Suggestions to Prevent VRT Injuries

[Originally Posted by Hank_Z]

Hi Greg,

I posted earlier today on your site about having finally healed my rotator cuff tendinits. My plan is to do all of the VRT exercises on your DVD at high tension three days a week. I think that those exercises are the least likely to cause injury, and provide a lot of opportunity for strength gains. Although I like doing push-ups, I'm thinking that those are more likely to cause injury, so I'm planning to just do counter-top and wall push-ups for awhile.

Also, I'll continue doing stretching exercises for my shoulders six days a week.

Based on your knowledge and experience, do you recommend anything else to help prevent injuries? Do you, for example, recommend that I use significantly lighter tension on the VRTs the first couple of weeks or so? That might reduce the chance of aggravating the tendinitis, but it might not do much good in terms of exercise. (BTW, I'm almost 60 years of age.)

Thanks, Greg. I think your system is both safe, effective, and simple.Phil

Dear Hank, First of all, thanks for asking! At your age, I would be careful doing them all at high intensity training (HIT), and more likely consider doing some VRT's at a "significantly lighter tension" as you say.

At my age of 56 going on 57 in May, I'm right behind you. I do push-ups every morning, but sometimes hear an ever-present click in my elbows as I do them; I do one set of 25 full-range. However, on certain days I do counter-top push-ups, and this allows the clicking to stop.

I tend at my age to do more rapid but lower-intensity VRT exercises; I tend to do HIT style only for one set for the upper arms, and one set for the chest, because I appreciate the larger size they give me in those anatomical areas. But I have found very little tendinitis with VRT, no matter what the exercise is. Hope this helps.

Greg Mangan
VRT Man