Squat Form Check ( Pain in left gluteal Region)

[Cor]

Hello,

27 years old, 5'11'', 163 lbs, trained the past few years but with several breaks and not according to Starting Strength. Discovered Starting Strength a year ago or so and started a few months ago with it, currently working on my technique of the basic lifts.

1 1/2 years ago I started to have bouts of pain in my left hip/gluteal region. Interestingly this attacks never occured during training. First time I bent down during the day (with some rotation i I guess) . Then a sudden pain in the left lateral gluteal region. This occured every few months since then and seems to be intensified by heavy squats and deadlifts. Decribed it more in Detail in the Injury section. Just wanted to make sure my technique is ok.

45 rear view:
Squat_belt 1 - YouTube

Side view:
squat with belt 2 - YouTube



Thanks in advance!!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Stance is a bit wide, and your depth is close in some of them. Gain 40 pounds and I'll bet it goes away.

[DMC85]

i think i had something similar going on.

seems to have cleared up now. im not 100% sure what was causing it. i felt the pain in my left glute medius and hip. i even strained the glute medius and my hip below the hip joint. it felt like i was overstretching my hip and glutes on that side.

i noticed i had a slight shift to the left at times as i descended deeper into the squat. i think either caused by not staying tight enough as i descended into the squat or poor internal rotation in my right hip which i have tried to correct with some mobility drills such as airplanes. even though i hate doing them i started doing hip thrusts also as an assistance exercise also.

i have to make a conscious effort to stay centered and activate my right side more when i descend into the squat and i dont have the shift to the left when i do this. issue seems to have eased off now but not 100% yet but my hip strain hasnt fully healed yet so hopefully will be 100% next time i go to squat?

[Cor]

Stance is a bit wide, and your depth is close in some of them. Gain 40 pounds and I'll bet it goes away.

Thanks Coach! Ok, so little more depth and dtance little bit narrower. And I will eat more (and drink more milk). Is my Hip Drive and lower back ok?

i think i had something similar going on.

seems to have cleared up now. im not 100% sure what was causing it. i felt the pain in my left glute medius and hip. i even strained the glute medius and my hip below the hip joint. it felt like i was overstretching my hip and glutes on that side.

i noticed i had a slight shift to the left at times as i descended deeper into the squat. i think either caused by not staying tight enough as i descended into the squat or poor internal rotation in my right hip which i have tried to correct with some mobility drills such as airplanes. even though i hate doing them i started doing hip thrusts also as an assistance exercise also.

i have to make a conscious effort to stay centered and activate my right side more when i descend into the squat and i dont have the shift to the left when i do this. issue seems to have eased off now but not 100% yet but my hip strain hasnt fully healed yet so hopefully will be 100% next time i go to squat?

Like I said, I described it more in detail in a post in the injury section, but the post hasn't appeared there yet.

It feels muscular and occurs the days after heavy squats or deadlifts. Rarely during training when I'm warmed up. Slowly fades away with rest or light weights but never completely. Hurts when I make a wrong movement during the day. And every few weeks/months I have this bouts of pain. Not when lifting but doing things like bending down to pick sth up. Then every muscle there stiffens and it hurts like hell. Lasts a few days or weeks until I'm able to lift again (or put on socks again). And this cycle repeated itself for the last 1 1/2 years.

A physiotherapist said it's a tight piriformis and recommended stretching and massaging the area with a ball daily (which I did). Didn't help to be honest and I'm overall a bit sceptical about physiotherapists (If you have pain, every one of them says seems to say something different. Another said it's a problem with the iliosacral joint...)

I didn't notice a shift in my hip, if there's any shift, I guess it's little.

Again many thanks!

[ChrisReis]

You are right to be skeptical of physiotherapists. I know this because I am one. I'm also an aspiring SSC. I have been amazed at how little we are taught with regard to strengthening and progression using real weights and compound movements. I hope this person looked at your squat technique with a real barbell...probably not.

Biggest problem I see is your loss of lumbar extension in the bottom. Commonly known as butt wink. I had never properly understood why this happens until I read Starting Strength. Look at pages 40-44; your hamstrings are winning the battle with your spinal erectors. The erectors are exposed to a large eccentric load in the bottom as you round. Probably happens with your DL too as you initiate off the floor and the weights get heavy. Those pages have some good exercises to get you tuned into those erectors.

Lastly, you don't appear to be breathing+bracing as well as you should be. Your first rep looks decent but after that you seem to rush into the next reps. Take your time for a big breath into your belt and hold it while you do each rep. This is important to maintain your spinal positioning.

Hope that helps.