Squat injury :(

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jtcedinburgh
jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Today I tried an early gym session (rather than going at the end of the day as per usual). Fourth set of squat, I thought I form was good but something twanged in my lower back and I was done. Now sitting at home, ibuprofen, hot water bottle compress, feeling a bit stupid.

I wondered: is this a common thing, and what may I have done wrong to cause it? Was it a technique thing, perhaps a lack of correct form, or could it have been as simple as maybe not warming up properly. The weight wasn't huge - 55Kg - and my first three sets were not particularly difficult. No warning signs either.

The irony is that I had been struggling with overhead press, and was psyching myself up to go for it, not for one second thinking I was going to suffer my first failure on the squat (of all things)....

Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
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    Both OHP and squat put some pressure on the spine - I know from bitter experience that you can have back problems from both exercises.

    It's v difficult to say whether this injury was squat/OHP related but I'd say that form or too rapid a progression always seems to be an issue when people get injured. In your case (because I know you're following a program - I'd suggest form was the culprit).

    I doubt that warming up was the issue (although w/ups are important) becuse the issue occurred during your 4th set.

    I sympathise :(
  • jtcedinburgh
    jtcedinburgh Posts: 117 Member
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    Once I'm 'mended' I may do an interim session with just the bar to check form. I'm hoping I will recover quickly, but I'm not going to push it! Would be interested to find out exactly what was wrong with the form, but I might even use a broom handle at home and get someone to video it so I can watch. Sure, not load-bearing, but will give me an idea if there's something amiss...
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Generally a lack of core bracing and/or improper squat depth.

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Generally a lack of core bracing and/or improper squat depth.

    This. Dem weak abs can easily put too much loading on the lower back, especially if running high bar.
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
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    Is it possible that switching your time of gym session to early morning made you more "tired," this not paying as close attention to form?

    I agree that because it happened later in sets that it doesn't seem like warming up was an issue. So I would look at form first. Although it doesn't help now, it might be a good idea to record yourself and have others evaluate your form to prevent injury down the road.

    However, I know that if I switch night workouts to early morning, I am not as "awake" and my form isn't as spot on as it is at night. It's the sole reason I stopped working out in the morning and sucked it up after work, but of course, that's just preference. But if you're used to going at night, it might be something to watch.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,990 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Most likely bad form.

    Probably initiated the lift from the bottom w/your back and not your hips. Also possible that you were leaning forward w/o the weight being properly centered over your feet during the lift.

    Both faults place great stress on the lower back. When you try again, video yourself (or have someone video you) to determine if these are problems w/your form or not.

    Time of day is irrelevant. However, the more sets you do, the more tired you get and the more likely your form will suffer. Adequate rest bet sets is important to maintaining good form and sufficient strength to complete the lifts w/o injury.

    The 90 secs to 3 mins that Medhi recommends for rest bet sets in SL 5x5 often is not enough. If you need 5-10 mins to recuperate, take it. That's what Mark Rippetoe recommends in Starting Strength and he only uses 3x5 in his program.

    You're less likely to fail and get injured if you do and, if you were doing Starting Strength, you would have never done the 4th set and you never would have been injured, which is part of the point of doing 3x5 instead of 5x5.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Bo vid I'm assuming?
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
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    jtcedinburgh wrote: »
    Once I'm 'mended' I may do an interim session with just the bar to check form. I'm hoping I will recover quickly, but I'm not going to push it! Would be interested to find out exactly what was wrong with the form, but I might even use a broom handle at home and get someone to video it so I can watch. Sure, not load-bearing, but will give me an idea if there's something amiss...

    You can video but unless you can go back very soon you will not be able to re-create the same form issues if the problem was weight related.

    I agree with others about a core tightness issue and possible fatigue and lifting with the back.
  • grob49
    grob49 Posts: 125 Member
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    sgt1372 wrote: »
    Most likely bad form.

    Probably initiated the lift from the bottom w/your back and not your hips. Also possible that you were leaning forward w/o the weight being properly centered over your feet during the lift.

    Both faults place great stress on the lower back. When you try again, video yourself (or have someone video you) to determine if these are problems w/your form or not.

    Time of day is irrelevant. However, the more sets you do, the more tired you get and the more likely your form will suffer. Adequate rest bet sets is important to maintaining good form and sufficient strength to complete the lifts w/o injury.

    The 90 secs to 3 mins that Medhi recommends for rest bet sets in SL 5x5 often is not enough. If you need 5-10 mins to recuperate, take it. That's what Mark Rippetoe recommends in Starting Strength and he only uses 3x5 in his program.

    You're less likely to fail and get injured if you do and, if you were doing Starting Strength, you would have never done the 4th set and you never would have been injured, which is part of the point of doing 3x5 instead of 5x5.

    Just what stg said here. Your back shouldn't hurt after squats. If it does then it was bad form. I know from experience that form starts to suffer towards the end of a set.
  • Coachjr29
    Coachjr29 Posts: 81 Member
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    Could be as simple as your breathing technique while lifting. That supports the core which supports your back.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I can't speak to the means of injury, but you should probably be using ice/cold pack rather than heat on it. Cold reduces inflammation which is what you need. Just don't freeze your skin. Hope you're feeling better soon.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    There's not enough information. You got hurt while doing squats, but I don't know anything about the rest of your program. This could be your 8th session of squats or deadlifts in 10 days without rest while being in a deficit and doing 500 crunches a day, for all I know. Maybe you were squatting 20kg last week and then tripled the weight in one week.

    Obviously check your form, but you're not squatting in a vacuum so check the other variables as well
  • Dano74
    Dano74 Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Very common.Happened to me about a month ago. Took sight off braving my core and... ping. That said, find a rad chiropractor that knows his/her stuff, combined with massage and you'll be back (maybe if just an acute thing) in days.

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