Hip Flexors Discomfort while Squatting

[SuperLift]

Just like the title says, there is some discomfort in my hip flexors while squatting. It's a slight pain, enough to make me stop because it doesn't feel right and I don't want to injure myself. It almost feels as if it is straining or something. Ive been feeling this lately while squatting and sometimes with leg press. Has this happened to anyone or does any body have any suggestions on this issue? Some good workouts or stretches would be appreciated, or any other idea.
Thank you.

[dec11]

stretch them, i ignored mine for years and ended up with probs when i got older.

just google for stretches

[maxwkw]

stretching them is good. I've also found that doing one legged squats where your back foot is on a bench has really helped build up some hip stabilization in the bottom of the squat. Just make sure you are staying upright and getting really deep. They're hard at first, but build up strength in these and it will carry over to your squat.

[The Toad]

This article has a bunch of good stretches.
http://articles.elitefts.com/article...ays-to-fix-it/

[VegasRenegade]

How would using a smith machine help or hurt this problem

[terraj]

Poor Hip Mobility
A significant factor preventing many trainees from successfully hitting proper depth on a squat is that many have the hip mobility of a crowbar. This can mean any number of things ranging from lack of hip internal rotation to short/stiff adductors to short/stiff hip flexors.

One problem is called Hip Internal Rotation Deficit. Counterintuitive as it may seem, having the ability to internally rotate the hip is important. As physical therapist Charlie Weingroff has stated on several occasions "the body needs to know that it can do something before it can prevent it."

One needs a certain amount of hip internal rotation to go into deep hip flexion. The problem arises, however, when most trainees have a significant hip internal rotation deficit.

Knee-to-Knee Mobilization
Lie on your back, feet preferably flat, and rock your knees back and forth. A great starting point would be to shoot for 8-10 repetitions per side. For more serious cases, however, I'd be inclined to have them hold the stretch for a bit. That means that instead of mobilizing the knees, the trainee would just hold the stretch by holding the knees together for a specific amount of time – anywhere from one to two minutes (sometimes as high as twenty)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3Vfk...layer_embedded

Another problem is short/stiff adductors. The adductor complex (adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, gracilis) is a fairly dense area of muscle that's a common trouble spot for most trainees.

Often overlooked due to their attachment points, the adductors play a major role in both hip extension and hip flexion. Outside of some aggressive foam rolling or even manual therapy (trust me, NOT fun) in that area, there are a few exercises you can perform that will definitely help.

Split Stance Adductor Mobilizations
Making sure to maintain a neutral spine throughout. It's important to go into both hip flexion and extension on this exercise. Be sure to not allow the lumbar spine to flex as you sit back!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL64c...layer_embedded

Half Kneeling Adductor Dips
Very similar to the one above, this exercise is another great movement to help open up the hips and target the adductors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaxG6...layer_embedded

Prone Hips Flexed Hip Rocking
This is a great exercise I stole from strength coach Kevin Neeld that helps mobilize the hips into both adduction and abduction.

Starting in a quadruped position, flex one hip to 90 degrees. From there, simply "rock" side to side making sure to limit movement from the lumbar spine and focusing more on the hip capsule itself. It's important to note that this is a self-limiting exercise, meaning don't be too concerned with range of motion here – just use what you have and try to improve on that as you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JEuT...layer_embedded

Hip Flexor Tightness is extremely common. Everyone has "tight" hip flexors. Considering that the vast majority of us spend 10-15 hours per day in front of the computer, at class, commuting, playing video games, or watching American Idol, it should come as no surprise.

To that end, there are a handful of valuable exercises/drills that we have our clients implement on a daily basis that hammer the hip flexors, but the one we use the most at CP is the wall hip flexor mobilization.

Wall Hip Flexor Mobilization
Specifically targeting the rectus femoris (which crosses both the hip and knee joints), kneel in front of a wall and rock back and forth. Seriously, it's pretty self-explanatory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR__F...layer_embedded


All the above from a Dave Tait post.


You must stay on top of flexiblty when you lift heavy weights, as Dec said....it will bite on the arse otherwise

[SuperLift]

Thanks for all of the information. I plan on trying some of these stretches as soon as I get home from work. I can definitely tell it's hindering my lifts.

[Bulls Eye]

thanks for info that s helped me aswell...cheers