That nagging ache on the inside of your elbow when you open a jar, carry groceries or type for hours. It starts small, then one day shaking hands makes you wince.

That is often golfer's elbow, and you do not need to play golf to get it. Office workers, parents carrying kids, tradespeople and gym-goers all see it. The good news: with a plan built around you, most people keep moving while it settles. That is exactly what personal training at ANTS is for.

Anatomy diagram of golfer's elbow: the forearm flexor muscles attach at the medial epicondyle of the humerus, with the tendonitis highlighted at that attachment.
Golfer's elbow: irritation where the forearm muscles attach to the medial epicondyle.

What is golfer's elbow, really?

Golfer's elbow, or medial epicondylitis, is irritation of the tendon where your forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of your elbow. These muscles bend your wrist, close your grip and turn your palm down.

When they do more work than the tendon is ready for, again and again, it gets cranky. It is an overload problem, not a weakness you are stuck with. Tendons adapt to load, just slower than muscles do.

Common signs include:

  • Pain or tenderness on the inner elbow, sometimes spreading down the forearm
  • Pain when you grip, lift a kettle or twist a door handle
  • Morning stiffness that eases as you warm up
  • A weaker grip than usual

Why golfer's elbow keeps coming back

The cause is rarely one bad moment. It is usually a pattern:

  • Repetitive gripping: hours of mouse work, phone scrolling, tools or carrying
  • Too much, too soon: a sudden jump in activity, at work, at home or in the gym
  • Weak links up the chain: weak shoulders and upper back leave the forearm doing extra work
  • Stiff wrists and poor posture: the elbow picks up the slack

This is why rest alone often disappoints. You stop, it calms down, you return to the same habits and it flares again. Fixing the pattern is what makes it stay gone.

How personal training helps golfer's elbow

Golfer's elbow responds best to smart loading: enough stress to help the tendon adapt, not so much that it flares. Getting that balance right on your own is hard. A personal trainer adjusts it session by session.

With one-to-one personal training, you get:

  • A plan around your pain. Your coach picks and adjusts every exercise so you keep getting stronger instead of stopping completely.
  • Progressive tendon work. Slow wrist and grip exercises, often starting with gentle holds, then building week by week.
  • Posture and movement fixes. We check how you grip, carry and push so your shoulders and back share the load.
  • Whole-body strength. Stronger shoulders, upper back and wrists mean less strain lands on one small tendon.
  • Someone watching every rep. No guessing, no pushing through pain alone.

Our team includes Coach June, our Physiotherapy & Rehab Coach, so your programme is built with injury recovery in mind. Meet the rest of the team on our coaching page, and read why your joints need strength training to see why loading beats resting.

When to see a doctor first. If you have numbness or tingling in your ring and little fingers, swelling, or you cannot straighten your arm, see a doctor or physiotherapist first. We are happy to work alongside them.

Start with a free personal training assessment

Every personal training client starts with a free 1-on-1 assessment. We talk through your goals, injury history and weekly schedule, check your strength, mobility and joint alignment, and map out a plan for your elbow.

Sessions are one-to-one and by appointment, including daytime slots during the week, so training fits around work and family.

ANTS Training Club is at Zenith Corporate Park, Jalan SS 7/26, Kelana Jaya, open 6am to 12am daily. Questions first? Get in touch.

See also: Personal Training