Hip joint pain from squats...why? (NEW video added)

[FalconHorse]

Get some squat shoes. Your feet are all over the place in those runners. Try looking at the baseboard through the entire lift (your head position is too 'up' and you are hyperextending your neck a bit IMO). Work on your breathing: really get a full stomach of air for each rep, and hold it while you brace for a punch in the gut. Only exhale at the end of the rep. Other than that, I've seen a lot worse squats lol. (based solely on the last vid)

 

[Zivic]

in the second vid you have a clear mobility issue. watch your left foot. Your heal comes up, shifting your weight forward.

 

[Pantlegz]

Get some squat shoes. Your feet are all over the place in those runners. Try looking at the baseboard through the entire lift (your head position is too 'up' and you are hyperextending your neck a bit IMO). Work on your breathing: really get a full stomach of air for each rep, and hold it while you brace for a punch in the gut. Only exhale at the end of the rep. Other than that, I've seen a lot worse squats lol. (based solely on the last vid)

Don't get squat shoes, they're acceptable once you have the proper mobility and use them as a tool to move more weight. But do not use them to correct a mobility issue or it will get worse and you'll become dependant on shoes to do something you should be able to do naturally. I've had good luck correcting issues with squat mobility with some simple corrective movements. Check out the following links if you're interested in being both strong and have the ability to move correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smkXcv27zZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbozu0DPcYI

I much prefer the second link because it seems to help more specifically with squats, the first is titled as such but I don't get as much benefit from some of the movements there. I'd suggest doing the first video until you're comfortable with most of the movements(there are a couple that are more advanced that you're welcome to try but no need to master). After that start to incorporate movements from the second video, the look easy but the first week or 2 I did them some were very challenging and I thought I had good squat depth/mobility. I've said it before - and it's something I need to do more too, try to sit in a squat for half an hour every day. Initially it sucks and even after a couple weeks it won't be very comfortable and you'll have to do it in spurts, a couple minutes at a time, but over time you'll get much more comfortable just hanging out down there for longer periods.

in the second vid you have a clear mobility issue. watch your left foot. Your heal comes up, shifting your weight forward.

You beat me to it. You really need to work on ankle mobility and hamstring flexibility. Stay back on your heals throughout the lift, especially at bottom.

 

[FalconHorse]

Don't get squat shoes, they're acceptable once you have the proper mobility and use them as a tool to move more weight. But do not use them to correct a mobility issue or it will get worse and you'll become dependant on shoes to do something you should be able to do naturally. I've had good luck correcting issues with squat mobility with some simple corrective movements. Check out the following links if you're interested in being both strong and have the ability to move correctly.

He can do both. The runners are awful for squats, even with good ankle mobility.

Edit: OP, if you are afraid of becoming dependent on a raised heel for weighted squat and can't work on ankle/calf/knee/hip mobility at the same time, at the very least invest in a good pair of 'minimal' shoes (little to no cushion and zero heel drop). Or just go barefoot. At least get those runners off your feet

 

[Pantlegz]

He can do both. The runners are awful for squats, even with good ankle mobility.

He could do lots of things, the smart thing to do would be make one change at a time. If he feels new shoes are a good path, something minimalist would be better than shoes specifically designed for squats because squat specific shoes have a raised heel which will just hide the problem and make improving mobility seem less useful. Something like Chucks or my personal preference Reebok Crossfit TR lites would be a much better option that squat shoes. Like I said, once mobility is corrected squat in whatever makes you happy but make sure mobility is good and stays good. Look at it like a belt, only use it when you need it otherwise it will do more harm than good.

 

[Zivic]

I can also vouch for the reebok tr's.. I have about 6 pairs. Best training shoe I have personally used.

 

[Howard]

On a side note: your knees look like they're moving too far ahead of your toes. Read up on Rippetoe's TUBOW (Terribly Useful Block Of Wood). Also, he suggests moving your knees into position in the first 1/3 of the descent, to improve hip drive.

http://startingstrength.com/resourc...s-forward-vs-bad-knees-forward.html#post50010

 

[KIAman]

I don't know why everyone's feedback about feet rising or knee tracking or your choice in shoes are leading to your hip pain. If anything, what I see in your video should cause you to have knee pain.

The only thing I can comment on is that when you go down into the hole, you get to a stopping point then push yourself a little further down not in the first couple reps but definitely during your last few reps. It could be that you are already at the limit of your hip socket mobility at your first stopping point, but because you want to go below parallel, you are forcing your hips to go further than your structure allows and impinging something along your hip flexors.

What this tells me is you need to experiment with the width of your stance so you can still go low without squishing something important in the front of your hips.

Another thought could be weak glutes. This is a personal issue of mine and have been doing weighted glute bridges to help my case. The glutes help keep the leg in the socket at the bottom of the hole (for me at least) so a weak glute can contribute to your legs pushing forward out of the hip socket enough that can cause impingement.

A good test is to go and hold a 1 legged glute bridge see how hard it is to maintain it. If you are shaking or your form breaks down relatively fast, your glutes are probably weak.

 

[Zivic]

On a side note: your knees look like they're moving too far ahead of your toes. Read up on Rippetoe's TUBOW (Terribly Useful Block Of Wood). Also, he suggests moving your knees into position in the first 1/3 of the descent, to improve hip drive.

http://startingstrength.com/resourc...s-forward-vs-bad-knees-forward.html#post50010

it's not a side note as this is caused directly by his mobility issues and lifting his heals; pushing the weight forward.

I would also like to point out that rippetoe isn't really the end all be all of experts on the squats. Plenty of big squaters out there that go against some of his 'suggestions'. I'd take his 'suggestions' with a grain of salt.

 

[Pantlegz]

I don't know why everyone's feedback about feet rising or knee tracking or your choice in shoes are leading to your hip pain. If anything, what I see in your video should cause you to have knee pain.

The only thing I can comment on is that when you go down into the hole, you get to a stopping point then push yourself a little further down not in the first couple reps but definitely during your last few reps. It could be that you are already at the limit of your hip socket mobility at your first stopping point, but because you want to go below parallel, you are forcing your hips to go further than your structure allows and impinging something along your hip flexors.

What this tells me is you need to experiment with the width of your stance so you can still go low without squishing something important in the front of your hips.

Another thought could be weak glutes. This is a personal issue of mine and have been doing weighted glute bridges to help my case. The glutes help keep the leg in the socket at the bottom of the hole (for me at least) so a weak glute can contribute to your legs pushing forward out of the hip socket enough that can cause impingement.

A good test is to go and hold a 1 legged glute bridge see how hard it is to maintain it. If you are shaking or your form breaks down relatively fast, your glutes are probably weak.

Lots of those comments came after the video was posted and merely suggestions based on what I(we) saw. And while I'm no expert it seems to make sense if your knees are out of place(too far in any direction) that your hips will follow them out of direction and/or cause hip pain because they're not where they should be. Doing stuff like making sure your toes are tracking the knee and making sure the ankle can move freely in the correct ROM are essential to a pain free squat.

it's not a side note as this is caused directly by his mobility issues and lifting his heals; pushing the weight forward.

I would also like to point out that rippetoe isn't really the end all be all of experts on the squats. Plenty of big squaters out there that go against some of his 'suggestions'. I'd take his 'suggestions' with a grain of salt.

On this I'll say there are lots of experts out there and lots of them have methods that work great. My position has always been watch/listen to those stronger than me(and relatively healthy) and keep an open mind. What works for one person might not work as well for another. Personally, I don't mind my toes going past my knees. It hasn't caused any issues but I've also talked to people who had to change their form because even if they were tracking their knees it caused them pain after a while. I guess my point for Moonbogg here would be, look at what's been suggested and do your own research to see what works best for you. My way may not work best for you, Ripp's way may not be best for you but there may be a tweak out there that does, or a combination of 3-4 things over time might make the necessary changes for a pain free squat. Just work with it for a while and see what works and what doesn't.

 

[FalconHorse]

OP, there are an infinite (seemingly) number of squat gurus on the youtubes. Just peruse some videos from knowledgeable and/or strong guys and try some of their tips/suggestions out. The guys I've gone back to are Kelly Starrett and Alan Thrall. But, ymmv.

 

[moonbogg]

So far the pain hasn't come back. I actually don't know why, but I might have simply tried to go too deep with too much weight before getting used to it. But that doesn't mean I am happy with the squat. All of the comments have merit, but the comments about the shoes really got my attention. My feet are wobbling all over the place, and it MAY have something to do with the fact that I'm literally standing on two springs, because that's what those running shoes are like. They are soft, cushiony and have spring like qualities in the soles.
I will likely research and invest in some training shoes of some kind. I want to feel more connected to the ground. Right now there is too much play and movement in the feet. I want solidity and to feel welded to the damn floor during the movement.