Hip joint pain doing squats

[mus1cjunk1e]

I just started doing the 3x5 program 2 weeks ago. So far I've had great results. The problem is the last time I did squats - yesterday - my hip felt really tight and I had pain on the top left of my left leg (very top of quad but it seems to hurt in my joint, not the muscle) at the completion of each rep. I had missed the wednesday workout so my muscles had completely healed up before this workout. Since I have basically never worked glutes before in my life, it seems like maybe my muscles healed back in too tight and cause my hip to hurt coming up. It seems like the tightening of my glute on the way up causes the front of my hip to hurt. It is kept me from getting in all 3 sets on friday. It even hurts if I use no bar and just practice squat form.

Is there anything I can do to make sure this doesn't happen on monday? Has anyone had this happen before?

I tried stretching a lot between squat sets and it didn't seem to help. Btw I do 10 minutes on the treadmill waking on 15 incline before each workout, and then I stretch. Same thing at the end of each workout.

 

[coolcolj]

foam roll

see the last few posts in my journal dude

and hip mobility work

 

[scout69]

being that you never really did squats in your life could be the main reason, I would just stretch very well a few times a day and avoid legs for a few days, You d ont want to do any damage and if you do decide and do legs keep it light very light for a few weeks get your legs use (area that you stated is not as use to the weights as the upper body) to the weights and routine.

 

[musketeer]

Take another week or 2 to adjust your body to the requirements of the routine. Try doing deep overhead squats with just the bar to teach your hips the necessary flexibility . Doing that movement correctly is one of the best stretches for the hips. It's not as fun and can be hard work but it pays off in the long run. If you build up by doing it every day, 5 sets of 10 reps @ 45lb or something like that, I'm sure that your legs will be ready for a more progressive backsquat routine.

 

[mus1cjunk1e]

I guess I'll just do squats with the bar for the next week and see if that gets my hip stretched out enough to add weight again. I'm literally feeling my glutes growing day by day because I've never worked them before.

 

[mus1cjunk1e]

Well this sucks. I worked out yesterday and I couldn't even do squats with just the bar it was so painful on my hips. Then when I was doing my pedley rows, just using my legs to stabalize hurt a lot. It only hurts right when I let off the tension in my legs, like in between each rep when I put the weight back on the floor. While they are tight they don't hurt at all. Then when I let go it feels like my leg is stiff as hell and painful and then it fades away in a couple seconds. It doesn't hurt at all in my day to day life.

I guess my only choice now unless someone has a better idea, is to lay off the squats, deads, and rows and just do bench and shoulder press with barbells and back exercises using machines and no legs. Then maybe in a couple weeks my hips will feel better. This is really pissing me off because I'm hitting PR's on all my lifts and I was looking forward to those exercises especially the deads and rows. But I don't want to fuck up my hips more by doing the lifts.

 

[Azinine]

Did you try any hip mobility exercises or self massage as coolcolj suggested? I'm suffering from a similar problem in my left hip and a couple of things have helped me: first, check the "my back hurts" sticky at the top of this forum. coolcolj suggests a certain hip flexor stretch that loosens the hips and activates the glutes. This coupled with the following stretch REALLY alleviates my hip pain.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k115/Azinine/dsc01465.jpg

I don't have a foam roller yet, but you can pretty much accomplish the same thing with a tennis ball. I've only just started doing this but I love the results so far. I didn't realize how many freaking knots I had all over my body.

 

[Tatyana]

It could just be the tendons adapting to the new stress. It does take them awhile to catch up with muscle.

If it is the front hip flexors, there is also this thing my physio has had me doing to have them 'engage' more quickly.

Step ups onto a bench and then lifting my knee as fast as possible.

When I have had pain from squatting, and I have quite a few times, I have either

1. Stopped for a week or two

2. Gone lighter and focused on the mind-muscle connection

 

[artificialaspirations]

I have squatted heavier this past month than I ever had before and felt some discomfort in my hips and groin. Not the joints, but muscles and tendons. I assume it is my body adapting to the overload. When going heavy I feel it more in my hips than quads.

 

[mus1cjunk1e]

Sorry I didnt get a chance to update the thread I've been packing up my house all weekend. I seems like the pain has already lessened because I did deads last wednesday and it wasn't nearly as bad as usual. And I hit a new PR on the deads. I'm going to try some squats without the bar today and if they go well I will use just the bar. Either way I'm going to try to do my rows so we'll see how that works out. I think I just need to wait it out and then progress the weight slower than the program calls for to get my legs up to speed with the rest of my body.