Animal Flex - anyone using it?

[purbeast0]

i've have a nagging shoulder pain for a few months now. i didn't even know i hurt it the day i hurt it doing chest, but the next day it was hurting pretty bad. i've been taking a week off here and there trying to see if it gets better, and it does, but it still is not 100% and feels like it's been at like 90 - 95 percent for some time.

this past week i took off shoulder days, but shoulder day doesn't really hurt that much. it hurts the most when i'm doing chest. but like today i did chest and did not try to push myself too much, and as long as i keep my motion very smooth and keep my shoulders kind of in, it doesn't seem to bother me. but it's still not 100% and i really wanted to try and bulk up this winter and it's killing me.

this guy at my gym was telling me he used animal flex when he had a nagging shoulder injury (along with australian cream) and he said he did him wonders. i'm debating taking it myself now after doing some research on it now, as it seemed to all be pretty healthy stuff. but i didn't really find too many real like, research docs or something on it. i also am kind of offput by having to take 8 pills a day, just because that seems like a lot of stuff to be putting into my body.

i was just curious if anyone on here has used it and if so, how did it work for you and how did it make you feel?

 

[JJChicken]

Sounds like a torn rotator cuff. More common on chest exercises than shoulder due to impingement cause by laying on a bench.

Do some exercises to strengthen your rotator cuffs and ease back into it.

 

[QueBert]

Animal products are solid, there are many people on BB.com's forums who speak about Animal Flex helping with pain like yours. Controlled Labs Orange Triad is another that has a joint complex that could help with your shoulder pain. I have the regular Animal & Flex paks and definitely if you don't like taking a lot of pills you should avoid. CL has a powdered Orange Triad + greens. It's the same as the pills with an added green complex. It's uhh not the worst tasting stuff I've had. A lot of people swear it helps with their soreness and muscle pains. OT has a digestive complex and is a really solid multivitamin. Animal Flex is probably the more complete as it's strictly for joint health.

While I'm definitely not normal, I can put some water in my mouth and swallow all 8 pills in 1 swoop.

 

[purbeast0]

Sounds like a torn rotator cuff. More common on chest exercises than shoulder due to impingement cause by laying on a bench.

Do some exercises to strengthen your rotator cuffs and ease back into it.

yeah i really don't know what it is. i've definitely been easing my way back into it. yesterday i wasn't pushing myself, but i also wasn't going really light or anything. i started with 225lbs x8 then finished trying 245lbs and got that up 5 times no problem. i felt like i could have done more but i didn't want to get into the situation where i was pushing myself too hard.

when i do lateral side raises, even without a weight in my hand, i can feel something that isn't right in the front of my shoulder. like it isn't like OUCH OUCH pain, but something just doesn't feel right.

i have never torn anything in my shoulders before so i don't really know if that is what is going on or not.

Animal products are solid, there are many people on BB.com's forums who speak about Animal Flex helping with pain like yours. Controlled Labs Orange Triad is another that has a joint complex that could help with your shoulder pain. I have the regular Animal & Flex paks and definitely if you don't like taking a lot of pills you should avoid. CL has a powdered Orange Triad + greens. It's the same as the pills with an added green complex. It's uhh not the worst tasting stuff I've had. A lot of people swear it helps with their soreness and muscle pains. OT has a digestive complex and is a really solid multivitamin. Animal Flex is probably the more complete as it's strictly for joint health.

While I'm definitely not normal, I can put some water in my mouth and swallow all 8 pills in 1 swoop.

i can take pills fine, i just meant more the fact that i'm putting 8 different things/supplements into my body that i don't REALLY know exactly what they do. granted i know some of the pills are dupes and stuff, so it's not REALLY 8 different things. but that was more along the lines of what i meant.

 

[Zivic]

I would say it's a bicep tendon... regardless, it is something that will take a while (3-6 months at least) to recover. I would say f^ck the bench press. You can get plenty big without it. use dumbbells which will allow you to change your hand position to keep things from hurting the shoulders.

supplements like you are referring to are not going to do really anything in a situation like this. if you have achy joints, or dry joints, or stiff joints, they can help. You want to take an anti-inflammatory to keep swelling down and routinely ice and possibly heat treatments. You have an injury treat it as such

 

[purbeast0]

I would say it's a bicep tendon... regardless, it is something that will take a while (3-6 months at least) to recover. I would say f^ck the bench press. You can get plenty big without it. use dumbbells which will allow you to change your hand position to keep things from hurting the shoulders.

supplements like you are referring to are not going to do really anything in a situation like this. if you have achy joints, or dry joints, or stiff joints, they can help. You want to take an anti-inflammatory to keep swelling down and routinely ice and possibly heat treatments. You have an injury treat it as such

well it's gotten better to the point that it doesn't actually hurt while i'm doing barbell pressing. i do dumbell incline and did it yesterday as well, and again, didn't hurt at all. but i am definitely making it more of a priority than normal to keep steady and have focused form so that i don't wobble or move in a weird way in the middle of a rep.

 

[SP33Demon]

A possibility is that you're not warming up your shoulders well enough before benching and you tore/frayed one of the rotator muscles (SLAP tear?).

Try:
http://www.dieselsc.com/how-to-warm-up-3-minute-shoulder-warm-up/
http://www.schwarzenegger.com/fitness/post/sparing-the-shoulders

I do a similar one with 5 or 8lb dumbbells instead of a band, 25 reps to feel it burn and get that joint warm. If you experience pain on any of the exercises from the first link, get an MRI and/or take a month(s) off until it heals. The shoulder is pretty dam delicate and 90% of people don't properly warm it up before moving heavy weight.

 

[Zivic]

well it's gotten better to the point that it doesn't actually hurt while i'm doing barbell pressing. i do dumbell incline and did it yesterday as well, and again, didn't hurt at all. but i am definitely making it more of a priority than normal to keep steady and have focused form so that i don't wobble or move in a weird way in the middle of a rep.

another thing is to ensure that you are working your back and rear delts enough. most people have a huge imbalance that favors the chest and front delts. this can cause shoulder problems.

 

[Saint Nick]

hgh

 

[AudiophileGeek]

another thing is to ensure that you are working your back and rear delts enough. most people have a huge imbalance that favors the chest and front delts. this can cause shoulder problems.

Agreed

 

[surfsatwerk]

http://www.chaosandpain.com/helios-joint-support/

Assuming you don't have an imbalance, this product has done amazing things for my inflammation problems.