Does anyone else have a similar problem: every time I deload, the first week of the following cycle my adductors get insanely sore from squatting and make deadlifting difficult. The next few weeks I don’t have this issue at all, only the first week after a deload.
I have tried various stretches, foam/pvc pipe rolling, myofascial release, nothing helps at all. It’s worse if I do pause squats, and worse if they are high bar. This week I did dead squats (from the pins, for singles) and I’m less sore than I have been before but still sore as hell. I suppose that full body workouts and increased frequency could help somewhat, but they present other problems.
I don’t take a week off of training, I reduce volume by about 50% and intensity by 10% for one week. I usually keep the same exercises from the previous mesocycle. Every day that I don’t squat (deload or not) I do some lower body mobility work which is sitting into a full squat for 30 sec. x3 and stretching hip flexors for 30 sec. x3 each side. I saw Chris Duffin/KMS video with the “tactical frog” stretch the other day and I did that the last two days as well, but I noticed no improvement so far.
It’s all a bit strange because deloads are meant to prevent this kind of thing while dissipating fatigue. Maybe don’t drop volume as much on direct adductor work or adductor heavy movements e.g. sumos or wide stance squats
Since there’s no issues after that first week following a deload it’s gotta be something do with it.
There is no “direct adductor work”, and if I keep volume higher then it’s not really a deload, is it?
After the first week it’s not an issue, it just seems that I have a shitty deadlift session the first week of every mesocycle and I would like to avoid it if possible.
If you’re willing to hop on a hip adductor machine two or three times during your deload, you might be able to keep them proportionally strong to the rest of your squatting muscles that are actually using the time to rest and recover.
Just a theory. The only time that happens to me is when I take 2-3 weeks off from lifting (maybe once a year) or do several times more volume than I’m accustomed to, which is also super rare.
It’s worth a try. Better than resigning to letting your adductors cost you a squat and deadlift session imo.
I don’t happen to have a hip adductor machine laying around in my basement, unfortunately. I’m pretty sure the soreness isn’t a result of my adductors being weak though, it seems like I just use them a lot when I squat. Deadlifting (sumo) doesn’t seem to affect my adductors nearly as much, it’s just hard to get in position when they are tight.
Are you using a quality intra supplement akin to Plazma? May help. Sounds to me like your adductors are taking on an obnoxiously large load in your squat. May want to read the tea leaves and see if your hip mobility is up to snuff to allow for your outer quads rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and posterior to work properly.
Often people want to mobilize. See all the crap you listed above? Probably not the answer. You most likely need to strengthen that adductor and it’s opposers.
Add in static work, which will benefit your most likely weak core. Everyone thinks they have a strong core, I know. Hell you think your adductors are strong. They’re not.
Do some captain Morgan side planks. Will help you in multiple ways. There’s plenty of ways to strengthen the adductors with no equipment.
Not shitty, just matter of fact. Kind of similar to how you respond to others.
I took the time to give you a quality response based off your issue, and you overlooked the ‘meat’ and went directly to the piece that could be underlying and controversial. Just makes no sense to me. That’s why I responded with ‘Seriously, …’
Just trying to help. I have had adductor issues recently and have been seeing a highly respected PT. So I have understanding of what may be going on.
I appreciate you trying to help, let’s just try to keep this civil rather than turning this into another pointless argument. There are already plenty of those on these forums.
What sort of adductor issues have you been having? Normally I have absolutely no problems with my adductors, as I said above they just get extremely sore and tight after the first squat workout after a deload. Getting into position to deadlift (sumo) three days later feels similar to how I imagine a deadlift suit would feel, I have to “sink in” and push my knees out to get down to the bar, and that’s after some light squats as well. Last night I was laying on the couch and I felt my right adductor start twitching, it released and felt normal afterwards. When I went to bed the same thing happened on the other side. This morning my glutes, hamstrings, and lower back are pretty sore, but my adductors are about 90% better. That just seems to be the way it goes for me.
I never had this problem when I pulled conventional, except one time in the first week of a hypertrophy phase. For whatever reason, it now seems like my adductors are more involved in squatting than they were before.
I strained my adductor squatting about 6 weeks ago. I’ve been dealing with a hip shift to the right in my squat, which loaded up the right adductor thus causing the strain.
Have been working with my sports PT and found out I have zero IR in my left hip. I flat out have shitty hip mobility all around, so have been working on mobilizing and strengthening the hip flexors and general hips.
10+ years of squatting and not paying enough attention to good movement is the culprit. The little muscles, stabilizers, are so important in the long run. I used to be a big believer in specificity trumps all. If I could only squat, bench and DL I would bc I enjoy training them and get so much from them physique wise…but I get injured. I’ve been rebuilding for a few years, reversing everything I created. But finally I know positions and when I hurt I know why.
Perhaps there’s nothing wrong with your movement. Your adductors will hopefully simply acclimate to whatever the new stressor is. Something has changed to cause this, it’s acute right?
Got a vid of your squat?
Anything change in your training/recovery over the past couple months?
It’s frustrating, and takes 100+ replies, but having a “talk” with the Universal Skeptic/Full Time Devil’s Advocate can really get your mind working, and help you refine your own approach!