Hip Adductors Pain While Squatting

Is this normal? I’m trying to use a wider stance and push my knees out to the sides, and I’m feeling it a lot in my hip adductors. Does this mean I’m just weak there, or am I squatting too wide and pushing my knees out too much?

Are you leaning forward during squats? If so, does the pain occur with the trunk lean or with the hip descent? Have you tried stretching them out?

Why are you trying to squat wide? I had a lot of pain in my hip adductors when I squatted wide, so I changed to olympic-style squat and haven’t looked back. Unless there’s a specific reason for going wide I’d recommend using a high-bar olympic squat.

Reading 10 Tips for Flawless Squatting, and other various squatting articles, I got the idea that squatting wide leads to heavier weights.

No, I’m not leaning forward. My form seems OK to me, chest up, lower back arches, weight mostly on heels to midfoot, and I sit down by pushing my butt out.

I may just be a bit confused on the “stick your knees out” thing. Should the knees go past your feet, or is this more of a mental thing like “spread the floor with your feet”?

You’re knees are not supposed to go past your feet.

I am having the same problem, and mainly notice it right off the bottom on the way back up, so I am curious as to what others have to say about this.

I had attributed this to weakness in my adductors, and have incorporated stretches and the hip adductor/abductor machine into my routine. I also try to squat one week and deadlift the next as the deadlift seems to put less stress on my hips.

danmaftei, does it hurt while you’re squatting, or do you mean the adductors are sorer than your quads/hams the day after?

If it’s during, then you’re doing something wrong. If it’s after, then they’re weak! :slight_smile: This is natural if you choose a wider stance, simply because you’re going to activate the adductors more.

I do wide-stance squats for knee preserving reasons. Despite everyone making fun about hurting your knees with squats (including me), the truth is they can be painful if not performed in a way that your body feels comfortable with.

I have tracking problems in my left patella, and I find a wide stance aliviates the pain. Most days I get no knee pain at all, actually. I do notice some extra soreness in my adductors, but they’re getting stronger so I’m not too worried. I’m sure they will eventually catch up just get as sore as my quads/hams.

Oh, and when I say wide stance, I mean about 1.5 shoulder widths, not powerlifting wide.

I noticed it when I came home from the workout. I shouldn’t say pain, it’s more like a major discomfort. Maybe it just feels strange to be sore there.

Anyways, I felt the discomfort after I came home, while sitting down on the couch, moving my legs, etc. Now it’s the next day, and I can pretty safely say that it’s just because my adductors are weak, although not necessarily inflexible (I can sit down, soles of the feet touching each other, and bend my knees almost to the ground), but weak nonetheless.

Now I am wondering though, what “push your knees out” means, because during the squat, I was pushing my knees out past my feet and I did feel some discomfort in places. Before, I had no problem doing squats, and my knees didn’t make any serious movement.

It seems the more I try to read and fix my squat, the more problems I get heh.

I would try working out on the thigh adductor machine.

I vagly remember an old M & F mag I had that suggest you use the machine to increase your vertical (something to do with correcting the angle of the pelvis).

I also remember that Poliquin in his Q & A in the old MM2K mag that he has somebody in Montreal swears that this exercise increased his Squat. (NOTE: Poliquin thought it must of been something else other then the exercise and dismissed it).

Try it out. If it does increase your squat, let me (us) know.

[quote]danmaftei wrote:
I noticed it when I came home from the workout. I shouldn’t say pain, it’s more like a major discomfort. Maybe it just feels strange to be sore there.[/quote]

Yep, sounds like adductor DOMS! :slight_smile:

I’m not a squat expert, but I don’t think there should be lateral movement of the knees. I’m not sure what “push your knees out” means, but I can’t see it meaning “move your knees outside your feet.” I keep my knees over my feet.

If it ain’t broken…

I used to do a high-bar, narrow squat stance but was having a lot of problems with my IT band and switched my squatting stance to a wide one.

If you’re squatting wide with toes point slightly out, then you’ve got it right that you do push your knees out and sit back.

I wouldn’t stress so much if your knees go over your toes, that’s been a big fallacy on these boards that your going to blow your knees out if they go over your toes at all.

However, if you’re are squatting wide enough and you have your toes slightly outward and you do push your knees out when descending then your knees will probably not be going past your toes.

The best advice I can give you is to drop your weight significantly. Start doing ten sets of ten reps on squat every week while you find your squat groove that works for you and you feel no pain.

Every week, slightly increase your weight making sure that you still do not feel any pain (the bad kind). After 3 or 4 weeks of this you will be pushing past your previous squat poundages and should do so with no discomfort.

I received all of this advice from an 800+ lb squatter and it worked like a charm for me. I really think it’s probably a form issue with you and/or weak adductor. With my prescription, you should fix both over time and break through previous plateaus at the same time.

P.S. The goal is to find the squat that works for you. Based on your body mechanics, every one is going to have a slightly different squat style. Most people try to give you a one-size fits all description of how to squat. Yes, there are certain guidelines to follow but there is no single squat style/groove that works for everyone.

I wish I could do that though…

I’m doing ABBHI atm, I’m only three workouts in, but I don’t want to switch, I’m enjoying it a lot, plus I took off 5 days to test my 1RM max for all the exercises, so I have to keep with the regiment.

Would it be viable at all to do some adductor work and empty-bar squats on my non-squat days to work on form (and to strengthen adductors)?

Or, given that I’m pretty new to weightlifting, should I not even bother with ABBH or other programs until I get a good basis on all movements (I’ve still only deadlifted once, heh).

Sry for all the questions, glad you guys put up with it.

Ive been having a problem with my adductors as well. If I use a wide stance, the second I hit parallel I get a sharp pain in my adductors (even with body weight). I figured it was a flexiblity issue but stretching hasnt helped. When I use a narrow stance (slightly wider than shoulder width) they dont seem to bother me.

Looks like some of you guys could use a few sets on the Vag machine. :wink:

Haha, how about that.

My friend and I make fun of that machine. I always say that I’m afraid if I use it I’ll plop out a baby at some point.

I guess I’ll have to sneak in some reps when he’s not looking.

[quote]danmaftei wrote:
Or, given that I’m pretty new to weightlifting, should I not even bother with ABBH or other programs until I get a good basis on all movements.[/quote]

You said it! Any program you do will be much more beneficial if you have a good strength basis already and if you don’t have to worry about form. You have to know how to do all the exercises within the program before you start it, otherwise you won’t reap all it’s benefits.

I would suggest you just stick to basics while you figure out your grooves on the big compound movements. Once that’s in place, go all out with an acronym training plan!

I have a pretty severe pain when I try to squat wide with any amount of weight.

Everything I’ve read on various sites suggests not squatting wide and heavy and unless you are wearing some kind of power briefs.

On Dave Tates site there are several posts on the Q&A that broach this subject.

You may also try searching there.