Leg Advice

[Reefboy1980]

I've been doing the 5x5 programme for a while now & my squat has improved massively but for quite a while my right hip flexor has been tight & sore, I haven't skipped any workouts but on Monday after doing my warm ups I just couldn't face it. I'm not sure but I think ive strained my hip flexor.

I'm trying hard to stretch it out as much as I can & foam rolling, it's easing off.

Should I avoid squats for a short time until my leg is back to normal, maybe do leg press for a while or should I continue with squats but with reduced weight until it feels comfortable?

It could have something to do with my flexibility which is rubbish, I stretch out all the time & foam roll but the improvement is so slow

Any help would be much appreciated

[BendtheBar]

Are you using wide stance squats?

Also, do you have a video up anywhere of your squats?

[Reefboy1980]

My stance is shoulder width apart, maybe a touch wider.

No video unfortunately

[Reefboy1980]

Should I avoid squats until its recovered properly, maybe do some lighter weights on leg press to keep the legs working?

[Dray]

I did exactly the same thing (same side, even) and it's been quite a few weeks now, without it fully healing/fixing itself.

I didn't do any leg work for a while, then started narrow-stance front squats (starting very light) not long ago, which were okay, and still are. High bar ("olympic style") squats have also been doable at times, without stressing that hip flexor. Low bar has only felt totally okay rarely, so I'm just not doing them any more, until I'm totally healed up.

In addition to front squats, I do hamstring curls to help balance my legs. And conventional deadlifts, but I consider them more a back-centric lift.

Thought I'd post my recent and current experience with the same issue, and my own way of dealing with it (working around it, sort of), in case it's any use to you.

Regardless, you have my sympathy - I know exactly how frustrating it can be. I hope it heals up quicker for you, as well. Best of luck, mate.


edit: Could be leg press would be alright... my advice (take or leave it) would be to try, but at first very light, and see how it feels, both while you're doing it, and later that day, and the following day.

[Reefboy1980]

Well yesterday I tried leg press on a light weight but it still was aggravating it, even doing bent over barbell row it felt sore.

I'm going to have to rest from squats & even leg press. I will try & take this opportunity to work hard on stretching it out & improving flexability. I'm hoping to continue my deadlifts

Should I look at adding some other movements, maybe leg curls?

[SecondsOut]

there have been a few times when something was injured and i had to stop completely, but this is very rare.
more frequent are slight muscle pulls and sore joints/tendons. in these situations, i find it more harmful to stop. i always continue the same movements as before but with a lighter weight that doesn't exacerbate it.

i don't know if what you're describing is an injury or just a slight pull or sore joints/connective tissue, but that's how i handle both those situations.

[Reefboy1980]

I think it started as a slight pull but because I didn't want to ease off from squatting I continued & it started to take longer & longer to recover but even doing my warm up sets on Monday was too sore so I didn't do my proper working sets. I don't want to make it worse so I'm going to rest from squats, maybe ill just do body weight squats to help & try to improve my ROM whilst I recover.

It certainly feels like it needs time to recover not only does the hip flexor feel extremely tight but it's having an effect to my lower back & also pains down that leg kind of like sciatica issues

[5kgLifter]

Bodyweight squats, just to keep some basic movement pattern, and stretching sounds like the wise option, given the pains down the leg; it sounds like you're being smart and listening to the feedback your body is providing.

[Reefboy1980]

It's been around 2 weeks now since I last squatted, my hip flexor has eased up but I can still feel it especially when doing barbell rows & deadlifts.

I did try leg press last week & although it didn't strain my hip flexor it did put an awful lot of pressure on the shin where I broke my leg & made it hard to move around

I'm thinking of doing some squats next week but using a bench so I don't go to low to engage the hip flexor as much & see how that goes. I'm actually missing squats