re: Kneecaps hurting from working out

Tendonitis

Go down to 5 reps per set and increase the weight enough to make that challenging. Its the repeated reps without rest that is getting you. Also might want to try front or high bar squats. The hips need to clear the knees before you start going back up

Lower the reps or the weight.

You're working too hard too fast.

I had the same problem this week I pushed my knees out too much then I did deadlifts after

That's from all the "friends" you are meeting in the locker room.

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I started out gradually increasing weight. I'd increase weight when I could do 20 reps for 3 sets.

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Why in the world are you doing 60 reps on squats if you are just coming off of a 14-year hiatus?

That is some ridiculous volume for a trained individual with good muscular endurance, let alone a recently sedentary individual.

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ecause I can only to less than 12 reps for each set, but my fricking kneecaps started hurting. They hurt all of the time now. Hurts the worst when I sit still.

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Chances are, you have excessive knee flexion and inadequate dorsiflexion in the ankle joint.

Most individuals are wary of squats because the lack the requisite mobility to achieve proper depth. As a result, a number of biomechanical deficiencies and imbalances arise to compensate for poor mobility.

If you are squatting too high, there is an overwhelming compression force against your patella (knee cap) and the accompanying ligaments.

Engage in some dynamic and static stretches to improve your ankle mobility and see if that does anything for the knee pain.

Remember, proper squat depth dictates, at minimum, a parallel line between the hip and knee joints.

Do some heel walks and some dynamic ankle stretches prior to squatting.

Heel walks for about a minute and about 2x15 should be good for the dyanmic stretches.

Save the static stretching for after your workout. Be sure to hold each stretch for anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. The longer you hold the stretch the more beneficial it will be for your soft tissues.

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I'd do one day of squats in the smith machine. I think it would be much easier to see if it's a problem with your form then

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Wrap the knees tightly with Ace bandages. My knees do the same thing if I don't wrap them before squatting.

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Do you ever wonder why basketball players are constantly injuring their ankles?

It's partly due to the fact they all wear those retarded braces which limits movement in the ankle joint.

Rather than develop appropriate mobility in a given joint, people are so quick to just wrap it up or put a bandage over it.

ITB syndrome perhaps?

Why in the hell are you doing 3 sets of 20 for squats?

I bet its your tendons. They take longer to get used to working out than your muscles. Try longer recovery times.

Do your knees hurt when you use the leg press or smith machine? Id lower the weight and do some smith machine squats for a week or two and see if the pain dies down. Also do some bodyweight squats and stretch extremely well before doing your weighted squats.

I have bad knees as well so I stretch, do 2 sets of leg extensions and 2 sets of leg curls, bodyweight squats, and then start with a light set. It sucks when you arent so young anymore.