Hi guys,
Hope you all are well! I was wondering if you can help me out on a pain I’ve been dealing with for almost about a month now. I am 24 years old, ~178lbs, and been training for a little bit over a year now.
Background on what may have caused it? This was prior to when the pain started:
It started on 12/31 where I was getting my last workout in for 2018 and had to squat. I squatted a single of 380 @ 9. Since I overshot, I modified the back off weight by taking down 10 pounds off that what would’ve been if I landed a 1@8. However, when I did that, it was still rough and did of 325x4@10. I took 20 more pounds off and did three more sets with RPEs 8,8 and 7. My next training session, I had a deadlift session where I did a single of 405 x 1@9 and proceeded with 4 backoff sets with RPEs 7, 7, 7, and 7.5.
When the pain started occurring:
Over the following weekend, I started feeling some mild pain and discomfort (pain 2-3) on my right groin, and right glute and it was irritating me quite frequently throughout the day. However, I did my best to reassure that I was ok, and tried to have a positive mindset on this issue. Things that would exacerbate it is if I had to do stuff like pick heavy stuff off the floor (pushing my feet down the ground), standing and resting on my right foot, and laying on my bed and pressing my right foot into the mattress would irritate the right groin and glute.
My first few training sessions with this pain
First week of January and this was my first training session with this pain. Couldn’t squat and deadlift around my usual weight the first week.
Day 1: Squatted around 45-65 lbs Pain occurred on my right glute and now my right hamstring (pain 3-4). Not much pain really on my right groin anymore
Day 2: Deadlifted 65 lbs all across my sets. Same pain location as my squats. However, this day also required me to front squat, and happily, I front squatted pain-free. So I worked up to weights that would land me at the target RPEs. Still pain-free. This was also my very first-time front squatting ever.
Day 3: Had to do paused back squats, but I instead did front paused squats around low 200s. Again, worked up to working weights that land at the target RPEs and for the most part pain-free. I say most part cus I did would feel something wasn’t feeling right in my right groin area. Was not a feeling of pain, but something just felt off. However, this was something I wasn’t worried about.
Day 4: Deficit Deadlifts. So from doing 65lbs on day 2, I warmed up from that to 135, 185, pain free for the most part and then at 225, I was like nah I should probably cut the weight down and then did two more sets: 185 and then dropped to 135 due to pain again at the right glute and hamstring. No groin.
Week 2
Went back to my back squats and luckily was pain for the most part. Went to my usual working weights and felt most part fine. Again, some slight discomfort on the right glute and hamstring but it was very tolerable.
Deadlifts: I don’t know why I did this, should’ve been smart about it. But I warmed up and the pain started increasing after I warmed up with weights past 225, I still went on to 275, 315, and then did a 1@7 at 365 - pain on the right glute and hamstring, and would notice the left half of the barbell would travel up quicker than the right side and pain was around 5/10. Didn’t even bother to go for a 1@8, so dropped down to 315 and finished from there.
Current update and what I’ve been doing with training
I have gone back to back squats. There have some mild discomfort and pain still on the right glute and especially my right hamstring when the weight gets around my usual weight for the competition squat. However, this has something I have been able to tolerate. Do you suggest I cut the weight down a bit to make the squats totally completely pain and discomfort free?
As for deadlifts, I am currently deadlifting only around 225-235 and there is not much pain really (1-1.5/10) and some mild discomfort after I finish for like 10-15 minutes. I will see how long I can keep up with putting weight on each week, but I haven’t able to put much weight on and have been stuck at 225 for the most part through my competition deadlift and supplemental deadlifts.
Most of the pain that occurs when I train is all in my right hamstring and glute, there doesn’t seem to be much groin pain at all when I train. However, it is the opposite when I am not training. Very light discomfort on my groin and everything is fine with my glute and hamstring when I’m at rest.
This has been quite a process for me. I have been following barbell medicine for quite a while and I appreciate all the content you have provided us. While I tell myself and reassure that I am ok, I’m not broken, I am strong, etc., I still have the tendency to overthink things, and ruminate about these nagging pains, which has been frustrating. I’ve been following you and Austin’s posts on IG regards to pain, which does make me feel better and to be smarter with my training, but I am still lost and unsure on how to apply this in my programming to improve this pain. I am currently in the BBM group programming powerbuilding and have been since September 2018 and was doing 3x/week, and now 4x/week starting January. However, I may leave the group in a month or so and follow one of the BBM templates I have purchased (May do the bridge or hypertrophy, not sure yet) as the goal is to improve my pain.
As of now, do you have any advice to give or any modifications you would make from this? I have cut down the weight significantly, but as for exercise, volume, frequency, other mods, etc? I want to hold off on going for a consult for now because I’ve been dealing with a current shoulder issue since the summer 
and may use that as my consult. But first, I will read the current shoulder articles you guys uploaded, and if I still can’t improve, I will reach out.
As always, thank you so much for all you’ve done, sorry for the long post, and let me know what other information I need to provide.
Best,
Sean