This past few weeks I have finally switched gyms and I’m training with guys from the Golden Triangle Powerlifting Club at Popeyes Gym. One of the Masters guys, Steve, came in last week with an old metal deadlifter suit that he wanted me to try.
Well this was my first time trying a suit, I didn’t really know how to use it at all, I couldn’t even pull myself down tight enough to get in starting position and it was really uncomfortable. I was wearing it properly, Steve has been competing for something like 26 years.
The whole time my left adductor and medial hamstring head felt like it was being crushed, I am very dominant in these muscles on my lower body lifts, and it felt like halfway down the tendon or muscle or nerve or something was just being constricted too tight. The rest of the night it felt really weird when i locked out my knee and hip. I iced it and the next day it was fine.
But now it feels like a dull ache whenever i used it after not moving it for a while, and the ache goes from the knee down into the calf. This is not a sharp pain, its very dull and more like a “growing pain”.
I have stretched the leg fully, iced it, i rubbed traumeel on it and i have foam rolled every aspect of it.
the best way i can describe this pain is that it is right on the inside almost like the articular cartilage between the tibia and femur has been compressed too much or something.
I also rack pulled 550x1 and im wondering if it wasn’t the suit at all. I have been doing a lot of heavy knee loaded movements lately, like 450x3, 500x1 anderson squat and rack pulls ranging from 450-500 for triples and singles. my best squat rigth now is barely 400lbs and my deadlift somewhere in the high 400s
I doubt it was the suit, they arnt supposed to be comfortable it takes me like 20 min of swinging from the rack to get into mine and it leaves bruises after i take it off, so i dot think the suit did anything
Thanks, My lifts have gone up a ton since joining them. Tonight before and after benching I’ll do some TKEs and light top focused leg extensions in the 20-30 rep range, as well as keep working the soft tissues.
It so strange because I’ve never had knee problems before, but I think its almost definitely an issued of the weight being put on it that I need some time to adapt to. that 550 rack pull felt like it was gonna tear the muscle off the back of my ribcage lol. People watching said I visible got 1-2 inches shorter during the initiation of the pull.
You may also want to consider seeing a chiro. I would suggest the guy that most of us go see. Sometimes when you change the way you are lifting and your form, you get aggravations that can be settled down with a couple of easy exercises. We all love him because he lifts as well so when you tell him exactly what you’re doing, he fixes you.
You may have just subtly altered how you are lifting because of the suit.
The chiro suggestion is worth listening to. I was had a very similiar tork in my hamstring after using gear for the first time, one of my professors at the time was a chiro, he showed me a couple of simple movements to work in right out, sometimes all you need is alittle blood in the area… my muscle pull or whatever it was, came right after I started training much differently too… good luck! hope it all works out for you. dont let this ruin your gear experience coming from a gear whore