Hip pain while squatting

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 1/30/2011 9:56am

I'm sure this must have been asked already, but search yielded nothing, so here we are. Anyway, in my last two or three workouts, I've been having some aggravating pain in the front of my hips when I'm doing my squats. It's right in that area between where the pelvis stops and the quads start. I'm not sure what it's called(flexor or adductor comes to mind, but I can't be certain). It's usually worst after adding some weight a few warmup sets in, and calms down towards the end of the second work set and is generally less bad during the third work set.

So what's going on here? Do I need to fix my stance, stretch/warm up more before loading it up, or have I done something very bad to my muscles down there and am making it worse?

**CoffeeFan** · Posted On: 1/30/2011 10:43am

Originally Posted by Neo Sigma

So what's going on here? Do I need to fix my stance, stretch/warm up more before loading it up, or have I done something very bad to my muscles down there and am making it worse?

Hard to say without seeing your form. What do you do to warm up your hip flexors? Do you stretch after you workout? Does the pain only occur when you squat with a certain weight or other natural movements like running?

You may want to take a week off the squats if you think this is more then just muscle soreness. It's possible you may be overtraining that muscle group.

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 1/30/2011 11:06am

Originally Posted by CoffeeFan

Hard to say without seeing your form. What do you do to warm up your hip flexors? Do you stretch after you workout? Does the pain only occur when you squat with a certain weight or other natural movements like running?

You may want to take a week off the squats if you think this is more then just muscle soreness. It's possible you may be overtraining that muscle group.

As far as warming up, a lot of what I've read says that going through the motions of the warmup sets should be plenty. I'm beginning to doubt that a bit. I've just started stretching post-workout in the hopes that it'll make a difference. Pain seems to only occur when actually squatting. It usually begins as I get closer to my working weight in the warmup sets.

I've definitely given some consideration to taking a quick break from squats, but I haven't been on the program for that long and they seem pretty adamant about not missing workouts unless you're dying. Then again, I'm pretty sure my health is more important than following along blindly until I can't walk anymore.

**CoffeeFan** · Posted On: 1/30/2011 1:13pm

Originally Posted by Neo Sigma

As far as warming up, a lot of what I've read says that going through the motions of the warmup sets should be plenty. I'm beginning to doubt that a bit. I've just started stretching post-workout in the hopes that it'll make a difference. Pain seems to only occur when actually squatting. It usually begins as I get closer to my working weight in the warmup sets.

I've definitely given some consideration to taking a quick break from squats, but I haven't been on the program for that long and they seem pretty adamant about not missing workouts unless you're dying. Then again, I'm pretty sure my health is more important than following along blindly until I can't walk anymore.

Individual characteristics and a person's ability to handle physical stress is more important then doing every single workout as described. Getting injured will not help you achieve your goals, so feel free to modify things to keep yourself healthy and able to workout without pain.

**Travis17** · Posted On: 1/31/2011 8:37am

I have this I think. I don't think it's hip pain. It's just a tight muscle. The reason you don't feel it in the last set or 2 is because after doing several sets it gets stretched out on it's own. Same thing has happened to me.

I had to figure out which muscle it was and then google stretches for it.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/31...torius-muscle/

It's the Sartorius Muscle I think. I do the first stretch on that link, where you basically are in a lunge position and lean forward. What I usually do is 1 warmup set and if the muscle is tight, I just spend the next minute stretching it and I'm fine for the rest of the squat sets. I'd try that just to see if you notice a difference in the tightness of the muscle after stretching it.

If that stretch doesn't hit the muscle for some reason try googling other stretches for that muscle or finding the muscle in a diagram and then googling stretches for it. That's what I do.

**Res Judicata** · Posted On: 1/31/2011 1:23pm

You want to do something like this before squatting:

http://stronglifts.com/7-dynamic-str...-hip-mobility/

Dynamic flexibility work has a ton of benefits for squatting. It'll get you warm, loose and you'll start to find your trouble spots.

Do your static stretching after lifting.

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 1/31/2011 4:05pm

Awesome, I'll try some of these on Wednesday. Thanks!

**Neo Sigma** · Posted On: 2/02/2011 4:37pm

Figured it out. I did a few minutes on one of the bikes to warm up and then some of the stretches, then got to it. As it is with so many issues with squatting, I wasn't going deep enough. The pain only came when I was stopping my squat higher than parallel. I set myself up at an angle with some mirrors to check it out. Once I made sure to drop it(possibly like it was hot) as low as I could, I was completely pain-free. Which meant I also had to dial it back by about 30 pounds because I was using too much to REALLY be squatting with instead of the half-assed ones I was apparently doing.

Trouble with being short is that hitting parallel or below for a guy who's only 5'5" is going to be a LOT closer to the ground. Made me think I was going too low at first.