Low tolerance for the squat?

Hi BBM,

I’ve been training for close to a year and a half now, finished running PBII and started one of the low fatigue templates this week. One thing I’ve noticed consistently in my training is that my tolerance for the squat seems to be considerably lower than all other lifts. By low tolerance I mean that even at the same RPE as the other lifts, squatting always seems to lead to pain in my knees, lower back, and an area of my legs called the tensor fasciae latae (got this from looking at an anatomy chart, it was the closest thing to the area where it hurts). I find I have to squat in the RPE 4-5 range in order to not experience anything unpleasant. Just wondering if low tolerance to certain movements is actually a thing and if there’s any reason to try to “fix” it or just keep on keeping on? I have consistently trained the squat just as much as the other lifts, so I don’t think it’s a matter of the movement being more novel or less developed than the others.

Sorry to hear about this.

This is a tough thing to hypothesize about via this forum without a lot more information about you. There may be some programming strategies or variations that will allow you to get the progress you’re looking for. This may involve something like changing the frequency of exposure, experimenting with the specificity of your variations (e.g., one “main” squat exposure, one well-tolerated variation, and the rest can be more isolation-style/bodybuilding work for the legs, e.g., belt squats/leg presses/leg extensions/split squats etc.), etc.

I think the best way to get some actionable/individualized advice here is through the form check service - an easy way to get a consultation with one of our coaches, who will take a look at your lifts and discuss / make programming suggestions moving forward.