Despite the innumerable horror stories of weight lifting injuries, the vast majority of us mostly manage to leave the gym unscathed. However, one man has found out – the painful way – that injuries can occur when you least suspect them.
That man is Joe, a US military veteran and personal trainer and owner of Illuminati Iron who, in August 2021, tore the tendons in his biceps when performing a barbell preacher curl. The painful moment was caught on film, as Joe was recording himself demonstrating the progressive overload muscle-building technique.
WATCH: Joe tears his biceps but pursues a course of rehab and recovery.
The video is still on his Instagram page, and in the caption, he says “While trying to demonstrate progressive overloading, I put myself in a vulnerable position as soon I sat down for the very first rep.”
“My seat was too low and with little to no leverage, the ENTIRE weight was placed completely on my tendons rather than evenly distributed across my biceps.”
“The final set was not a PR or max weight. Prior to the workout, I was well-rested, properly hydrated/fed, and warmed-up as always. Anything can happen to any one of us at any time as nothing in life is guaranteed.”
Graphic content aside, Joe’s post perfectly demonstrates why it pays to not only lift lighter weights in the gym, especially if you’re new to an exercise but that form, technique and setting up the machines properly are imperative.
RELATED: How To Perform A Deadlift Correct To Avoid Injury
Joe didn’t let his injury hold him back, however, over the course of the next 12 months, he underwent surgery and slowly but surely regained his strength. Following surgery, which saw both his right and left distal bicep tendons being reattached, Joe had to wear braces on both arms. These braces, he said, “control range of motion between 30 and 90 degrees.”
It wasn’t until November, three months after his injury, that Joe started performing bicep curls again. And, as he was going through a rehabilitation process, he had to start light, just 5lbs/2kg. He was then able to raise this to 10lbs by January and his arm braces came off soon after.
Since then, Joe has constantly kept a positive mindset, knowing that he would eventually get back to his original levels of strength. On top of his slow but steady progress with arm exercises, he continued performing other strength workouts to train other muscles in his body, along with some cardio work.
One of Joe’s most recent posts from June shows him performing a workout in Yosemite National Park, and had you not known about his biceps injury, you would be none the wiser. Joe appears to be back to full strength, performing bicep curls, kettlebell swings, overhead kettlebell presses and more.
It’s another classic case of mind over matter, and not letting adversaries of any sort stand in your way.
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