Sharp pain in tricep/delt when squatting.

[BigShot]

Coach,

I hope you'll forgive two posts in a day, but they are completely unrelated so I thought it best to keep them apart. Only a quick one this time though.

When I get under the bar for a squat - all done by the book - I get a sharp, spread-out pain centred on the area marked in green on the image below. It's only a problem when I get my arms into squat position. Doing it with a broom handle feels the same.

I'm generally just gritting my teeth and getting on with it, but it's making it damn hard to keep my arms in the right place as my squat gets heavier so I think I really need to do something about it. Any suggestions?

Thanks again, coach.



(Oh... if you got a double-post of my previous thread and the one you looked at didn't have the same picture as above, the blue mark on the frontal view is the bit that seems to be the trouble. The one on the back feels almost connected, but I think it's probably left-over soreness from a bit of now-corrected back rounding on my squat and a lot of now-corrected rounding on my deadlift.)

[Mark Rippetoe]

I have an idea here: you're not very strong and you keep getting hurt. Height/weight/age, how long have you been training?

[BigShot]

6'2", 30 and about 143lbs at last weigh in (up from 135 when I started). Half way through my 3rd week of SS.
First time strength training but reasonably fit otherwise. No stranger to exercise in general... but strength training... yes.

[Mark Rippetoe]

But you seem to be a stranger to the dinner table.

[thersites]

In the immortal words of Mrs. Claus: "Eat, eat, nobody likes a skinny Santa." OK, you are up eight pound in three weeks, so keep that up.

When folks start, some find that they have some problems getting into the proper positions. Flexibility issues, too much sitting at desks working on the computer (or looking at porn online, for some), etc. leads to issues that have to work themselves out. Doing the exercises will help with the first, and likely the second, but you can help things along. You may want to get yourself a lacrosse ball (tennis ball works, as do those super bouncy balls we loved as kids). Put the ball between your shoulder and arm and a wall, and search around until you find painful spots. Stay with those for 30 to 60 seconds, keep breathing, and let the ball do its magic. Work down the arms, into your armpit and lats, and around your chest and shoulder blade over a couple sessions, and you will very likely see any repetitive stress problems that you bring to the table (and are likely culprits) diminish or disappear. A good massage therapist who knows trigger point work and is not afraid of being a bit rough can also help.

Other than that, keep at it, eat, sleep, rinse, and repeat.

[BigShot]

Not so much. Until I started lifting my weight has never responded much to food. I have no idea why. I don't count calories, but now I eat enough to wake up feeling full and every meal is an effort.
No suggestions on the shoulder pain beyond sucking it up?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I think you are not recovering, and when this happens lots of little things hurt.