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Thread: Stretching Problems, hips need help, frustrated!

  1. #1

    Stretching Problems, hips need help, frustrated!

    Ok, My only problem with stretching revolves around my hips. I f***ing hate my hips. It sucks knowing some fat lazy kid is sitting at home with natural ability to do something as simple as bring his knees to his chest, And I spend hours in a gym and can't do this. I have had 5 hip surgeries all related to to FAI (Femoral Acetabular impingment). My problem lies with stretching out my hips in order to do full squats. All I want to do is a full atg olympic squat with no pain and confidence in squatting in the hole. I warm up for 45-60 min before I even add weight to a bar. I stretch my with hipflexors, groin, hams, and glutes very well when warm. Now when I do my olympic lifts or squats, Pain and hip discomfort becomes more and more less of an issue. I can eventually sit in the hole with squats and over head squats. Now as fatigue sets in, I actually become more flexibility. All good an dandy to this point. Now the slightest rest like between exercise, Like 5 min, my hips sieze up and squating to ATG hurts like a mofo. I squat through it. I don't even go heavy. Lately I have been doing tons of Pause Squats which sometimes seem to help. But the next day, I begin to warm up and stretch and my hips feel ten times tighter. I stretch with caution and position my hip in ways I know isn't impinginging. I know my pain comes from my groin and hip flexors, they are the focus. My hamstrings are showing improvement and feel the way I think stretching them out should feel. But my groin and flexors do not react the same. Now if I don't lift my legs or any lower body at all for a few weeks. I can go into full squats very comfortable, of course some stretching involved. They feel like I never had a problem with them at all and feel wonderful. Now the next day, same thing, I have hips 100 times tighter the next day. How do I stretch these out. It feels stretching only sets me back, and not lifting my legs will only diminish my strength. I cant squat or work legs every three weeks, this won't get me anywhere. How should I spend or do my stretching routine. I am stretching every day at this point again. Please help in anyway to avoid this discomfort and be able to stretch my hips out with positive results.

    Background. 34, 5'5" 160 lbs
    Bench best 345
    deadlift 550
    squat- 350 (this blows I know because of all my set backs)
    Snatch- 200 in the past
    C&J- 265

    lifting since I was 14( and yes, had hips tight back then. Lets put it this way, I can't put on a snowboard. I can put one binding on, but couldn't bend at the hips to put the other one on). Hips have improved in mobility over years, but very stubborn when it comes to excepting my lack of flexibility in my hips. And even when I don't lift, they can be a pain in the ass. so any good ideas. Just frustrated after 20 years. My only real question is how do I stretch my hips out and not get this horrible rebound effect and show improvements in my flexibility?
    Last edited by go4gold; 08-18-2013 at 10:11 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    1,150
    Stupid question - Have you ever consulted with the doctors who had performed any of the surgeries as to why you do not have the hip flexibility that you are trying so hard to get? Maybe it is something medical.

    I have flexibility issues also, I have actually done a little bit of googling and was thinking of doing some home Yoga once or twice a week to increase my flexibility.

  3. #3
    I have spoken to the doctors. But not very helpful. To them, problem solved with impingements gone. Just need stretching and therapy. But I am now under the impression that my response is a neurological response. Hips programmed to tighten at certin point no matter what. Looking into methods to teach hip ROM. Stretching only sets me back and causes more unwanted discomfort. Not your typical soreness!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    3,070
    I'm in a similar situation and actually have an artificial hip. (Bermingham Hip Resurfacing) Like you my hips are really tight and I'm almost 2 years post surgery and still don't have anywhere near the strength I once had nor the flexibility. I'm working on it though and know I have a disadvantage so I keep that in consideration. My surgeon said for hips that the leg press is the king of all exercises and he recommends those over squats all day long. Maybe you just need to go light for a while and see if that might help? The heavy weight could easily but what's causing the issue. When overstressed the joint will get inflamed which could be causing part of your flexibility issue.

  5. #5
    I think the discomfort is just related to neurological response. A sensitive stretch reflex when I bend at the hips. Light weight, heavy weight, no weight. I have a strong response after. I have been doing some reading on this the past day. The only relief I ever had was from a short period of predisone with eliminated and pain and discomfort in the hip and gave me increased ROM with no impinging sensations or anything. So why I am thinking its just how my hips respond. Its a tricky situation. Stretching and Physical Therapy always just set me back, never helped. I think I am taking the wrong approach to my hips, looking for another.

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