Knee Hurts when I squat

[187maccmoss]

So I started lifting 2 weeks ago. I temporatily only have dumbells. I have strong legs (I think) and I grabbed 40lbs on each arm (heaviest dumbell I have) and when I squated my right knee hurt when I was squating down.

Have any idea what it might be ? If I should continue squats or ask a doctor ?


I don't feel it as much if I lighten the weight.

[BFJ]

So I started lifting 2 weeks ago. I temporatily only have dumbells. I have strong legs (I think) and I grabbed 40lbs on each arm (heaviest dumbell I have) and when I squated my right knee hurt when I was squating down.

Have any idea what it might be ? If I should continue squats or ask a doctor ?


I don't feel it as much if I lighten the weight.

for the time being it sounds like you have done your own medicine, if it hurts, don't do it, or at least lighten up till it goes away as you have done. you might consider posting a video of you squatting because without seeing it, it's really hard to tell. underlying problems, flexibility, muscle imbalances, poor technique, body structure, etc. could all influence why you are feeling pain. be careful, i have patellar tendonitis that nags me to this day from being really stupid about squats and not listening to my body when i was younger. train hard, but train smart.

[starting-big]

i have to agree with this ^^^ i love squats but cant do them no more cause it feels like my tendons are tearing off the bone. even when i squat without weight i have same feeling

[viperjax]

Which part of your knees hurt? For over a year I used to have a similar problem where the region just above my patella would hurt like hell every time I squatted. I had to stop squatting altogether. I just finally figured out about two months ago that the problem was a muscle imbalance. I had relatively thick outer quads but shameful teardrops and whaddayaknow, the teardrops are responsible for knee stability. After about two weeks of doing heavy low-rep bulgarian split squats, the pain stopped and my squat poundages went up. My teardrop still looks pretty pathetic (likely because I only use low reps) but I am completely pain free and my knee feels a lot more stable.

I always assumed squats target the whole quads but for me it somehow targets primarily the outer quads, which resulted in the imbalance. Your situation sounds similar to mine since you say you have strong legs because at some point a muscle imbalance will start to cause pain when you go heavy enough.

[EPMD]

You might be leaning forward while squatting, which generally puts a lot more pressure on your knees. If you are sitting back into your squats and pushing from the heel/mid-foot and yet still experiencingi pain, then the pain is probably an injury that needs a medical opinion.

[RaveBDK]

So I started lifting 2 weeks ago. I temporatily only have dumbells. I have strong legs (I think) and I grabbed 40lbs on each arm (heaviest dumbell I have) and when I squated my right knee hurt when I was squating down.

Have any idea what it might be ? If I should continue squats or ask a doctor ?


I don't feel it as much if I lighten the weight.

uhh, how does your knee hurt?

When it bends on the way down...or the push on the way up?

I would say its a torn tendon, but you would probably feel it without lifting.


I'd say lay off of it for a week or two, and then try it again, if it hurts stop for the day, then wait another week, and if it continues to hurt after a couple weeks rest, you might want to see a doctor.

Usually if its a little tweak, it should go away, but DONT LIFT ON IT OR USE IT NOW, because it's only going to put more stress on it and make it worse, and could eventually lead to permanent, long-term damage.

EDIT: I dont think hes doing squats...i think hes doing lunges.

[crupiea]

If you are putting too much weight on your toes then your knees will hurt sometimes.

Try keeping the weight over your heels and this should help.

[FatboysFatter]

So I started lifting 2 weeks ago. I temporatily only have dumbells. I have strong legs (I think) and I grabbed 40lbs on each arm (heaviest dumbell I have) and when I squated my right knee hurt when I was squating down.

Have any idea what it might be ? If I should continue squats or ask a doctor ?


I don't feel it as much if I lighten the weight.

if you can't post a video of you doing squats, can you at least detail in specifics... like feet both facing straight, or outward to about a 25 degree angle, when going down, butt poked out and going until legs are about 25% from being fully folded. you know... not necessarily like I wrote it, but justin specific.

[hapa808]

Don't forget to do a really good warm up before squating. Cold knee's will get injured easier.