Topic: Front Squats - hip flexor pain - need advice

[StoneBear]

This is apparently a common problem, so I imagine people are familiar with it. But if a video is needed I'll make one in a week or so, but just help in wiriting if you think you can.
 
I'm doing front squats. I've only just started training twice a day, and the increased training has started to bring out my flaws. My main one being pain in the hip flexor from front squats.
 
I wasn't aware front squats were a technical thing. I thought you just had to put your feet in the right place, keep your back straight, and then go up and down. Obviously not.
 
The pain occurs at the very end of the lift, when I'm just about to stand up straight. This is obviously when I'm putting the hip flexor, right in the groin there, under the large amount of stress. I need to know the correct technique to avoid using/overusing this muscle in the front squat. I'm looking about the net, but hope someone can tell me here.
 
Thanks.

[Arturo Gómez]

how much misures the cue of your weightlifting shoe?

The problem is with every weights?

[StoneBear]

I am weightlifting bare footed right now because I can't afford any shoes. I mean, I live in Thailand, so the regular shoes I wear are just sandals. I don't have a pair of closed shoes for this sort of thing. Not until I get some glue to stick my old pair of runners back together.
 
The problem has not occured before. I used to do squats all the time without weight when I was doing martial arts. My guess is doing it at heavy weight brings the problem out more.
 
My understanding of the problem is when you front squat very deep, the bone in your thighs slips forward. When you stand up straight again, it does not slip back as well as it should. This means that the muscles in the hip flexor are pulled when standing up straight, which causes the problem.
 
I asked here a while ago how far forward the knees ought to go when front squating and people said they go much past the toes. But most people seem to be saying it IS a problem with the knees going far forward. Now I don't know where I need to put my knees, how deep do I go. I don't know what.
 
But I'm guessing the knees are the problem. This does not happen in the dead lift, for example. So it clearly has something to do with the depth of the front squat and the massive range of movement in the hips and knees.
 
I thought people would be familiar with this?

[Arturo Gómez]

I uinderstand that the problem is gerated in the deeper flexion, as you describe. This will minimize with 3 - 4 cms of cue under the heels.

[StoneBear]

It may well do so. I am planning on buying proper weightlifting shoes. I'll try to glue the soles back on my runners until then (they came off when I went swimming in them).
 
I'm going to make a video of my front squat. I suspect people will be more interested to help if they can actually see it and can comment on my bad technique. Please come back in a few days to help. I'll borrow my friends camera, I think.