Squatting and risk of injury?

[medman]

So, my StrongLifts progress is going well, and I've added multiple inches to my legs with it. But there are a couple of nagging issues that make me wonder if squatting every 2-3 days is risking an overuse injury. My knees have been kinda stiff and sore between sessions, right above the knee which makes me suspect it's tightness in my quadriceps tendons. I have also been having a bit of pain/fatigue type feeling in my hip flexors. I've taken a week off from squatting, and both issues have lessened in severity, but I'm wondering if I'm being given a warning that I'm at risk of injuring myself.

 

Alternatively, it's also possible that these are just the result of working these parts of my body hard for the first time in my life. I'm still making lightning fast strength gains, and I'm eager to continue, so I was hoping I could get the opinion of some of you experienced squatters out there - should I keep pushing ahead, or take some more time off from squatting?

[Vegan Joe]

I think the problem with these type of exercises if moving up in weight too quickly, as straining with all of your might is a perfect scenario for injury when it comes to the spinal column i.g. hip flexors.

[Wobbly Lifter]

I had the same experience with squatting heavy 3 times a week. It lessened as I got stronger and never became a problem. Stretch more and get stronger. take a day or two off if it gets really bad. But as long as it's soreness and not acute pain you should be find.

 

Honestly I had a very small amount of acute pain in the hip flexor during the hardest part of the squat at times, but I just ignored it and was fine. not sure if that is good advice or not, but it never felt like the pain in the hip flexor was a risk or injury to me. My philosophy is if it hurts or is uncomfortable that's ok, but if you feel like there is a risk or harming yourself then back off. being uncomfortable is a normal and healthy part of life, injuries are not.

[chewybaws]

right above the knee

I got this in my left leg, I thought it was my knee but it did feel like just right above it. Almost when I was walking about it felt really "heavy" at this point. It got real bad for me and I had to spend a good bit out from squatting, and it kept re-occuring, so be careful man.

 

I always thought I was doing low bar squats but after videoing my form realised I was doing high bar. I've barely had any problems since switching to low bar (nothing serious enough for me to stop). Make sure you're not dive bombing into the hole and bouncing off your knees. Keep everything controlled on the way down and keep everything tight throughout.

[Jason X]

I can say that I used to experience the same thing as Wobbly. It always hurt more with less weight on it, though. Once I got to a certain weight it went away, and has now stayed away long enough for me to forget about until it was brought up.

I'll also second Chewy's sentiment about backing off if it feels like injury.

[sosso]

There's always a risk of injury, but if your technique is good you shouldn't have any problems. It would be cool if you could post a video.

 

Keep your whole body tight, break at the hips first, feel your hamstrings tighten, after you feel your hips dip below knee level, use this tension to spring back up & drive with your hips & glutes.

 

I think it's likely that the pain is just from your body trying to adapt to the hard work that you're doing. Usually you should be able to feel the difference between pain from an injury and pain from your body adapting to the stresses you're putting it through. If you start feeling pain in your joints, it's usually a good sign that something's not right. It's not uncommon for people to be really sore after they start squatting regularly. You will probably be sore after your first squat workout after this week-long break you've had.

[Northstar]

Good thread, can I ask if squats are a bad idea for someone who has broken their ankle before?

[Jason X]

is it still broken? weak? If it's healed and rehabbed you should be fine.

[Northstar]

Jason, It is totally healed. But it was pretty banged up, 3 breaks including one in the joint.

[Adena]

If you're worried about not making strength gains from squatting less, I would say once a week should be sufficient to still see quite a few gains. I only squatted three times a week when I very first started powerlifting, but that was so I could practice my form more often. After about two months, I started just squatting once a week and still see almost the same gains. (Of course, there's nothing like those noob gains!)

[coroho]

I've been squatting 3 times a week for about 9 months now and feels good, man. Of course I dealt with a couple injuries along the way, so do listen to your body. I recommend reading the squat section in Starting Strength if you haven't already. Some wear and tear is normal but anything more is likely due to bad form (as was my case).

[medman]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

The hip issue really feels like it was due to weakness and poor flexibility. It makes sense that my least-trained muscles would cause me trouble first. After taking some time off, I set a new PR today of 160 for my 5x5, but I felt my form was a bit shaky on the last set so I plan to repeat that weight and work on tightening up my form.

 

The knee (tendon) issue seemed to subside with rest, so I think I'm just going to monitor it and take breaks when I feel it's getting worse. I should try to find a way to get some videos so I can have my form critiqued. I feel my 5th rep doesn't have as good form as the first 4, since I'm getting pretty winded and dizzy by that point. On my very last rep today, I wasn't as controlled on the way down and ended up basically doing a full squat, which nearly killed me to complete. I managed, but my gym buddy said I was definitely unstable on that one, which I believe.

[Strategist]

My friend have been using it for 2 months or so , his Squats Shot from 70+ to 105kg now .

He also commented that his quads recover a much faster rate now .