Squat injury

[Theseahawk]

Hello. I was going for my working weight on squat about 30 minutes ago. 480 pound x 5 was the aim. I got three solid reps, took a couple of breaths and sank down for the 4th. On the way up, at the sticking point, a pain in my groin shot up and it felt like something slid inside my inside left leg. The weight took me to the safety pins.

Now that the shock of it is over, i’m trying to work out what has happened so I’m trying moving my leg in different ways to see:

Stood up, if I attempt to swing my left leg, while straight, straight forward it wants to go out to the side and forward. Forcing it in a straight line forward creates a real sharp pain and a shaky slow movement.

Stood up swinging the leg backwards seems fine apart from some mild pain at the groin at the full ROM.

Same with swinging outwards.

Bodyweight squat: with a slow cautious descent, I can’t put much weight on my left leg and have to continue the descent putting most the weight on the right. The pain in my left groin area is sharp while descending from about the half squat position all the way to parallel. Below parallel the pain disappears and I can sit comfortably ass to grass. The ascent is very slow and shaky. Not as painful as the descent.

Sat down trying to squeeze a soccer ball with my knees, adduction is very weak and painful.

If I can move it, albeit slowly and shakily, nothing has snapped, is that right? Is this a tear? I don’t think I’ve ever had anything quite like this, so I don’t know.

Thanks,

[Nick D'Agostino]

It sounds like an adductor strain. Look up the Starr protocol and the previous few pages of posts that are related to any type of muscle tear or strain to come up with a plan to manage it.

[Theseahawk]

Thank you.

So I will:
(1) Wait until a blurring of the pain (3-4 days).
(2) Progress 3x25 squats for 10 days by adding weight each day but not to all 3 sets at once.
(3) Each day after, add weight but reduce reps until I am doing my 5s again. After a couple of weeks I will be PBing.

It says no other heavy work during this recovery process. I wouldn’t much fancy deadlifting or cleaning anyway. Can I become bench focused, or does that count as too heavy to not allow system resources to be directed to the recovery of the adductor? Chins? Or should I use this as an excuse to do curls, flyes and side raises!?

Thanks

[Nick D'Agostino]

Good job looking up the start protocol. Did you check out any of the other muscle strain posts on this or the following page? I think there are probably at least 4-5 various muscle strain posts that have occurred in the last couple of weeks where I answered these questions. Take a look and read through a couple of pages and then repost an updated plan. I still want you to do the other lifts if able. I would stay away from cleans but you can probably still deadlift, it may just have to be a good chunk lighter at the beginning of your rehab. You will also probably need to make a stance adjustment of pointing your toes more forward temporarily. As you start to recover gradually bring them out.

[Theseahawk]

Okay, thanks.

There’s the thigh thread (RSM) that is updated today. He said he was going to go in at 80-90% for his other lifts.

I think I need to be more careful with the deadlift. I tweaked this groin muscle on the 22nd April. I had done SQ 210 kg x5x3 (a PR up to that date), then my presses, then a PR deadlift at 207.5 kg x 5. It was during the deadlift I got a groin tweak. But it didn’t seem serious. I next deadlifted on the 4th may at 210 kg x 5, no further problems with the groin, but the full pain was still there. And then it was 13th May squats 218 kg that caused the tear.

My thoughts are that I should maybe start in lighter on the deadlift since it contributed to the injury. Bench will have to be lighter than my last session of 133.5 kg x 3x3 as I can’t dig my left foot in for a solid arch, but not too much lighter. I’m not sure pushing my hips forward will be manageable for the press just yet with 85 kg x 5x3.

There’s the adductor tear thread by skinnybones. His deadlift was down to about 60% then quickly came back up over a few weeks.

My plan:

Rehab Day 1
——————
Squat 20kgx25x3
Bench 107.5kgx5x3
Deadlift build up and see where I feel I can complete 5 reps without more injury. Maybe 125kg based off the 60 percent above. Although this seems daunting right now.

Rehab day 2
——————
Squat 20kgx25x2, 22.5kgx25

Rehab day 3
——————
Squat 20kgx25, 22.5kgx25, 25kgx25
Press 65kgx5x3 using less hip forward motion at this stage.
Chins bodyweight 3 sets of AMRAP

Rehab day 4
——————
Squat 22.5kgx25, 25kgx25, 27.5kgx25

Rehab day 5
——————
Squat 25kgx25, 30kgx25x2
Bench 112.5kgx5x3
Romanian DL 3x5 at 80% of DL on day 1

Rehab day 6
——————
Squat 32.5kgx25x3

Rehab day 7
——————
Squat 40kgx25x3

Rehab day 8
——————
Squat 50kgx25x3
Press 70kgx5x3 allow more hip movement.
Chins 3 sets

Rehab day 9
——————
Squat 70kgx25x3

Rehab day 10
——————
Squat 90kgx25x3
Bench 117.5kgx5x3
Deadlift add 5kg (130kg?)

Rehab day 11
——————
Squat 112.5kgx15x3

Rehab day 12
——————
Squat 150.5kgx10x3
Press 75kgx5x3
Chins 3 sets

Rehab day 13
——————
Squat 197.5kgx5x3

Rehab day 14
——————
Squat 212.5kgx5x3

My best 3x5 squat is 212kg. I was doing a top set and two 90% back offs to reach the 218kg that injured me.

Does this seem plausible? I tried to keep jumps small at the start of the two week plan and then make the jumps increase as it progresses.

The following week should see me benching back in the 120kg+ range and pressing in the 80kg+ range so that week 4 sets new PRs.

I’m stuck how to programme the deadlift. I think that will just have to go a bit by feel.

[Nick D'Agostino]

Read the last two posts I made on that thread.

[Theseahawk]

About the taking two or three reps off every two or three sessions and working to a top set? Is that from day 1 as I thought the Starr protocol was 10 days with 25 rep sets? If it’s after the 10 days, then rehab will take longer than two weeks?

[Nick D'Agostino]

Start that from day 1. 15 reps for a few sessions, then 12 reps for a few sessions, then 10 reps for a few sessions, etc. Once you're down to 6 reps for a few sessions switch back to 3 sets of 5 reps and continue on up.

[Theseahawk]

Okay. Thanks. And the weight jumps? If I’m to get from 20 kg x25 to 212 kg x3x5 in 2 weeks or so, am I to make even jumps, or start with small jumps and increase the jump size as the days go on? Or is it really a matter of how I respond?

[Nick D'Agostino]

Don't worry about the two weeks. Sometimes it takes 1 week, other times 6 weeks. Making jumps that are too big is what causes these things to take longer because of the risk of reinjuring yourself increases. I wouldn't take more than a 10 kilo jump from session to session. Also start at 15 reps, not 25. Ramp the weight up if you can on the first day. If you need more precise advice than this it's getting closer to consult territory.