great workout!!/bad hamstring pain

[casby]

so due to a life change, moving and working 90 hrs a week, i haven't been to a gym nor done anything physical for that matter(except work which is not that physical), for over 3 months. this week i found out that there is a gym and pool 2 blocks from from where i live. luckily i had a rainy day so i couldn't work, so i jumped at the opportunity of going to the gym and getting back at things. FUCK ME did it feel good. i started out by swimming for 20 min. then hit the weights for about 40 min. just did some basic compound exercises to get into the swing of things. for the last 3 months i've been working on the road alot, staying in hotels. so basically eating in restaurants. lost a bit of muscle and gained fat. definitely put my self esteem in a dive. i mean when i went for a swim, i didn't want to take my shirt off lol. the pool opens 630 am so i can at least get a swim in before work, and the gym is only open till 930pm, so i might be able to squeeze a section in after work. but at least i got something.
so after my rambling, i've got a serious problem to address to you guys. i've had terrible hamstring pain doing any exercise involving the hamstrings. for example today i started out doing deadlifts with 120lbs. during the first warm up set it always feels really good, but as soon as i'm done my first warm up set, my hamstrings have this sharp pain and i can't bend over let alone do another set for the life of me. and it's not like 120lbs is too heavy lol, if i do enough reps with the bar alone, i get the same pain. at that point it's good riddance for a leg workout. squats are just as bad, leg press etc...
oh ya and i should add that i've had this problem for about a year, and before i moved away 3 months ago, i went to my physiotherapist for 4 months, but he helped fuck all. i've taken time off and i stretch everytime before i start lifting. i'm pissed off and out of ideas. any advice anyone? i'll post a pic to show a rough idea as to where it

is.http://www.superiormuscle.com/forums...1&d=1211429622
Hamstrings-or-Biceps-Femori.jpg

and for the record i cant remember when i've typed so much.

[Bouncer]

give this a try and let me know. don't stretch the hams out at all before your workout. instead, simply warm them up with 5-10 minutes on the treadmill or bike. after that do a few warm up sets and then get into your workout. i have a feeling you are stretching them to much and injuring yourself in the process.

[casby]

ill give it a try, but not too sure thats the case, i've always had really tight hamstrings

[Mr I]

if thats doesn't work, see a chiropractor. You haven't said that its an injury or how it occured so I'm assuming its just come on. It seems strange that a muscular problem would just come on without a previous pull or a tear.

So it seems like some sort of posture problem thats bringing about this tightness which could mean a number of things; tilted pelvis, muscular imbalance, core muscle problems.

Are you sure it is the hamstring itself and not just a pain that happens to run down the back of the leg, this could be ciatica (something pressing o the ciatic nerve) possibly from periformis syndrome or something.

[casby]

ya, i'll have to see if i can find a chiropractor around here. i've never torn a muscle but i have always had tight leg muscles. when i was younger playing baseball (around 7 years ago) i would pull my hamstrings alot. now that i think about it, i've never been able to do free weight squats because of it. always done light hack squats, leg curls and extensions for legs, which i would LOVE to avoid. and no mr. incredible, it's not solely in my hamstrings. after my first set, its that whole general hamstring area that would hurt, but once i wake up the next morning, like today, the majority of the pain is in the adductor magnus, and buttocks area.
and if it makes a difference, i have always had bad posture
i'm just getting absolutely frusterated with this problem, i cant do any compound movements for my lower body like this. not exceptable.

[nda246]

A chiropractor most likely wont be able to help with soft tissue problems as they are trained how to manipulate bones and joints.

Is the pain a shooting pain or is it localized? Is it temporary? Is it in the belly of the muscle or is it the tendon or insertion point at the joint-you might not be able to tell by feel)?

[Bouncer]

many times hamstring problems are due to lower back and hip issues. may need to strengthen these in order to fix the hammy issue. how is your posture?

[casby]

nda, i don't exactly know how to explain the pain so i'll do the best i can. when i'm done doing my first warmup set, it feels fine, but as soon as i try lifting with my legs again(no matter what weight it is), it tightens up to the extreme. if feels like if i lift any more something is going to tear. at that point, it feels like it's the general hamstring area, but then later on in the day, or when i wake up the next morning, it pin points more toward the inner thigh, like the adductor area. and shoots toward my buttocks. the pain will last a couple days. it doesn't HURT to the touch, but i can feel it when i touch it.

bouncer, like i said in the previous post, i do have bad posture. do you really think that would be the case? to be honest, i don't see alot of male's with proper posture. and i have had lower back pain/spasms in the past quit a bit. have not had that back pain in awhile now.

i've never been a really flexible guy, so i figure that i just pulled something in my legs a couple years ago(which i know i did)neglected it, and it's coming to haunt me. could this be the case, or is it more complex than that?

[Mr I]

from what you have said I think you need to go to focus on strengthening your core and balance. It sounds like when your lifting, the strain is being transferred to other muscles that are getting over strained or not designed to be the primary mover in that excercise. You can do pelvic floor and focus more on lower abs, ball work etc to get your core all round stronger. Also it sounds like you would benefit from seeing a chiropractor to get some adjustments to your alignment prefferably one that does massage also.


You also must pay attention to your diet, get enough protien in to strengthen those support muscles. There definately seems to be an imbalance there and tension in the hamstrings. They need to be strengthened and stretched; stiff leg deads, hypers would help so perhaps do these for a few workouts and don't do the leg curls for a while then re-inttroduce them

[casby]

thanks a lot for your posts guys. so from what i've gathered, i have to work on my core, which i will start doing. also, if it would be a posture problem, is it possible to correct that slowly by sitting with good form from now on? or is this just how my back is shaped and cannot be corrected that easily?

[Bouncer]

really what you should do is go see a good sports physical therapist. someone that deals with sports related injures all the time. it could be one of a hundred things. a doc like that would get on the road to recovery immediately.

[casby]

yup. good advice. didn't even cross my mind. like i said, i moved so don't know anything around here but im sure wont be hard to find one.

[Bouncer]

any update casby? dont let this drag on bro, get it taken care of so you can put it behind you.

[casby]

as of this moment, i'm working away from home 7 days a week so have no time for any doctor. but as soon as i get back home i'm definitely getting it checked out by a sports doctor.

[casby]

Holy shit, it's been 3 years already. I'm still struggling with the hamstring issue unfortunately. I've taken this whole winter off to get healthy (my insides aren't right but that's another story), and I've gone to a sports doctor and been doing deep tissue message on my hammys and stretching everyday.

I've been starting light squats and my hammys still tighten up everytime. How long do you think it would take for my hamstrings to loosen up if I continue stretching?