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Thread: It Never Rains But It Pours - A Log For A Habitual Whiner

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,032

    Default It Never Rains But It Pours - A Log For A Habitual Whiner

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    Recently I started keeping a log over on the Starting Strength Training Logs section. I've decided to move it over here because I am not really doing SS.

    http://startingstrength.com/resource...ad.php?t=21967

    Last week on Wednesday, while trying to keep my lower back tight and arched so I could finally find the hamstring bounce, I managed to hurt myself at only 25kgs. I felt a burning pain running up from my right glute all the way up to where the back of my skull joins my neck. Then my back started spasming. I stopped right there.

    I didn't work out again until last Saturday. At 25kgs I felt my lower back hurting again. When I watched the video I saw buttwink.

    I switched over to front squats, which I have only done once or twice. The pain was much less. I did sets of 5 until I reached a weight that needed a little effort, just as SS protocol for a first workout demands.

    I will post a video of my painful back squat at 25kgs and my non-painful last set of front squats at 55kgs tonight.


    BACK SQUATS

    20 x 5
    25 x 5


    FRONT SQUATS

    30 x 5
    35 x 5
    40 x 5
    45 x 5
    50 x 5
    55 x 5 x 3

    Very wobbly legs after this, I guess just because of the volume of work, but felt good.


    DUMBELL PRESS

    20 x 5 x 3


    DEADLIFT

    27.5 x 5
    35 x 5 Back twinged hard, decided better not to risk it.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    South of France
    Posts
    3,005

    Default

    Hi KnKavo,

    Quote Originally Posted by knkavo View Post
    Last week on Wednesday, while trying to keep my lower back tight and arched so I could finally find the hamstring bounce, I managed to hurt myself at only 25kgs. I felt a burning pain running up from my right glute all the way up to where the back of my skull joins my neck. Then my back started spasming. I stopped right there.
    I dont' know what to say.
    I am actually optimistic about what happened to you. I think you probably put your body in the right position, a position that your body has never been familiar with. This caused your body to react.
    Ok, the reaction was a bit extreme, but I think it's a sign that you have taken your body out of the confort zone.

    The pain will go (it always does) and a bit of additional stretching will get your body used to squat in the right way.
    As I said before, once you do it right, you will do it right every other time.

    Last but not least: keep going. I've been through a period last year when I injured myself three times in five months. I basically made no progress from early April to end of August. But as most things, even that bad patch ended, and since then I've made progress again.
    It will be the same for you.
    Take care,


    IPB

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    1,032

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by IlPrincipeBrutto View Post
    Hi KnKavo,



    I dont' know what to say.
    I am actually optimistic about what happened to you. I think you probably put your body in the right position, a position that your body has never been familiar with. This caused your body to react.
    Ok, the reaction was a bit extreme, but I think it's a sign that you have taken your body out of the confort zone.

    The pain will go (it always does) and a bit of additional stretching will get your body used to squat in the right way.
    As I said before, once you do it right, you will do it right every other time.

    Last but not least: keep going. I've been through a period last year when I injured myself three times in five months. I basically made no progress from early April to end of August. But as most things, even that bad patch ended, and since then I've made progress again.
    It will be the same for you.
    Take care,


    IPB
    Hey IPB,

    I'm not giving up, neither on lifting generally nor on back squats in particular.

    I moved my log over here because I am doing stuff like working out only 2 times a week, using dumbells for the pressing movements instead of a barbell, not doing powercleans, i.e. NDTP.

    I don't disagree that my back was complaining because I was forcing it into the right position. Today I am going to try back squats again, though it's still hurting a little. If it hurts, and only if, I will do front squats again. I know it's generally not encouraged to mix up the two when you haven't nailed down the technique for back squats, but it's better than doing no squats at all (I think).

    Videos coming up too.

    Your keeping an eye on my log is really appreciated.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    667

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    I watched your videos on the old log and as someone said, you are fine until about 2/3s of the way down and then your back relaxes and you get butt-wink.

    I think it's a flexibility issue. You obviously know how to flex your lower back and have "concious control" over those muscles, as I think Rip put it in his Active Hip article. But before you even break parrallel it goes all wrong.

    I'd forget squats for a while and work on flexibility. Remember to do dynamic stretching, static stretching is not good. There are some good links here somewhere for that.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Brisbane, Australia
    Posts
    634

    Default

    Hi, I saw your squat videos and just want to throw in some info that helped me (may or may not be relevent to you)
    I noticed before you drop into the squat you arch your lower back quite alot. I had constant niggles with my lower back when starting squatting and I always though it was because of butt wink or not arching enough. After many small injuries and visits to the physio I finally figured out it was because I was arching my lower back too much (like what you're doing at the top of your squat).
    Once I just held my back firm at a neutral position I haven't had any problems at all (and no buttwink either) Neutral position simply means the kind of position you would have if you were standing normally, not so exagerated an arch.

    Anyway something to consider.

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