but I STILL wasn't better. I saw my doctor and he gave me a clumsy wrist brace with a thumb support. A few days later I went to occupational therapy. By this time the swelling was going down. The OT gave me some hand exercises and a better brace.
Now my chronically messed-up shoulder was back to hurting because I had reduced my upper body workouts so much. So I went back to the gym and in addition to dumbbell work, tried doing the handstand push-ups with my brace on. And the next day, my thumb swelled up and hurt. So at least I know for sure that's what did it, because before I couldn't tell!
I'm kind of bummed, but I can't keep injuring my hand, so I'm going to abandon this goal. I'm switching to Turkish get-ups ASAP. I need to get coached, because I'm too uncoordinated to do them (I've tried). Wish me luck.