Super Tight Adductors When Squatting

[Dr.B.]

I'm new to Starting Strength, and hoping someone might be able to tell me if I'm screwing up. After doing my first real low bar squat (I've attached a video link) I had major tightness in my adductors. I warmed up for 5 minutes on a rowing machine first, and then did two warm-up sets (5 x 95 and 3 x 120) without any noticeable adductor tightness. It was only a problem on my work sets (165 x 5 x 3) and wasn't an issue when I did deadlifts.

If it's simply a case of weak adductors, that's fine, but I was wondering if maybe something in my technique was messed up. I'm also wondering if any more experienced lifters (pretty much anyone reading this) might have any sage advice about more fully warming up adductors and any suggestions on how long to wait before squatting again (I was on a WFS schedule, but I'm thinking with how my adductors feel, Sunday might be really rough). Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...jBIcHJEVFFhU0U

[Adam Skillin]

I'm new to Starting Strength, and hoping someone might be able to tell me if I'm screwing up. After doing my first real low bar squat (I've attached a video link) I had major tightness in my adductors. I warmed up for 5 minutes on a rowing machine first, and then did two warm-up sets (5 x 95 and 3 x 120) without any noticeable adductor tightness. It was only a problem on my work sets (165 x 5 x 3) and wasn't an issue when I did deadlifts.

If it's simply a case of weak adductors, that's fine, but I was wondering if maybe something in my technique was messed up. I'm also wondering if any more experienced lifters (pretty much anyone reading this) might have any sage advice about more fully warming up adductors and any suggestions on how long to wait before squatting again (I was on a WFS schedule, but I'm thinking with how my adductors feel, Sunday might be really rough). Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...jBIcHJEVFFhU0U

My friend, you have some serious issues with these squats. Can't see if you've got the bar in the correct place from this poor angle, but you're the better part of a foot high, and are trying to stay far too vertical. Take lots of weight off and re-learn from scratch. I'm sorry this is the answer to your question, but there's no minor adjustments that can be made to this, it's just too far off of what the squat is supposed to look like to be salvaged. Do you have the book?

[Jesse Carrigan]

It looks to me like your knees aren't tracking parallel to your feet. I can't quite tell from the angle, but it could be that your stance is slightly too wide (I had this problem) or that you simply aren't pushing your knees out (had this problem too). That would also prevent getting to proper depth, which is also an issue here. For me, these problems appeared to be tight adductors but were actually issues in my squat setup.

Suggested fixes:

1. Go back to the book and review the section on squat stance setup, specifically on getting the back and knee angles set by pushing the knees out with the elbows. There are also videos on the site that go over this.
2. Ensure that your stance isn't too wide to allow your knees to track out. Heels should be shoulder width, which may be slightly narrower than you think (was for me).
3. Focus on pushing knees out and using hip drive to lift rather than quads.

Good luck!

[Dr.B.]

Thanks for the quick reply. When you say 'the better part of a foot high' I'm not sure what you mean - would you mind explaining? (The 'far too vertical' part I definitely get, though.) And I don't mind that I have to start from square 1 - I'd rather get it right now, with the help of smart, experienced people, then get to a point where I end up *really* hurting myself.

[Adam Skillin]

Thanks for the quick reply. When you say 'the better part of a foot high' I'm not sure what you mean - would you mind explaining? (The 'far too vertical' part I definitely get, though.) And I don't mind that I have to start from square 1 - I'd rather get it right now, with the help of smart, experienced people, then get to a point where I end up *really* hurting myself.

I mean your depth is insufficient by more than half a foot. Your video shows you doing loaded curtsies, not squats. This is the bottom position of the squat looks like:



This is the point at which you decide you're ready to come back up (approximately):



This is why I recommend the teaching progression in the book. Because the very first step is learning where the bottom position is. This will teach you both the correct back angle, and the correct depth. You need to then add weight from that point. You're most likely not nearly strong enough to squat the weight you have on the bar yet to depth, and you have a hugely flawed concept of what the movement is supposed to look like. Coaching would be a good option, but if you're not about to go that route, you'll need to re-teach yourself, from step 1.

To comment on jmcarrigan's post, I don't think that failing to adequately shove the knees out is a reasonable explanation for any kind of feeling in the adductors, since failing to shove the knees out results in slackened adductors that can't contribute meaningfully to the squat. The toe angle looks excessive, and that could be a contributing factor. But just like we can't see the (probably incorrect) bar position or stance from the poor choice of video angle, we can't really see whether the knees track the toes, the grip, or the stance width. Which is why we recommend taking video from a more useful angle.

Right now, I'd like to see a video or still photo of you practicing the bottom position of the squat. If you don't have the book, this means achieving the position in the first image above, putting your palms together in front of you, and using the back of your elbows to shove your knees out. It should feel like a little bit of a stretch. The next step would be teaching you how and where to hold the bar on your back, which I suspect you've got wrong as well.

Let me know if all that makes sense or if you have any other questions.

[Jesse Carrigan]

To comment on jmcarrigan's post, I don't think that failing to adequately shove the knees out is a reasonable explanation for any kind of feeling in the adductors, since failing to shove the knees out results in slackened adductors that can't contribute meaningfully to the squat. The toe angle looks excessive, and that could be a contributing factor. But just like we can't see the (probably incorrect) bar position or stance from the poor choice of video angle, we can't really see whether the knees track the toes, the grip, or the stance width. Which is why we recommend taking video from a more useful angle.

From my own experience, in the early going of my own linear progression I believed I had inflexible adductors due to a tight feeling through the inner thigh at the bottom of the squat. What was actually happening was that my feet were wide enough that it prevented me from getting to depth. Correcting from the ground up was what I needed. I apologize, I was perhaps over eager to help and I may not have been sufficiently accurate.

[Dr.B.]

Thanks so much for the detailed response - I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. After reading your response and looking through the book again, I think I have a better sense of things. Is this (video link attached) more like what I should be shooting for when I have a loaded bar? (I also tried to shoot it at a better angle, so you could more clearly see what I was doing.)https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...XhvV3hwWXFJRDg

[Adam Skillin]

Thanks so much for the detailed response - I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out. After reading your response and looking through the book again, I think I have a better sense of things. Is this (video link attached) more like what I should be shooting for when I have a loaded bar? (I also tried to shoot it at a better angle, so you could more clearly see what I was doing.)https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...XhvV3hwWXFJRDg

Well, you are going a bit too deep now, and you're breaking at the hips ahead of the knees. We want them to break together). Also, the bar is in the wrong place on your back and your wrists are overextended. Get the bar in the correct spot, and point your nipples (and eyes) at the floor.

Find the bottom position without the bar, the way I suggested above, and watch this:

The Squat - Bar Position

[Dr.B.]

Thanks again. I'll watch that video and work on those things you mentioned. I see there's a 3-part series on learning to squat on the site, which I imagine I might also benefit from watching. It's really weird - in my head I thought my form was pretty good, and even watching myself I caught almost none of the things you (and jmcarrigan) saw. I'm determined to nail down correct form, and I think that between the helpful people I've found here and the videos on the site (which I'm only now realizing the importance of to a beginner like myself) I should be able to work all this out. Once I think I've got it right (which could take a while) I hope you might be willing to take another look. I really appreciate the help.