I am 47 and have been training for about 4 years but have run into an issue the last year or so that I can’t solve. I am getting prolonged DOMS following my Monday squat workout that doesn’t resolve for 2-3 days, primarily in my hamstrings. In the past when I change up my routine I usually get a little more sore for a week or so and then my body adapts but I have been very sore with every squat workout for a long while. My quads and glutes feel fine the next day but the hamstrings are sore and don’t seem to get used to my very modest volume workouts. My other workouts and muscle groups seem to recover fine with rare soreness. My squat has been stuck for a while at about 340 lb and my typical workout have been 1 set of 3 reps (RPE 7-8) and then 3 set of 6 reps (RPE 7). I used to do an additional squat day later in the week and would do 3 sets of 10 reps but I backed off hoping my hamstring soreness would improve and I would make more progress but it hasn’t really changed. It feels like my hamstrings are holding me back I am hesitant to put in my volume because I take so long to recover from the very modest volume I am doing. Any ideas?
Hey Andrew,
What program are you running?
-Jordan
I have run the powerbuilding 2/3 templates in the last year and most recently the low fatigue strength template (my favorite by far, I have run through that template 2 times previously in the last few years and seemed to make the most strength gains). When I decided to pull back on my squat volume I experimented with my own programming which has been
monday
squat 4 sets as above
shoulder press 4 sets
dips/curl 3 sets
tuesday
bench 4 sets
bent over row 4 sets
lateral raises 3 sets
dumbell chest fly 3 sets
thursdays
deadlift 4 sets (3 reps RPE 7 then 6 reps X 3 sets (rPE 7)
barbell should press 3 sets
dumbell rows/curls 3 sets
Friday
bench press 3 sets of 10 reps
pull ups/chin ups 6 sets
Just to make sure I have this right, you currently don’t have serious DOMS that persists between monday and thursday workouts on your current program. While running PB 2, 3, and the Low Fatigue template previously, you DID have serious DOMS from Day 1 that did not resolve by Day 3’s workout, which - in combination with the squat plateau- suggested to you that the programming needed to be changed. Is that about right?
The DOMS started with squating last year and has persisted despite different programs and have persisted currently despite me pulling back on my volume to just 4 sets a week. Monday during and after the lift I feel fine but tuesday/wednesday are tough (tough meaning pretty sore and almost all in the hamstrings) and by Thursday I feel better but not normal. My deadlifts on Thursday have been good and I don’t usually feel much soreness from them. By the time Monday rolls around again, I am ready for a squat lift again but then the cycle repeats. When I was squating twice a week I was pretty much sore all week so I decided to drop the volume. It just seems odd to me that despite running a program for several months that my body still feels the same and doesn’t seem to want to adapt. I have tried stretching in the evening and reduced my cardio (5-8 running miles/week) but not much has changed.
Mentally I have started to debate whether to continue to pursue additional strength gains (if that is still possible) or to do a minimal volume and keep the strength I have. I still have goals to be stronger and want to continue to progress but I recognize I got in the game late (age 42) and am now 47. Is this my body telling me that I am tapped out or can I overcome this with different programming? The other areas of my life (sleep/nutrition/stress) are about as good as I can make them. I am an ENT doctor (EVMS class of 2004) but my work/schedule is pretty stable at this point. I realize that my problem may be beyond what we can hash out on a forum but if there is a simple solution I am up for it. I have a goal to compete in one powerlifting meet, which is in January. I feel like I need to increase my volume because I haven’t seen any real strength gains in a few months, but squating once or twice a week has yielded the same results (minimal progress and prolonged hamstring DOMS). I have also considered changing to the high bar squat to give more focus the the quads or to try more hamstring specific volume to build them up more but with my first and likely only meet in 3-4 months I would have tried to keep programming the low bar squat. This lifting stuff is simple until it isn’t. Thanks for your time. You guys do great work.
Any thoughts?
Andrew,
Thanks for the detail reply. Nice to see another EVMS alum as well. A few thoughts: 1. I think the volume reduction may have worked in the short-term by reducing training stress, but the long-term consequence is reduced training tolerance to more squatting. Being sore all the time sucks and so I can totally understand the desire to change things up.
2. I do think a second squat slot may be beneficial, though I’d plan to pick a lower stress variant like something machine-based (leg press), lighter (unilateral, tempo, paused), and/or with a different movement pattern (e.g. HBBS, SSB, or similar). I would plan on a rep range of 8-15, limiting RPE of work sets to ~ RPE 6-7 at first for 1-2 sets for 2-3 weeks before increasing volume. I’d maintain proximity to failure though.
3. I think some direct hamstrings work, e.g. lying hamstring curl (unilateral or bilateral) could be useful.
4. I would consider addressing the main squat’s programming, periodizing it over time based on your goals and response. In the context of your current program, it might shake out like this:
Day 1:
squat
block 1 5-8 reps @ RPE 6-7 x 3-4 sets
block 2 4-6 reps @ RPE 6-7 x 3-4 sets
block 3 3-5 reps @ RPE 6-7 x 3-5 sets
block 4, singles + 6-12 reps for back off work, leading to taper
Day 3
Deadlift (similar progression as above)
Supplemental squat
Block 1- leg press, 8-12 reps @ 6-7 x 1-2 sets
Block 2- leg press, 6-10 reps @ 6-7 x 2-3 sets
block 3- SSB or HBBS x 6-10 x 1-2 sets
Block 4- 2ct paused squat x 5-8 x 1-2 sets
Day 4
Hamstring curls (at end of workout) 8-15 reps @ RPE 7 x 1-4 sets (progressed over time)
I will give it a go, many thanks