Hate squats...

[Huntforfun]

I'll stop you there as 100s of you are ready to call me a nutjob; I don't actually hate squats but for some strange reason lately my quads ALWAYS cramp when I squat. No matter how much water I drink the night beforehand; AND they aren't normal cramps that hurt like hell and go away after; it hurts like fuck and then the pain stays as if I was Charlie horsed and sometimes is so bad I can't walk the next day... I don't know what's wrong with me ? Maybe I need to stretch more? I usually do a 30 second leg stretch warmup before... On RARE occasions this won't happen but it usually fucks me up and I feel more pain from injury then actual soreness and gains..

Because of this I would skip leg day; I hated it... And I was leaning out so I wasn't really tripping to much. Now I have put on some decent mass on my chest and upper body the past 2-3 months and I started to worry, so I went to my old nemesis I hated worse than squaring... Deadlifting. And by gods name for some weird reason I LOVE deadlifting now. Even when my back is sore the next day and my ass and hamstrings are burning I just feel like it's a badass excersize. So I'm happy to announce I'm veering from chicken leg disease .

However the main point of my post is :when I deadlift , even heavy, my legs/quads don't "cramp" or have "muscle contractions" but when I squat heavy they do.

What is wrong with me ? What can I try to fix? My form is pretty good on squat and deadlift ; I have actually gotten into form lately because I found that it really makes a significant difference in my gainnnnZ so I don't think it's poor form. Can anyone shoot some ideas?

[piperdown]

What's the weight, routine (sets, reps), frequency? Got a video?

Could be something simple but need a bit more information.

[AlexanderOmand]

Perhaps a Potassium imbalance?

You also have to remember, that in a Squat, there is a heavier load on the quads than during the Deadlift.  You're also putting the quads in a longer stretch position than during a Deadlift.  It may be that the extension is giving you micro tears in the muscle fiber.

[Huntforfun]

Thanks for the reies. I'll look into both; leg day is Wednesday I'll post video that night. Do you suggest I eat a banana before? Haha

[LisaSkinnoble]

I wondered about Potassium as well.  Perhaps you're not getting enough?  But be careful - too much is dangerous.

[Huntforfun]

I wondered about Potassium as well.  Perhaps you're not getting enough?  But be careful - too much is dangerous.

too much potassium can be bad?

[LisaSkinnoble]

It can be - if you have kidney disease, heart disease or diabetes. 

Recommended we get 4,700 mg per day, and most of us don't come near that.  Bananas, whole grain breads,  apricots, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, are good sources.

[BLK00TJ]

It's my unprofessional opinion that the lifts you hate the most are the ones you should be doing more of.

[piperdown]

It's my unprofessional opinion that the lifts you hate the most are the ones you should be doing more of.

Whew! That's good cause the only ones I hate are lunges...any form of them.

Huntforfun did you try upping your potassium?

[Huntforfun]

It's my unprofessional opinion that the lifts you hate the most are the ones you should be doing more of.

Whew! That's good cause the only ones I hate are lunges...any form of them.

Huntforfun did you try upping your potassium?

I did indeed start eating two bananas every day, oppose to none ever haha; unfortunately I just had a back injury, refer here: http://www.iron-sanctuary.com/forums/index.php?topic=2747.0


and i am a bit skeptical to try squatting or dead lifting at the moment, will try to to it and report back as soon as I can; I promise I will because this is something I want to fix and I want to get under that rack again.

[LithiuM23]

I wondered about Potassium as well.  Perhaps you're not getting enough?  But be careful - too much is dangerous.

too much potassium can be bad?

It's actually the main ingredient in the lethal injection. Fun fact...

[drudixon]

To me it means you're weak where you cramp.  Glute ham raises always make me cramp.  Cramp,  starts,  get off.  Stretch,  do some more.  Lately,  no cramps.