Tried Squats now my hip aches
OrdinaryDude300
Posts: 51 Member
I am new to this gym. Gf has been going for just over 6 months. She hates my home gym because it only has upper body related setup. I have used it for 2 decades lol. So I have never done much lower body exercise with weights before. All upper but I did run and play a lot of sports. I started at her gym cause I noticed she was making noticable changes and she been asking me to come out. Second week she insisted I try Squats. We both agree that I got much more upper body strength and should get my lower half to a stronger level. Then I started using the same weight as her after she starts me with the bar only and explained the technique. Appearently I was not bad with technique. Two sets of 10 reps with 95lbs but then could only manage 8 reps on the third (hey my first time at it). My upper hamstrings started tightening right up. I passed on the 4 and 5 sets. That night my right hip started aching. Woke me up from my sleep.
3 days later my hip is better but still aches somewhat. My hamstring tightness just recovering too. I went below parallel as told. Maybe a messed up my hip. I am over 50 years old so maybe I over did it for the first time experience. She is only 40 and been doing for 6 months so she is all gun ho on these. Whats going on at the hip area when you go that low? I wonder if I pulled something out of place or maybe just muscles used in a way never before. ? She wants me to try again after my hip is pain free. I tried the leg press and lunges with her a few days earlier and did not feel pain. I was not that stable at lunges though.
3 days later my hip is better but still aches somewhat. My hamstring tightness just recovering too. I went below parallel as told. Maybe a messed up my hip. I am over 50 years old so maybe I over did it for the first time experience. She is only 40 and been doing for 6 months so she is all gun ho on these. Whats going on at the hip area when you go that low? I wonder if I pulled something out of place or maybe just muscles used in a way never before. ? She wants me to try again after my hip is pain free. I tried the leg press and lunges with her a few days earlier and did not feel pain. I was not that stable at lunges though.
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Replies
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Possible to much weight. And 10x5 is pretty ambitious for someone who has not developed strength in the movement. I wouldn't be surprised you were very sore.
As for form you should post a video. There are lots of folks here who can offer refinements. Even with in the range of "good" form there is room to adjust for your own anatomy.0 -
Sounds like you overdid it. If you are interested in continuing to squat, I would get on a beginner's program that has you start at a low weight and work up over time (by time I mean several weeks, not 30 minutes.)0
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I'd suggest starting without the weightbar......your body isn't accustomed to squats, let alone squats + 95lbs! May I also suggest next time you're at the gym, talk to the person at the front desk about getting a one on one session, so they can show you/teach you/guide you, the proper way for success! Good luck!0
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If you're an ordinary dude it sounds like the volume was more of an issue than the weight. Your profile says 54 year old female, I'm guessing that's not accurate. 95lbs is fine for an (youngish average male) beginner learning form. 5x10 is... not as fine... I'd recommend finding a novice lifting program (stronglifts 5x5 is pretty good).0
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Sounds like you lifted too much for what you are used to.
Going from 45lb (bar) to a working set of 95lb is also a big jump and should have had a few warm-up reps in between (say a few reps at 65lb, then a few more at 85lb). I don't warm up and then double my weight for any exercise.
If you want to squat, then I would say start with the bar (or even less) and add 5lb every session and squat 3x/week. You'll be up to 95lb in less than 4 weeks. Also, 5 sets of 10 is a lot for a beginner. I would either go with a more conventional 3 sets of 10 (or 8 even) or 5 sets of 5.
Getting form checked by someone besides your GF is also a good idea.0 -
What kind of pain are you experiencing? Is it soreness in the muscle, which is common for people new to lifting (google DOMS) or is it more acute in the hip joint? Ultimately, you'll probably need to get checked out by a medical professional to get a proper diagnosis for your injury.
Squats are and incredibly effective lower body exercise, but it takes a lot of time to master proper technique. It took me years to be able to refine and adjust my technique in order to be able to squat heavy weight with little to no pain, so realize that learning this is going to take time.0 -
You overdid it. More than likely, lacking any lower body strength, stability and flexibility didn't help either. Rest up, reassess when your pain level is down and start over again with just the bar nailing the form. And get a certified pro, to check form. Nothing against your girlfriend, but there are many subtleties that regulars miss when assessing correct form to squats.
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Crap I screwed up on my profile lol. No I am s 54 male. Can't sem to change my mistake.
The pain is mostly on the back side at the top where the ball and socket is. Then it goes over my thigh below the groin area. Now painfulful to lift my leg to put on pants. Better each day though.
To much too fast is probably right. Guess because i could leg press slighly more then her so we thought i could handle it. Do i need to go that low? Could something of rotated too much? What about sticking to just the leg press and lunges.
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Leg press and squat are completely different man.
I can leg press around 850 for reps, but my squat is tapping out at 275 for 5 reps.
Deep squats (*kitten* to grass) will put a little more strain on your hips especially so with more added weight. I would recommend getting form down before jumping weight, then slowly increase every time you squat since your mobility is sort of constricted I'm assuming.
Also... Don't skip out on the warm up and stretch.
I whoosh suggest against shying away from squats simply because the benefit of the compound lift is amazing. It also targets a lot of secondary muscles that lunges and leg press dont.
Keep it up, and good luck!0 -
You overdid it. More than likely, lacking any lower body strength, stability and flexibility didn't help either. Rest up, reassess when your pain level is down and start over again with just the bar nailing the form. And get a certified pro, to check form. Nothing against your girlfriend, but there are many subtleties that regulars miss when assessing correct form to squats.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Nice, he said exactly what I thought after reading the post. Make sure to get a little bit of a warm-up in before you train, get your body moving right and ready to train. Your hip flexors play a huge part on the eccentric portion of the squat, so you need good mobility to squat correctly. Watch your loading too, probably did go too fast.0 -
I concur with getting some consultation on proper form. I thought I had proper form for squats but I was always sore, beyond what would be normal. Turns out, I had to adjust my butt back a mere 2 inches! My trainer saw that right away. After that, whenever I was sore, it was in the right places
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Over did it, stretch, stretch, stretch.0
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I did a bit more damage then I thought. Doc said I stressed a old injury. It reminded of something I did to my hip 15 years earlier. I went to physio which confirmed I had weak hip flexors and VMO. Hamstrings a tad weak. My outer quad pretty descent. I had a very tight IT band too and knee tracking problems. My flexibility was not poor but needed improvement. Said I had a 30 year old very strong upper upper body but a lower body certainly showing its age and lack of training. Certainly the results of my bad exercise focused habits.
I started building up to barbell squats with gobblet squats. I like these. Thought I could ease into the back squats again. Started with the bar and just concentrating on forum. I built up to 95 pounds 5 x 5 with said good form. The GF is doing 135 smoothly for 4 x8 reps now. I figured it was safe to try with weight. I notice my knees start to fade inward with this weight at the first rep. Obviously means a touch too much for me still. What muscles are not strong enough when your knees start to go inward on a heavier squat? I am still stronger at leg extensions and leg press then she is but not on lunges or the squat.
It tried front squats just the one time. Seems impossible for me to get the bar to rest on my chest. Its like my biceps get in the way. I got big but not huge arms (16") but I have seen men with bigger arms then me able to do this. I guess I don't keep a straight enough back. Not sure what the reason is I can't do this one well.
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OrdinaryDude300 wrote: »I did a bit more damage then I thought. Doc said I stressed a old injury. It reminded of something I did to my hip 15 years earlier. I went to physio which confirmed I had weak hip flexors and VMO. Hamstrings a tad weak. My outer quad pretty descent. I had a very tight IT band too and knee tracking problems. My flexibility was not poor but needed improvement. Said I had a 30 year old very strong upper upper body but a lower body certainly showing its age and lack of training. Certainly the results of my bad exercise focused habits.
I started building up to barbell squats with gobblet squats. I like these. Thought I could ease into the back squats again. Started with the bar and just concentrating on forum. I built up to 95 pounds 5 x 5 with said good form. The GF is doing 135 smoothly for 4 x8 reps now. I figured it was safe to try with weight. I notice my knees start to fade inward with this weight at the first rep. Obviously means a touch too much for me still. What muscles are not strong enough when your knees start to go inward on a heavier squat? I am still stronger at leg extensions and leg press then she is but not on lunges or the squat.
It tried front squats just the one time. Seems impossible for me to get the bar to rest on my chest. Its like my biceps get in the way. I got big but not huge arms (16") but I have seen men with bigger arms then me able to do this. I guess I don't keep a straight enough back. Not sure what the reason is I can't do this one well.
Sounds like you've got the right process going ...at least right up until that point where you start getting competitive with your girlfriend
Stop leaping 40lb and reps ...work up to it concentrating on form
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If your knees collapse inwards it could be your glutes, hips, hamstrings or ankles. In my experience glute strengthening exercises and ankle mobility exercises (if ankle mobility is an issue- do you tend to put your weight on your toes or fall forward?) It is a pretty common form error but it can lead to knee and it band issues.0
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Not uncommon for men our age to have hip soreness especially if you have taken a break from lifting, have arthrits, tall, or have been inactive in general.
As others have stated warm up, check ego and start with only bar and slowly add weight while using a slow progressive proven beginner program while adjusting your form from video of your sets.
With me being tall and muscular but dealing with hip dislocations, I hold my feet a little more narrow with feet pointed out a touch more than most. Everyone is different body types and limb lengths so you squat will look different than somebody with a different body, but essentially most of the mechanics are the same and will need tweaking.0 -
I would suggest using goblet squats to grove the squat pattern then work to a loaded bar if you have enough shoulder mobility.
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/workouts/leg-exercises/videos/goblet-squat0 -
Next time don't work out for 20 years without training legs0
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nickynoneck83 wrote: »Over did it, stretch, stretch, stretch rest, rest, rest.
And then try again with less weight.
And never skip leg day.0 -
Start with small sets with the empty bar, no more than 3 reps per set. It's not about pushing the limits of what you can do, but setting proper movement patterns with lighter weight so when you are eventually (not now) ready for challenging loads your movement and form will not suffer, and chance of injury will be low. Each workout increase by 5 lbs. and do either 5x3 or 5x5 once you get more comfort under the bar. There is no such thing as starting too slow. This is a movement people should be doing well into their old age to preserve full range of motion, significant muscle mass and bone density. So work slowly into loads that will build more strength. But now it's all about movement.
A site that has saved me thousands on physio and doctor appts for things like nagging hip and knee pain is Mobility WOD. Hundreds of free videos on doing simple maintenance exercises to avoid injury and maximize the potential of your movement. Sounds like you just need to work your hip capsule to get rid of this (where your butt meets your femur). Look up "hip" in the search and there are tons of exercises that have kept me in the gym and out of the physio office. The most equipment you will need to do the majority of the exercises on this site is a $2 lacrosse ball and a $5 jump stretch band. It's an absolute life saver.0 -
Google Hip flexor stretches.0
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OrdinaryDude300 wrote: »Crap I screwed up on my profile lol. No I am s 54 male. Can't sem to change my mistake.
The pain is mostly on the back side at the top where the ball and socket is. Then it goes over my thigh below the groin area. Now painfulful to lift my leg to put on pants. Better each day though.
To much too fast is probably right. Guess because i could leg press slighly more then her so we thought i could handle it. Do i need to go that low? Could something of rotated too much? What about sticking to just the leg press and lunges.
If you're 54 (or really any age for that matter) should probably do an assessment to make sure you have the mobility to squat properly before even putting an empty bar on your back. Find a trainer or physical therapist that can assess you.
Lots of articles/videos out there, although having a pro watch is a better idea. Here is a sample.
http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/why-screening-and-corrective-exercise-should-be-the-foundation-of-every-exercise-p0 -
I've found this set of warmups to be particularly effective at helping me to open up my hips and gain flexibility for squats... ymmv.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s 0 -
BecomingBane wrote: »I've found this set of warmups to be particularly effective at helping me to open up my hips and gain flexibility for squats... ymmv.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s
Good stuff. Joe DeFranco put out an update recently, The Limber 11
https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine/
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I like limber 11 as well, but finds that it takes up too much of my time. The 8 is helpful and takes up less time for me. But then again, I do dedicated mobility work on non lifting days as part of my active recovery so I don't worry about that too much.0
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I think you went too heavy too soon also. Squatting isn't as simple as it sounds. Were you doing back or front squats? Both require a level of mobility. I find front squats particularly challenging and typically can't move as much weight as the back squat. Front squats require lots of mobility particularly to get your elbows up without tipping forward. I wouldn't recommend *kitten* to grass with weight. Below parallel is sufficient. If they have big med balls in this gym, you can put one behind you to serve as your stopper
Stretch, be sure to warm up next time and use the bar only. And if that's too heavy, use a kettlebell or large dumbbell to do goblet squats like packerjohn suggested until you're comfortable with the movement.
Good for you for getting in the gym! Keep at it!0 -
BecomingBane wrote: »I like limber 11 as well, but finds that it takes up too much of my time. The 8 is helpful and takes up less time for me. But then again, I do dedicated mobility work on non lifting days as part of my active recovery so I don't worry about that too much.
Lol. You must move like a ninja. I'm so screwed up I do mobility in the mornings and lift with a bit of cardio at night.0 -
It's OK if your girlfriend squats more than you, btw. She's been training longer. Don't try to keep up with her progress.0
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They are back squats I am doing. I just tried the front squat just to see what it was like. Same when I tired the 135. It was already there after the GF set so it tempted me lol. Two reps was enough and I knew I was not doing them right and was done. I am sticking with 95, 105. Still doing some goblet squats too.
Most of the time I am staying on my heals. I admit I got towards my toes when my knees came in on 135. I just go a little past parallel. I had another person who was doing squats so nicely take a look at mine and the GF. Said my form at 95 pounds was pretty good. My back was a bit angled too much forward.
Yup I am guilty of neglecting legs for too long and seeing the result of. I noticed I am not alone in the gym this way. Seriously there are a good chunk of men I never see doing legs at all. At least I am now lol. I noticed there are almost as many girls in the squat rack as men but 8 to 10 men in the free weight section for every woman. I rarely see a women attempt a bench press in that section though which is fine. I got my GF doing some BP. She was really intimidated by it because she has no strength on this one but since she got me in the squat rack shes doing the bench.
I had an assessment. I don't see the physiotherapist any more. My hips activate much better. Not getting the soreness at the the moment. Spent one group training session but he did not take the group to the squat rack.
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