What do YOU do for a strained/overworked muscle?
DopeItUp
Posts: 18,771 Member
So one of my accessory exercises is the weighted hanging leg raise (in a captains chair). I think I've been pushing the weight/reps too hard and hurt my right hip flexor. Hip flexor is what allows you to do a hanging leg raise, lift your knee up to the sky (while standing), lift your leg while lying on your back, etc. You get the idea. It also seems to get hit right at the bottom of a squat. And that leads me into my situation.
So what I did after I realized what I had hurt was lay off the hanging leg raises totally for now. However, besides that, I can still feel the sharp twinge at the very bottom of a squat. It doesn't hurt a ton but it's there, even just using the bar (normal working set is 255x5). I did a rest week and didn't squat for a week, then a deload week after that (60% of normal). Now I'm just starting to work my way back up and I can still feel that hip flexor twinge at the bottom of my squat. It feels fine normally from day to day, it's not like a major injury. But I want it to heal, not get worse. I have been foam rolling it before/after each working (and as often as between every set sometimes) which seems to help a little but it's still there.
All that out of the way, how would you proceed? Lay off of squats totally until it doesn't hurt at all? Do very light squats for a while (like, bodyweight squats)? Do very light squats and start moving up in weight slowly (like start with the bar and add 5lbs per workout, SS style maybe?). Do 50% work for a while and slowly build up strength? Take lots of painkillers and suck it up?
Just curious to hear some opinions from experienced lifters and people who aren't teenagers anymore (like me, #gettingoldsucks). I like working on my squats and feel like I'm wasting my time in the gym if I'm not doing them, but I primarily want to heal up as fast as reasonably possible too. I certainly don't want to make it worse, I've made that mistake early on in my lifting career (couldn't use my bicep for like 6 months after that fiasco).
So what I did after I realized what I had hurt was lay off the hanging leg raises totally for now. However, besides that, I can still feel the sharp twinge at the very bottom of a squat. It doesn't hurt a ton but it's there, even just using the bar (normal working set is 255x5). I did a rest week and didn't squat for a week, then a deload week after that (60% of normal). Now I'm just starting to work my way back up and I can still feel that hip flexor twinge at the bottom of my squat. It feels fine normally from day to day, it's not like a major injury. But I want it to heal, not get worse. I have been foam rolling it before/after each working (and as often as between every set sometimes) which seems to help a little but it's still there.
All that out of the way, how would you proceed? Lay off of squats totally until it doesn't hurt at all? Do very light squats for a while (like, bodyweight squats)? Do very light squats and start moving up in weight slowly (like start with the bar and add 5lbs per workout, SS style maybe?). Do 50% work for a while and slowly build up strength? Take lots of painkillers and suck it up?
Just curious to hear some opinions from experienced lifters and people who aren't teenagers anymore (like me, #gettingoldsucks). I like working on my squats and feel like I'm wasting my time in the gym if I'm not doing them, but I primarily want to heal up as fast as reasonably possible too. I certainly don't want to make it worse, I've made that mistake early on in my lifting career (couldn't use my bicep for like 6 months after that fiasco).
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When it happens to me, I do intense daily mobility work (mostly lots of painful foam rolling) and only keep doing any lifts that use that muscle if the rolling restores full, pain-free range of motion (which it typically does if it's just slightly pulled, overused, etc.). If the pain is worse later on, I rest it a day or so before trying it again, but keep rolling it several times a day in the meantime. It's a pain in the *kitten*, but it lets me lift a lot more/sooner than any other approach I've tried, without turning a tweak into an injury. The rolling etc. I do all comes out of the Supple Leopard book, which is A W E S O M E and some of the best money I've spent in my life.
I'm getting up there in age too, so totally feel you on that. For your hip flexor, I'd suggest trying one or more of the following:
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2012/04/super-sumo-groin-mob/
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/12/episode-347-stiffness-kills-new-anterior-hip-flossing-tweaks/
http://www.allthingsgym.com/psoas-active-release-with-plate/
http://www.mobilitywod.com/2011/01/episode-144-ze-hip-flexion/
The bumper plate one is brutal, but incredibly effective. Best of luck!!!0 -
If one more puppie complains of getting old....:grumble:
Do you do mobility work?0 -
If one more puppie complains of getting old....:grumble:
Do you do mobility work?
I do 20 mins of warm-up/stretching/mobility work before every workout. I don't really do anything specific for my hip flexors but I try to hit most of the major stuff (primarily shoulders and hammies/quads because those are my problem areas).0 -
If one more puppie complains of getting old....:grumble:
Do you do mobility work?
I do 20 mins of warm-up/stretching/mobility work before every workout. I don't really do anything specific for my hip flexors but I try to hit most of the major stuff (primarily shoulders and hammies/quads because those are my problem areas).
I would try the mobility work that monster linked. I really need to do some myself.0
