What is your injury?
I've been doing the four main Starting Strength lifts - squat, deadlift, press, bench press - for a while now but after ending up with some injuries (not training related - I'm very focused on good form) which I'm working with a PT to rehab, I'm trying to put together a program limited to three lifts I can do without aggravating my various issues: squat, hex bar deadlift, and farmer's walk. I haven't done any hex bar work or farmers walk before.
I'd characterize myself as recently out of the novice phase. I've read SS as well as The Barbell Prescription (I'm 48 years old, 5'9" 147). I'm not particularly competitive but just looking to gain overall strength in the most time-efficient way possible. My home gym is cramped, so I'll be doing my farmers walk in a 8 x 10 open area (so lots of tight circles, I guess).
Any thoughts on programming with only these three things would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Left shoulder - some minor tears & bone spurs. Ortho recommended trying PT first, but may need to have it cleaned out if PT doesn't work. Lower back also somewhat of an issue on deadlifts, even with good form, so I thought hex bar might be a wise preventative.
Can you Press without pain? Also, if you were 175 and not 147 I bet some of these nagging injuries go away. Not saying its going to heal up tears and bone spurs but people who eat adequately for growth tend to have less problems with this stuff.
I can press without pain. I take your point about more muscle mass being good (for so many reasons), and it's something I'm working toward. I've got a pretty small frame, and while I've been making gains they only come slowly and with a lot of work. Any thoughts you have on programming - especially using hex bar DL & farmer's walk, which are new to me - while I rehab my shoulder are greatly appreciated.
I don't every really "program" farmers walks because I don't really work with strongman competitors except on a few occasions where I have analyzed how they program their barbell work. I don't really get into event specific training. I use farmers walks with the elderly on occasion as a conditioning tool but I don't really program them. I'd assume just program the trap bar the same as a barbell. Maybe a bit more volume as its a bit less locally fatiguing on the back.
I had/have very similar issues in my right shoulder. PT's a joke and won't help. Ortho wanted to operate and "clean it out" as well. I have crappy insurance and so $ and a desire to stay upright without being cut into forced me to make a hard choice several years back. I stopped benching. I started overhead pressing more. Lots of push ups. No pain ever. Whereas before, I could be laid out for a week at a time with severe crippling shoulder pain.
I could probably start benching again, but I don't really care to at this point.
Not saying it will work for you,,,,
Thanks. I'd been doing deadlift and squat on the same day, 2x per week in a sort of heavy / light program. Sounds like all I really need to do is sub the hex bar DL for the DL, maybe add a set, and I should be all set.
If at all possible I'd learn to just DL correctly. I fully understand that some people are not going to be able to do a correct squat or deadlift without some hands on in person coaching. That's why we have coaches. So....if the only way you can DL pain free is with a hex bar and you don't have access to quality coaching, then do that. Not optimal but you can still get stronger.