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Reader Endure posted in StrongLifts.com Forum:

I have a really bad groin. When I try to Squat or run, a really sharp pain runs through my groin.

It’s depressing, haven’t done Squats or Deadlifts for 10 days, and can’t get closer to my soccer goals since I can’t play. So I just skipped Squats & Deads.

Why You Pulled Your Groin. Your groin, hamstrings & glutes are hip extensors. Excessive sitting can cause dormant glutes. This forces your hamstrings, groin & lower back to compensate. They get overactive, and injured.

Hamstring & groin strains are common in sports. Piriformis strains also happen (synergist in lateral hip rotation). And many lifters get back pain on Squats & Deadlifts. The cause is often the same: weak glutes.

How to Treat Your Groin Pull. Bad solution 1: static stretching, it can irritate your hip joint capsule. Bad solution 2: passive rest, no-one likes it. And neither solutions fix the cause of the problem. Better ideas:

• Soft Tissue Work. Remove the knots in your adductors. Do soft tissue work using a Foam Roller. This treats the symptoms (but not the cause).
• Warm-up Properly. No more static stretching or light jogging. Improve your hip mobility by doing dynamic stretches as warm-up.
• Hip Mobility. Split Stance Adductor Mobilization, Walking Spidermans, Lateral Squats, … Check the post on hip mobility & Magnificent Mobility.
• Glute Activation. Supine Bridges, Birddogs, X-band Walks, … Read the post on glute activation & Magnificent Mobility for more exercises.
• Train Your Legs. Speeds up recovery by flushing blood (nutrients) into the injured groin. Light Squats with a narrow stance (empty bar).
• Strengthen Your Posterior Chain. Pull-throughs, Glute Ham Raises, Reverse Hyper-extensions, Deadlifts, Box Squats, etc

4 Days Later, reader Endure reported:

My groin’s getting better, I played a whole 30 mins of soccer on thursday, feeled really good.