KeysMcGee Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 So, I've recently switched my weightlifting routine from the Rippetoe Starting Strength approach to the Stronglifts 5X5 program. I've even decided to start all the way back at the empty bar for SL 5X5 so that I can get some practice working on my form. I'm in no rush, after all.Anyway, I've noticed some pain in my left leg after my workout. Usually, it first hits me in my lower back right where my pelvis and leg bone connect and feels like there's something pinched or else something jammed between those bones. I also notice it when I'm seated. The inside of my thigh around my groin area aches if I try to rotate my leg (such as to lift my left foot and place it on my right leg when seated). I've also felt it hurt a little when I twist to get out of the passenger's side of my girlfriend's car this weekend (which was before I started the SL program). Some additional info: Doing starting strength, I made it all the way up to around 165 lbs squatting without any pain in my leg. One Friday afternoon, I decided (for some idiotic reason) to change things up by doing 3 sets of 10 reps at a lighter weight. I had also, at that point, started jogging for about a mile on the treadmill before my workouts as a warm up. I've since eliminated the jogging part, too.That Friday was actually when the pain first started.It doesn't hurt on touch. Sometimes it's an ache, sometimes it's a sharp pain when I move it, and sometimes it just feels like that muscle on the inside of my leg is just weak.I had a guy look at my form today. He said that it looked fine. I'm going deep enough, the bar is moving in a straight line, etc. etc, though I'm not convinced that he really knew what to look for. I tried to explain to him what I wanted him to do, but one can only do so much, and he was nice enough to help me.Finally, today makes my second workout day in a row where I've forgotten to cool down immediately after working out (though I have been doing light weights, so it hasn't been prevalent in my mind--still, it's good to build the habits from the get-go).Any idea what may be going on? More importantly, any thoughts on how to fix it?Thanks, NF community, by the way, for all of your encouragement. I couldn't ask for better help! Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Hmm inside of left leg... could be the adductor muscles are sore. Is it painful or just sore? What do you do for warmups before you squat? Any BW squats and stretching before hand? This is a pretty good hip/adductor stretch for squats. For helping soreness I always recommend you place a lacrosse ball where it hurts and then roll around till you cry. Rinse and repeat as needed. Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm not sure. What's the difference between pain and soreness? The only time I feel it is when it's in use. If I'm just sitting or standing, nothing. It's not painful as in "Oh my god I'm going to freaking die!" kind of painful. More of a "Hm, that's a little bit uncomfortable and perhaps slightly unpleasant" kind of painful.Today, I did not do any warm ups. The guy that puts out the SL program says that normally, the empty bar sets serve as the warm up, though he does recommend some kind of squat-arm-reach sort of thing called a Squat to Stand as a dynamic stretch (which I did do Monday).Where do I find a lacrosse ball? Maybe I could find something else. How big is a lacrosse ball? The size of a cantaloupe? Size of an orange? Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Hmm sounds like it is just soreness. For pain if it stops you from moving in a mostly natural way that is what I would call pain. Lacrosse balls are about the size of a tennis ball and can be found in the team sports section of Wal-Mart, Academy, Dicks Sporting Goods, etc. They are a 100% rubber, think racket ball but not hollow. Tennis balls are a good substitite, although less masochistic Normally an empty bar does serve as a good stretch, but I've discovered everything feels better doing a few deep and slow BW squats before hand, really hanging out at the bottom position. The squat to stand is good too, but really just kinda hang out in the full squat postion and wiggle around (shove knees out, rock slightly on the ankles) and it helps a lot. Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
oystergirl Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Two things. first make sure your toes are pointing forward and your feet are equal distance apart from your hips and your hips are square. Too many people think they have good form but their starting point is skewed and thus their base is off.Second. Stretching, especially when you are lifting heavy is ESSENTIAL. If you are feeling sore and not cooling down and not stretching especially your hips, lower back and legs, you will start to get imbalances and pain. Best of luck! Quote The real world is bizarre enough for me....Blue Oyster Cult! Oystergirl: Bad Assed Lightcaster (aka wizard!) STR: 2 | DEX: 3 | CON: 3 | STA: 2 | WIS: 4 | CHA: 5 Oystergirl's Bad Ass Lightcaster Wicked Rocking Adventure Challenge! Come visit my wicked rocking Nerd Fitness blog! Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 You know, at first, I didn't think this worth mentioning, but I tried out a couple of the stretches shown in the video just now, and I noticed that my right leg looks bigger than my left leg, especially regarding the adductor (?) muscles (the one on the inside of my thigh). In fact, on my last measurement, my right thigh is almost an inch and a half bigger than my left thigh. It appears to be a minor difference, but I wonder if that's part of the issue--Is my left leg just struggling to catch up (does that even happen or am I over personifying my legs)? Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bprime Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Sounds like you have no external rotation while squatting. Or hamstring mobility. And probably your whole body is a stiff piece of wood. Step 1: www.mobilitywod.comStep 2: Start at episode oneStep 3: profit. Quote My life. My dreams. http://dreambigsquatbigger.blogspot.com Hey! I'm actually updating this thing now Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'll definitely incorporate the stretches next time. Regarding the toes, I've seen some sources (the Stronglifts guy, Mark Rippetoe, etc) claim that I need to angle out my toes by around 30 degrees and ensure that my knees are spread out and in line with my toes. What are your thoughts on that?It more than likely is, Bprime. At which step do I ??? Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Two things. first make sure your toes are pointing forward and your feet are equal distance apart from your hips and your hips are square. Too many people think they have good form but their starting point is skewed and thus their base is off.Are you stating that your feet should be parallel to each other? Because that is not the correct answer. Pointing slightly out to at most 30 degrees is fine. Very few people can keep the toes pointing straight forward. Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
jdanger Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I only read the first post but this sounds like piriformis related pain so if no one said that they are all wrong. The piriformis is a handy little chunk of external rotator that just so happens to sit right on top of the sciatic nerve and can cause all sorts of problems when he gets angry. Sitting on him makes it worse and "seated with legs crossed" is actually the basis for how we stretch the piriformis & related external rotators (and even adductors). Cool huh. Extra points: what's "sit down correctly" look like?If you also feel your adductors stretching during this that's ok too. Squatting will tighten those guys up so you'll want to stretch them at the end of your sessions along with everything else. If you can do it without any "nerve pain" (sciatica) pain balling/foam rolling the region can help too. Backing up to your warmups, if you sit a lot make sure you're doing a lot of glute activation related exercises (properly) like bridges, hip thrusts, kb swings, lunges ect. I like lateral lunges as done correctly they will stretch the adductors and activate the glutes. Quote Eat. Sleep. High bar squat. | Strength is a skill, refine it. Follow my Weightlifting team's antics: Instagram | Facebook | Youtube Looking for a strength program? Check out The Danger Method and remember to do your damn abs Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I only read the first post but this sounds like piriformis related pain so if no one said that they are all wrong. That was my second guess, I swear..... Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Jdanger, it's funny that you mention that, too, as when I looked up some form stuff in my Starting Strength Book, one of the pictures showed that muscle and I pointed at it and said "THERE! That thing hurts right there!" It's right where that piriformis thingie connects to my leg. Incidentally, I watched the video and the stretching did make that muscle feel a little better. I'll be honest with you, though, as I have no idea what half of those warm-ups are. I know what a lateral lunge is, though (I think).Also, I never realized that you spell "sciatica" with an "s." Damned Romans.Though I've noticed that my adductors still ache a little as well. Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
oystergirl Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 I meant generally forward at the same angle and one not pointing out at a strange degree to the other...that Piriformis idea is also a good one-I have to stretch that daily cause it pulls my whole pelvis out of line...and yes you can definitely have one leg stronger than another and bigger and it can cause imbalance. My sister in law is an amateur league tennis player and she works REALLY hard to build up her non-dominant arm so she has some type of symmetry. Quote The real world is bizarre enough for me....Blue Oyster Cult! Oystergirl: Bad Assed Lightcaster (aka wizard!) STR: 2 | DEX: 3 | CON: 3 | STA: 2 | WIS: 4 | CHA: 5 Oystergirl's Bad Ass Lightcaster Wicked Rocking Adventure Challenge! Come visit my wicked rocking Nerd Fitness blog! Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Here's another issue that, while not a problem now, may end up becoming one later: I've started putting the bar lower on my back when I squat. Before, it would rest somewhere just above my shoulder blades on my neck (somewhere between the ridges of my spine). I stopped doing that because I knew that it would probably be bad for me once I put the heavy stuff on there. I tried putting it lower, somewhere beneath the top edge of my shoulder blades, but I've now got to contort my wrists into some godawful position because my arms are either too long or else aren't flexible enough to reach all the way back and comfortably stabilize the bar that low. Either that, or I have to widen my arms so much that I'm almost touching the plates to keep my wrists comfortable. What are your thoughts on wrists and bar position in the squat? Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 How are you holding the bar? Wrists should be straight. Elbows out. Thumbs go on top of the bar. See video: Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
KeysMcGee Posted February 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hey, I just got back in from my workout today, and I wanted to thank all of you who helped out with my issues. No leg pain except for a minor ache on my right quad which I pretty much expect (DOMS, I suspect), no ache with my wrists thanks to the video above, and all-in-all, a very successful foray into the world of weights. Quote "When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." -Henry Ford "If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things." -Miyamoto Musashi "Oh, she says, well, you're not a poor man. You know, why don't you go online and buy a hundred envelopes and put them in the closet? And so I pretend not to hear her. And go out to get an envelope because I'm going to have a hell of a good time in the process of buying one envelope. I meet a lot of people. And, see some great looking babies. And a fire engine goes by. And I give them the thumbs up. And, and ask a woman what kind of dog that is. And, and I don't know. The moral of the story is, is we're here on Earth to fart around. And, of course, the computers will do us out of that. And, what the computer people don't realize, or they don't care, is we're dancing animals. You know, we love to move around. And, we're not supposed to dance at all anymore." -Kurt Vonnegut. Link to comment
bigm141414 Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Hey, I just got back in from my workout today, and I wanted to thank all of you who helped out with my issues. No leg pain except for a minor ache on my right quad which I pretty much expect (DOMS, I suspect), no ache with my wrists thanks to the video above, and all-in-all, a very successful foray into the world of weights.Good to hear Creative! Now lets all sing the squat song: Squat squat squat squat squat squat squat squat squat, ohhhhhhhh and squat squat squat squat squat squat squat..... Quote "Pull the bar like you're ripping the head off a god-damned lion" - Donny Shankle Link to comment
Katamay Posted February 3, 2012 Report Share Posted February 3, 2012 Wanted to let you know that a good massage therapist can access piriformis quite easily and help you deal with the issue, if it ever recurs. Quote Kat Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.