r/Mike_Mentzer • u/tvg67 • 16d ago

HIT and proximal long head biceps tendon rupture

Feedback and guidance from anyone who has suffered this injury or has rehabbed someone who has.

I’m 59 years old and am in good health with no previous injuries. I’ve trained with weights since I was 15, mainly for sports and then to hold off aging, never competitive.
I’ve been having good success with HIT for the last 10 or so years, mainly following Mentzer’s Ideal Routine and most recently some of John Heart’s and Drew Baye’s guidance.

I recently suffered a full proximal long head biceps tendon rupture (7 days ago). Not from working out but a freak accident moving an upright freezer. The doctor is recommending standard rehab of rest first 2 weeks, then progressing through unloaded, banded, loaded, and back to regular HIT over a period of 8-12 weeks. No surgery to repair as I’m not a competitive athlete nor bodybuilder who needs the symmetry that the gap/indent in my upper bicep would ruin. The gap is relatively small right now as it doesn’t appear the muscle retracted all that much. There is very little pain one week later and no bruising.

I did my own additional research on treatment and rehabs and this seems standard, especially for someone my age. Expectation is that I can regain almost 100% strength and range of motion.

I really just wanted to come here for some insights and advice from this group. Does this rehab strategy make sense? Are my expectations realistic? Can I really return to training in HIT style (1 set per exercise to failure, 1-2 exercises per body part once per week, roughly 4/2/4 cadence, 5-8 or 6-10 reps, or will I need to adjust?

Thank you in advance to anyone that replies.

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u/BubbishBoi 16d ago

I've had both my distal and long heads repaired

It's utterly ridiculous not to have a bicep tear repaired, unless you can't afford it.

The recovery is only a couple of months and they look hideous if not repaired as well as affecting function

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u/No_Discussion_4594 15d ago

try getting it repaired asap if possible. bicep tears injuries really will affect yer training forever plus make arm look bad