Elbow Pain from Squats

[mikeylikey]

See pg 32 of SS. The "Headache Like Soreness" in the elbows. I got it.

Started feeling it around 215, 225, somewhere in there. By 245 my elbows hurt all the time, especially the right one, could barely put on the parking brake in my car.

Took almost 2 weeks off from lifting completely, started back at 225#, and whadda ya know, it's back. Not as bad as before, but it's there. It starts hurting after I squat, generally goes away, but can be aggravated by pulls, presses, yard work, etc.

Reading through the archives it looks like a number of people have dealt with this, and I'd appreciate any thoughts, tips, experiences, etc. Did you have to stop squatting entirely? What about pulling and pressing?

Perhaps I need to reset to a weight that is so light I can focus 100% of my attention on correct arm positioning?

[MazdaMatt]

I know this isn't the first response, but many people actually get this from their powercleans and think it is from squats. Are you SURE that you're not using your arms at all on your powercleans?

[Ian Kovtunovich]

I went through a bit of this when I tried to narrow up my squat grip (wide shoulders and long arms). At some point, it was just too narrow, and it was torquing my elbows. Try widening it up a hand width or so, and adjusting how much you are lifting your elbows; you might just be inadvertently intercepting too much weight.

[RobertFontaine]

I have a bad habit of straining my elbows/shoulders on the squat. In order to resolve this the big thing for me was setting my back (contracting lats, traps, mid/lower back) and using a thumbless grip. I still pull the bar with my arms too much occasionally but these two points on set up have reduced the problem dramatically.

[smitty]

There are two good threads on this board regarding the elbow pain. Each has useful recommendations. SEARCH FUNCTION.
Aside from the ideas in those threads, I used chalk for the first time yesterday (300x5,5,5) and it was the most amazingly stable squat session since I was around the 200 lb range. Really solid, no bar movement or slipping in the hands. Now there are other things that you probably need to do for shoulders/elbows, but chalk rocks.

[MazdaMatt]

Smitty, i highly recommend chalking your posterior delts, too. Even better.

[mikeylikey]

There are two good threads on this board regarding the elbow pain. Each has useful recommendations. SEARCH FUNCTION.
Aside from the ideas in those threads, I used chalk for the first time yesterday (300x5,5,5) and it was the most amazingly stable squat session since I was around the 200 lb range. Really solid, no bar movement or slipping in the hands. Now there are other things that you probably need to do for shoulders/elbows, but chalk rocks.

I've read every thread on this subject in it's entirety. Lots of good advice, little in the way of follow up (how long it took, what worked, etc.).

[Sami]

I thought my "battered elbow" thread was the most extensive on the subject. There was probably every conceivable suggestion in that thread. I did multiple follow ups as well.

Did you read it?


EDIT: http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=14589

[JStrong]

Hi Mikey,

What works is ice, rest, & ibuprofen.

I have had this twice--unracking, reracking, a slipping bar (even 1 rep will do above BW) are all possible instigators.

Of course, the problem is that you are carrying the weight on your arms at some point in the lift, and your arms can't handle 200+ pounds. Chest up, elbows back, thumbless grip all help.

Don't relax until the bar is completely secure in the rack, even relaxing as you set it down can do it.

Also, wider grip really does help depending on morphology, even letting your pinky (and maybe ring finger) not sit on the bar can help.

Good luck, I did the same thing during my SS run, took about two weeks of no squatting or pulling movements to recover.

[mikeylikey]

I thought my "battered elbow" thread was the most extensive on the subject. There was probably every conceivable suggestion in that thread. I did multiple follow ups as well.

Did you read it?


EDIT: http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=14589

Sami, I did read that whole thing a couple of weeks ago. Forgot about that one, yes there was some very good stuff in there.

You didn't stop squatting, right? Jusst used high bar till your arms were better?

[Squatson]

I recently got a pair of forearm wraps (http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?SearchPhrase=forearm+wraps&x=0&y=0&m=SR)

I can keep the grip that previously caused elbow pain

[PVC]

The question you need to ask yourself is "what am I doing wrong?" We can provide you with suggestions, but if you don't know exactly what's wrong then you won't really know exactly what to do about it.

Personally, I had major issues with bar placement, which was causing my elbow pain. In the end, it turned out that I wasn't keeping my chest up/not keeping my upper back in extension, which would cause the bar to roll down my back a bit. In order to prevent the bar from falling off my back, I would have to support it on my back with my arms, which was causing my elbow problems. I fixed it by resetting my squat weight (which I had to do anyways since this issue was causing my squat to stall) and focusing all my energy on keeping my chest up, hard.

So, find out what YOU are doing wrong, and fix it.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

There are two good threads on this board regarding the elbow pain. Each has useful recommendations. SEARCH FUNCTION.
Aside from the ideas in those threads, I used chalk for the first time yesterday (300x5,5,5) and it was the most amazingly stable squat session since I was around the 200 lb range. Really solid, no bar movement or slipping in the hands. Now there are other things that you probably need to do for shoulders/elbows, but chalk rocks.

You got to 3x5x300 and you just started using chalk?! :confused:

[mikeylikey]

The question you need to ask yourself is "what am I doing wrong?" We can provide you with suggestions, but if you don't know exactly what's wrong then you won't really know exactly what to do about it.

There may be a small problem there, I've been changing things around a lot (grip width, wrist bend, thumb placement) trying to see if anything will alleviate the problem. And of course I don't knowingly let my elbows drop during a set. I'll try to get a video up here in a little bit.

[smitty]

You got to 3x5x300 and you just started using chalk?! :confused:

Yep, and I had no idea that it was such a great addition to my gym bag. I live on a tight budget, so I just hadn't made it to chalk on my "stuff to get" list. Shoes are next, I'm still in chucks - and those Romaleos sound pretty nice.

To the OP, my fixes were: chest up (with conviction for the WHOLE set), elbows up, straight wrists, add chin-ups, ibuprofen, and add chalk (in that order).

[PVC]

There may be a small problem there, I've been changing things around a lot (grip width, wrist bend, thumb placement) trying to see if anything will alleviate the problem. And of course I don't knowingly let my elbows drop during a set. I'll try to get a video up here in a little bit.

Basic stuff to think about:

- Thumbs around
- Wrists straight (bent upwards or bent downwards may cause issues)
- Proper grip width - not too wide or too narrow (personally, my squat grip is such that my pinky fingers rest on the grip markings)
- Elbows up
- Chest up, back in proper thoracic extension

Also keep in mind that the arms are simply holding the bar against the upper back, i.e. the arms aren't directly supporting the weight. Or at least they shouldn't be, and if they are, that's probably what's causing your elbow issues.

[RobertFontaine]

Chalk is fun and all but I'm not exactly sure what you need chalk for squats for. I've seen guys rub it all over their backs and hands and make great clouds with it.

I like it for heavy deadlifts and the quick lifts so that I don't tear my callouses but otherwise it doesn't really seem terribly important.

[smitty]

The benefit was that it kept my usually sweaty palms from sliding, which helped me keep the bar pressed against my back. I also put a little bit on the middle of the bar to get better traction against my sweat-soaked shirt. My base gym is hot and poorly ventilated, and I'm dripping sweat by the time I get to my work sets.

[gzt]

My gym isn't air-conditioned. It helps keep it on the back and keep the hands from sliding. water + metal, even with knurling, can get slick.

[gzt]

Oh, yes, and I had a similar problem. I did high bar and front squats until my elbow felt better, then, when I did low bar again, I found out what was causing the problem, I think: I was essentially trying to bend the bar across my back. When I let up a bit, things got better. I mean, I was still damn tight and my arms were tight with the bar and all that, but I wasn't trying to bend the bar across my back.

[God of Thunder]

I've had the headache in the elbows, but it was also in the forearm and radiating up to my outer bicep. Always worse after squatting and affecting the rest of the session :(

I think it started from bad form in the clean (reverse curling bro stylee) and then made worse by loose form with the low bar position and struggling to rerack the bar at the end of a set of squats (trying to 'lift' bar back onto the hooks by raising my elbows up).

Since using strict form and lowering the power rack hooks so I don't have to struggle to rack, things are settling down slowly.

GoT