If you are not squatting, you have not started strength training. What's wrong with your knee?
Coach Rip, I'm a novice lifter, mid-30s, and very skinny. Started strength training recently. I can't do squats yet because of a prior knee injury and flexibility issues, but I'm working on those. In the meantime, I'm doing more deadlifting than SS suggests - specifically, 5x5 2x per week (pulling less than bodyweight at the moment). Is that too much deadlifting for a novice lifter to properly recover from? Or will it be too much once I'm pulling more than bodyweight? Thanks.
If you are not squatting, you have not started strength training. What's wrong with your knee?
Chondromalacia in my right knee. It started as patellar tendonosis, and eventually became chondromalacia. I think it developed from quad dominance (was doing lots of road cycling) and very underutilized posterior chain. It seems to be getting better now that I'm foam rolling/stretching nearly every day and better utilizing my glutes/hams. Also, I don't yet have the mobility to get into a below-parallel squat position even with just bodyweight. Working on that with squat stretches and prying.
So since I'm not squatting yet, I figured I'd load up on deadlifts, which also serves the purpose of getting my posterior chain up to snuff after decades of neglect.
It also prevents you from using a full ROM under load. The vast majority of people, even those with chondro, have enough flexibility to squat below parallel if they shove their knees out with the correct stance.