Not the way I wanted to start this bulking phase

I was really excited about the first phase of my bulk.  My body felt good and my confidence was at an all time high.  I had finally decided on a hardgainer specific bodybuilding workout routine and a great diet plan.  There was only one problem: I had a lingering pain in my left elbow.  I’ve been battling tendonitis for over a year and coming into this bulking phase there was a good chance that I might reaggravate it.  A few workouts in I noticed a great amount of swelling and tons of pain around the proximal end of the elbow joint.  I booked an appointment with one of the Athletic Therapists at my school and after an initial examination she determined that I had a bad case of tendonitis.

This is bad news because I’ve had this ailment for a long time and the degenerative effects of having it for longs periods of time can lead to a rupture of the tendon.  Ruptured tendons require surgery and that’s something I can’t afford to undergo.

The good thing is experience was not all negative.  I was blessed with a very skilled and caring Athletic Therapist named Trish.  We went through a lot of procedures to reduce the swelling and then we talked about what I’d have to do to alleviate myself of this injury.

The prognosis was very grim.  According to my AT:

• I cannot do any pressing motions for an indefinite period of time
• No Isolation exercises for my triceps muscle
• I must limit how much I work my upper body

This new challenge is going to make things a little interesting but I’m going to follow her advice and hopefully by the start of the New Year I’ll be as good as new.

I guess its back to the drawing board. I need to figure out how the heck I’ll be able to workout.  The Transformation will continue I’ll just get have to simplify how I workout.