Squat, PC, DL Form Check

[bgates1654]

I have been dealing with a string of injuries from squating (improperly?). The latest is a minor groin injury involving the left psoa/little adductors/ sartorius. I think the hip shift at the bottom of the squat is the culprit for the injury. When I press outward with my right leg I prevent it as well as acheive better hip drive. Depth is questionable. Stats for reference: 5'9" ~210

Squats: 3 angles 245x5x3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BtVwgNCNE0
You can see the hip shift on the 2nd set 2nd rep. As a reference my previous full WO before injury I did 270x5x5. The most I have ever squated was 290x4 and I always seem to injure myself when I hit around that weight. I have hit that weight at BW=185 then 195 then 210... it never seems to get easier with increased BW for me.

PCs: 175x3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpoixkkQmRA
I have previously had a problem of jumping forward. It does not appear to be evident here. I dont think I have any kind of significant shrug in my power cleans. I have been working on it but I cant tell the difference yet. The curve after the 2nd pull seems a bit exagerated in the 1st 2 reps. This could be due to banging it off my thighs too hard. As a reference my best is 200x3@195 but lately around BW=210 I am struggling at 185.

DLs: I dont have any recent DL videos but I dont beleive my form has changed.

295?x5 (I cant really tell what weight this is and I dont remember.) As you can see I am not really struggling with it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4662641313906878794#
335x1 hook grip hurt too much on the 1st rep. Regular grip failed too. I am not sure I could haev done any more anyway. This is the highest I have ever deadlifted. 325 has been my waterloo for over a year even at a higher BW.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6774992019306346609#

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[bgates1654]

So everything looks okay?

[nisora33]

bgates:

These are good squats. Getting knees forward early, check. Crease of the hip slightly below the top of the kneecap at the bottom, check. Keeping the hips back and staying tight at the bottom, check. Adequate hip drive, check.

The hip's shifting is so minor that I can't imagine that it had anything to do with your injury. My question would be whether you have injured that area of the groin before, and maybe this is an old injury flaring back up again, scar tissue pulling open, etc? Just a thought.

How is the groin feeling lately? Better, worse or the same?

-Stacey

[nisora33]

Power cleans look good as far as I can judge them, but it would be nice to have a better video, seriously.

[bgates1654]

I am assuming that the hip shift is minor in this video because I am consiously trying to prevent it. Besides that I have narrowed my stance because part of the injury appears to be in the little adductors. I may have always been a bit too wide. I never had an injury in that exact spot. I had a similar injury but on the other side that was accompanied by a low back injury as well. It eventaully spread to the adductor magnus and the glute med/min. Both times it got to the point that no wieght squating was very painful. Just resting for a couple of weeks didnt make it go away the first time. I just toughed it out. As a result my squats were noticably high. See vid:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4148257435814887031#

This time I waited only 3 days and applied trigger point therapy in a blanket manner since I hadnt pin pointed it yet. TP therapy is my answer to everything... when all you got is a hammer... When BW squats were painlesss I started working back up and the 245x5x3 vid I posted was my last workout. After WO it didnt tighten up or become painful but I have been continuously stretching my hip flexors and adductors as well as agressively TPing all the muscles in that cross the hip joint.

Here is a better video of my PCs but its my old form. I will try to get a new, better PC video monday. The forward jump is noticable and I think it is due to incomplete extension causing the bar to be out in front and I have to jump forward to get under it. When I do fully extend it catches me off guard as you can see in the last rep.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4186884308380184608#

I am glad that my squats look okay. I have been tweaking my form for over a year now... something that probably could have been worked out in a couple of hours with a competent coach. My injury does not appear to be aggravated by my crurent squat form. Hopefully this is the end of the year long stall.

[nisora33]

In your squat video from around the time of your injury, the hips are sitting noticeably to the right side when you're at the bottom. That could have been because you were already injured and shifting your hips as a result. Or that could have been the cause of the injury to begin with, don't know. But your form looks solid now.

Get used to doing the trigger point therapy from now 'til the day you die. I'm a believer in it. I don't know about you, but I can't afford to see a massage therapist 2-3 times a week, and I have a high tolerance for self-inflicting pain so the trigger point therapy is actually productive for me. It's the price you pay to play.

As for the power cleans, I agree with your assessment that you weren't finishing extending. Without complete extension, the traps won't engage fully to pull the bar back toward you and correct the swing away forward from your body, the swing which happens naturally at the initiation of the second pull. Good analysis on your part.

-Stacey

[bgates1654]

I am a fanatic of TP therapy myself. I think everyone should know about it and use it. Well... they would use it if they knew about it. Its rediculous how a proper TP massage can reduce pain and tightness.
I am not sure if I am gonna be able to get a PC vid this monday since I have workers at my house. I am sure my WO isnt going to be the best with all the interruptions. I will post one when I get ones. Thanks again!

[nisora33]

Yes, I'm a believer in it, but for many years I applied it inconsistently and didn't get anywhere as a result.

But doing it almost everyday for a few months gave me some of the most drastic improvements I've had in many years. I've abused my body a lot, and so I consider foam-rolling, trigger point therapy, etc., penance for all the rotten shit I've done to myself.

Happy lifting.

-S.