Squat Check for a Noob

[K.O.]

Hello all,
I'm on my 11th week of SS. I'm a 37 y.o. male and weigh 186 lb currently. I made some good gains on the squat until last week. My right quad (outside part) got increasingly sore over the last couple of weeks, along with discomfort above my left patella. It got so bad, that I had to stop my workout at 245 lbs on my first work set. I could only manage 2 reps. The next workout I just did the warmup sets and for today's workout, I deloaded to 205 lbs to see how it felt. Quad and knee felt okay at best. The rest helped, but the pain has not gone away. I got a massage today and I hope that foam rolling on my part will also help to alleviate this. Anyway, here's my last workout when I got to 240 lbs for you all to check, pls. Thx!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m9k...AjZ-94KRjZMM4w

[Michael Wolf]

Keep your head and eye gaze down throughout the set; though it's difficult to say for certain because the post blocks a good view of your head, it appears that you're looking up as you ascend. Keep your eyes on a fixed point that you stare at the entire set, even in between reps, and keep your head down to match. This should help you stay in your hips better, and not lift your chest. Additionally, use the Master Cue. Stay over midfoot.

I don't see any problems here that would normally cause that kind of pain you're describing.

[K.O.]

Thanks for the tip. I try to look down but never at a particular spot.

That's why I find it strange that I'm having these annoyances. I don't think I've deviated much from what was taught to me during my coaching session. Maybe I'm pushing my knees too far forward. I can't tell and maybe I should use a tubow. I know a lot of rest will help, but I don't want to stop squatting. If I squat heavy, I'm sure these pains will re aggravate themselves.

[Michael Wolf]

Sometimes you need to take a little time off to let things calm down, then work your way back up from a lighter weight to make the thing get better in the context in which it's used. Try skipping a workout or two, then come back and squat just to tolerance of the injury. Don't worry how much weight is on the bar. If it's light, accumulate a lot of reps. The 3 sets of 25 works well if it's super light, or a bunch of sets of 10 if it's not quite so light. Over the coming workouts, continue adding weight to tolerance, and as it gets heavier, appropriately lower the reps till you're back at heavy work sets of 5.

[K.O.]

Thanks for the encouragement. It's hard to force yourself to back off when you've made so much progress. I did 210x5x3 yesterday and was able to warm up effectively. Along with some stretching in between sets, the weight felt fine and most importantly, I wasn't too sore today. I took some ibuprofen as well and it seemed to have helped. I will keep your helpful advice in mind if I encounter any more setbacks. Thanks!!

[Michael Wolf]

Good. And yes, depending on the injury, sometimes a course of Vitamin I can help as well.