Knee pain after heavy lifting session...

[Monkey72]

Two weeks ago, I was working legs heavy and had a little over 500 lbs on leg press. I did leg curls, leg extensions and by the time I hit 450 lbs calf press, I had a bit of a pop in my left knee. I finished out the set and didn't think anything of it, then my left knee went out later that night while doing dishes (of all things). My workout routine at the time was 1x10 warmup, 1x10 to fail, 2x5 heavy.

Now, I have a pop in the left side of my left knee in what feels like the kneecap itself, haven't been able to work legs too heavy (still scared to go above 400 lbs for 10 reps on leg press) and noticed the knee just feels a little weaker; I seem to baby it on the decline of the leg press. It also hurts if I hyperextend while lying in bed. It seems to have a very mild dull ache sometimes too...

Any ideas what I may have done here? I am hoping nothing permanent, and yes I am avoiding the doctors right now. I can still do cardio, but really don't like my new popping and ache.

 

[BarbellBeast]

There's a bunch of crap in the knee you could have messed up.stop training legs for a couple weeks and then use an ace bandage or one of those sleeves.

 

[Monkey72]

Thanks BarbellBeast,

A good friend said I may have strained the MCL in my knee after he listened to me explain what happened. Since then I have bought a support for the knee and after a couple of weeks not training legs, today I did train them lightly (bumped down the weight to 380 for a 10 set of leg presses). I was able to do that in my citcuit routine with no problems afterwards, so I am going to continue to do light workouts until nothing in the knee feels funny.

I still have an occasional twinge, but nothing as bad as when I first did it. The support seems to be helping too, and I didn't used to believe in them. Seems as I get older the supports and stuff become more necessary

Take care,
Monkey72

 

[MAYO]

I have no PCL in my right knee making it very unstable, and what I find helpful is lifting without shoes. It allows my feet direct connection with a hard level surface(concrete) versus the soft flexible padding in my shoe. It has been my experience that my shoes shifting under the weight of both my body and the barbell tweaks my joints just enought to misalign them causing pain. I squat mid 5's raw with no problem...bare feet bro!!

 

[Monkey72]

Mayo,

Actually, you are only the second person I have known that works out in bare feet like I do. And, I do it for stability since it forces me to be careful and I can see the alignment of my feet on the leg press and other exercises. Plus, less slippage, like you said!

Thanks bro!

 

[TrainHard]

Just give it some time and heal, you probably particaly tore "something" or one of your tendons or ligaments under the shear stress of the weight moved back and forth.

Do you have bad pain, where is it localized at??

 

[sailing man]

I had knee problems a few years ago and had it checked by an orthopedic sports doctor. He recommended going in a trimming some torn cartilage which I put off for over a year. When I did have to get it removed I was in pain most of my walking time and running was our of the question. I had the surgery and in two weeks I was walking in a month I was back on my bike, and now a year later I am running in races again. I suggest you get it checked by a sports doctor. I may save you a lot of time and pain.

 

[Reinheart]

You should do better warm up sessions. In contrary to common belief, i think the legs need a lot of reps to grow rather than ultra heavy ass weights for low reps. The leg muscles mainly consist of slow twich fibers and this explains why one can walk a large distance without getting tired.

The best leg, or should i say quad workout is the 10x10 Squat.

I like to do this:

Leg extentions: 4x20
Leg Presses: 4x10-12
Squats: 6x10-20
Straight leg deadlifts: 3x10-12
Standing cable hamstring curls: 3x10-12
Seated calf raises: 4x 12-20
Standing calf raises: 4x12-20

Obviously, the amount of weight i lift isn't tremendous but i own most of my leg development to this routine.

Remember this, bodybuilding isn't about how much you can lift, it's about how much you look you can lift.

 

[bobkerry]

hey first you should consult your doctor in order to know what actuall the problem is... then later on you can check whether the problem is minor one or the major one...
i think there is no need to worry you can find the best solution from your doctor

 

[insaiyan93]

Honestly leg press in general bothers my knees for some reason, and its not as beneficial as squats. So I just don't do them