squat form + discomfort near hamstring origin

[Sesami]

Hey Mark -

I started squatting about 4 months ago at about 115 lbs after reading BBT. 3 months later and I had moved up to 165 lbs. During a 1-2 week period when I was squatting above 160 lbs, I developed a discomfort (not terribly painful) near the ischial tuberosity immediately after squatting, which could also be felt slightly during walking. This discomfort went away the next day, but persisted immediately after each workout. I realized this was abnormal and took a two week break from squats and did more deadlifts instead. During this period I felt no discomfort whatsoever. However, I just resumed squats today and I can feel the discomfort coming back slightly.

I was just wondering if you have had any experience with this type of injury. I know the ischial tuberosity is the origin point of the hamstring - could this be some sort of tendinitis? I suppose I could have moved up weights too quickly and overloaded the hamstring tendon. Would it be best to resume squats at low weight to strengthen the area or should I give it another two weeks?

I've included video of a set of squats at low weight. I notice my lower back rounding slightly at the bottom, which could be indicative of lack of hamstring flexibility? Also, I can't seem to tell if my knees are sliding forward too much - the second rep looks pretty good to me though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JknZXeZsCU

Thanks for your help.

[Mark Rippetoe]

You have a little more butt wink that I'm comfortable with, and the hamstring tightness which is causing this is probably also the cause of your hamstring origin tendinitis. Stretch, friction massage, ibuprofen are your friends here. Those squishy shoes are not.

[sw1rmd85]

Rip, regarding the butt wink: I've seen you comment on this a few times. Sometimes you say it's insignificant and other times it's more of an issue, like Sesami. I am having trouble picking up what constitutes significant verses insignificant.

What I've noticed is you seem to worry more about butt winking occurring earlier in the movement (thus lasting longer), as opposed to butt winking late, at the bottom, over a short period of time. That's the only difference I've noticed; the amount of flexion seems similar, just the timing varies.

Is that what you are seeing? or is it simply the degree of flexion that causes concern?

[Mark Rippetoe]

The butt wink I'm not worried about is the kind where a tiny bit of lumbar unlock takes place at the bottom of the squat. Yours involves your entire lumbar spine. Now, it might get better with more weight, as these things sometimes do. But looking at this video, I see enough lumbar flexion that I think it needs to be addressed.

[Sesami]

Do you mean my video (not his) involves too much lumbar flexion? To address this, would it be acceptable to squat to a depth that allows enough stretch in the hamstrings, but stop before losing lumbar extension? This position would be above parallel for me. You recommend against this for introducing sheer stress on the knee and not providing a full range of motion, but how about for this temporary purpose?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You can do it this way, but I don't think it will take even an entire workout to get a lot of stretching done. Just pay careful attention to keeping your lumbar curve tight and let the weight stretch your hamstrings.

[whatupdun]

You can do it this way, but I don't think it will take even an entire workout to get a lot of stretching done. Just pay careful attention to keeping your lumbar curve tight and let the weight stretch your hamstrings.

+1. I had horrible straining/stiffness in my hamstrings and glutes because of poor squat form. This was last June and I was squatting above parallel with weights I couldn't really handle well. Plus, I was breaking at the knees rather than sitting back into the squat.

Well, a <30 minute session with a strength coach here at Virginia Tech who teaches a similar squat to that of Sr. Rippetoe -- less than 30 minutes of simply getting into the correct position alleviated what had been a chronic and disruptive pain (twas hard to sleep), and ever since then, I've been squatting comfortably below parallel with good hip drive.

In short, if you really focus on getting the form down, it might be a new sensation and it might feel uncomfortable at first, but it's well worth the effort. I suspect you'll be less likely to fall and damage your hips in old age if you keep this up