Stiff, sore hips when squatting

[Jamie Crichton]

Recently my hips have been unusually stiff and sore when squatting - I normally do plenty of warmup and mobility drills before I lift, but it feels like they're taking longer to warmup than usual, and squatting below parallel is quite uncomfortable.

I try to do mobility regularly anyway, and lots of soft tissue work with a foam roller and tennis ball etc. Does anybody else experience this/know ways that I can free up some movement in the hips? The discomfort means I'm reticient when it comes to dropping into a full squat, which doesn't make catching snatches or cleans any easier.

Thanks

[Carl Chia]

Have you been sitting a lot?

[Garrett Smith]

How long have you been foam rolling in comparison to this hip tightness?

Has your diet been less than optimal? Holiday season and all...

[Jamie Crichton]

I've been using a foam roller etc consistently for a year or so, whereas this problem has only just appeared in the last few weeks. Diet has been sub-optimal over the last few days but is normally fairly good. I do sit a lot, but no more than any other student with exams on the horizon does!

Funnily enough, I trained today and my hips felt a load better, the best they've been for ages actually. I just spent a good while warming up and getting loose and saw a significant improvement. I think it's just a case of ensuring I warm up effectively before training.

[Garrett Smith]

If it is being warm that is the issue, another layer of compression shorts/pants may be just the ticket.

[Jamie Crichton]

That is a good idea, its pretty cold here at the moment so will make sure to get the lycra on; as if I needed any excuse, heh.

[Garrett Smith]

I also do a couple minutes of jump rope at the start to get the blood flowing when it is cold (well, cold for AZ, that is). Nice thing about it is it doesn't require much joint movement right off the bat while still getting the HR up pretty quick.