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Pain in biceps 10-May-2005 At 8:04:27 AM AlanD

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I let a mate with a suitable background have a look at this thread and my earlier reply.

Am I on the right track?

Yeah, pretty much, the muscle balance isuue is certainly relevant for the movements described because:

(a) there are three elbow flexors,

Biceps Brachi is recruited most when the hands are supinated,
Brachioradialis is recruited most when the hand is neutral. and;
Brachialis is recruited most when the hand is pronated.

If one hand position is used excessively it will do as you suggest.

AND

(b) The elbow flexors are only assisting muscles, not the prime movers, in any movement that pulls the elbow towards the body - In climbing, that's usually done by the large and very powerful Lattissimus Dorsi, Teres Major and Minor and Rhomboids. If the upper back / shoulder muscles are out of balance with the arms (as is often the case with people who do too much isolation work with weights), they wont be providing the power required and the elbow flexors will be overused.

BUT

Don't forget the different muscle contraction types - Shortening, holding, lengthening. (concentric, isometric, eccentric) - Normal muscle belly tearing only occurs when lengthening the muscle under tension, which is a very unusual thing to do in climbing.

If I had to take a stab, I'd say the original poster needs technique correction, strengthening the back/shoulder and probably now has a low level tear to Biceps or Brachialis tendons.

OK, I just read the thread and noticed that he says it occurs mainly when bouldering - Which involves a lot more elongation under tension than straight climbing... So it might be normal micro-tearing but still suggests he's overusing the elbow flexors and needs to strengthen his back.

Hope that helps.