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Thread: training my mother

  1. #1
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    Default training my mother

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    After a lot of pestering, I convinced my mother, age 64, weight unknown (but skinny fat and her bones appear really thin), to come to the gym with us to do physical activity. Naturally, I wanted her to do the Starting Strength program, however, there are a number of apparent problems because of her poor physical condition. Besides being weak and inflexible having done no physical activities, she has postural problems, and walks hunched over (which has become worse as time goes on). I am worried she would become completely crippled if she continues on a path of total physical inactivity.

    Tried to get her to do some of the exercises:

    - squats: she could not do the basic movement unweighted. She could not get nearly low enough, and when she got as low as she could she would fall down often. we experimented with all kinds of stances, etc. eventually had her do some leg press sets so she could at least do something to get her lower body moving.

    - overhead press: this was her best exercise, relatively speaking. She did 25lbs 1 x 5, and then 20lbs 2 x 5. The second and third sets got reduced in weight because of a 74-year old man that approached her and convinced her to 'take it easy', against my advice.

    - deadlift: extremely light weight, she could actually get into a starting position that looked like back extension, but then as soon as she pulled her back got completely rounded and I was not able to help her fix it. No idea how to go about fixing this. I showed her the lying down stretches for upper and lower back extension.

    Any advice welcomed.

  2. #2
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    Sounds like she has some pretty significant mobility deficits. Maybe some mobilitywod along with machines (so she can focus on doing single joint/muscle exercises with good form) until she is in a better position to try compound lifts?

  3. #3
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    Which of those specific exercises would be recommended given her mobility deficits?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by aprazma View Post
    Which of those specific exercises would be recommended given her mobility deficits?
    Which mobilitywod exercises? Pretty much all of them, but especially the thoracic and shoulder ones. I'd love to be able to convince my father to do this stuff, as he is starting to develop that elderly hunched over look.

  5. #5
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    These sound like they could be just as due to strength deficits as mobility deficits.

    I would avoid the single joint machines like leg extensions, etc.

    Get her on the leg press until she can do a few bodyweight squats. Watch Rip’s video on the leg press, which he made for exactly this kind of situation. You can also see if she has structural mobility issues in her hips or legs by putting her on the leg press.

    I’d have her do flat-backed good mornings over back extensions--they’re more scalable for the very weak, and they will also teach her how to extend her back under load. Start really light, obviously, and you may have to start with a reduced ROM. Make sure thoracic extension and lumbar flexion are BOTH excellent before increasing ROM or weight. When she gets stronger, I’d alternate these with back extensions until she can do DLs.

    Keep her OH pressing. I also recommend lat pull downs. IMO, benching isn’t necessary, unless she thinks it’ll be fun and her shoulders are in good shape. Pushups, on the other hand, (from her knees if necessary, and/or on an incline) are a great exercise for very weak people.

    Some overall isometric ab work like planks would be good, too, I’d think. Normally, I find these useless, but for a person who is very weak and has postural problems, working on these can be helpful. Pushups cover this as well.

    And the stretching/mobility work will only help, of course, but don’t make the mistake of assuming this is her primary problem. Falling over before reaching depth, for example, could be a sign of inflexibility, but it’s also likely to be because of weakness. There isn’t a strict delineation between mobility and strength, obviously, and it sounds like you guys could use a coach to at least assess her issues.

  6. #6
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    Thanks, spar. Will give those exercises a try.

  7. #7
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    FYI, those MobilityWOD exercises are NOT intended for sedentary old ladies. A friend of mine who is late 30s/early 40s tried the couch stretch, which I think was the 2nd MWOD posted on that site, and injured something in both her thigh and back just getting into position to try it. She’s not inactive (regular cardio and lifting using light weight, high reps--she won’t listen to me), but she still had trouble. So just extrapolate the care you need to take with your 64 year old sedentary mother and be sensible.

  8. #8
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    Scott Sonnon has a simple introductory yoga-based mobility routine called Intu-flow that I think would be good for older people that want to regain lost mobility. He used to sell it but it's now on Youtube:



    (that's the first video in the series, the rest are under the same account and in the related vids)

    Hope that helps.

  9. #9
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    Hopefully I can bring this thread back for a few follow-up questions.

    My mom has been training 1/week (this is what she is will to do) since July, plus occasional non-gym exercises (such as assisted pushups/planks) in between. Doing:

    Leg press: she is up to machine + 100 lbs. This is now greater than her body weight. The form is acceptable, and her lower body strength and physical technique there is relatively improved.

    A pressing exercise: overhead press, or bench. Overhead press is going up extremely slowly due to less than optimal form. Bench is going up reasonably well.

    Lat pulldowns: she has done 72.5 lbs for three sets of 5 with acceptable form.

    Squats: despite getting leg press greater than body weight, she still cannot squat. (She also cannot front squat). We have identified weakness in her upper back that prevents her from keeping her chest from collapsing down. She also cannot effectively extend her upper back - for example while lying on the ground, she cannot raise her upper back, her face ends up going into the ground basically, because of this upper back weakness.

    Deadlift: deadlifted 67.5lbs with excessive upper back rounding. Lower back seems relatively ok.

    Back extensions: she can do a set of 3-5 reps.

    Good mornings: she could not do them without excessively rounding upper back.


    Suggestions for the most efficient way to solve this problem. Am I correct that the problem is now how to safely strength her upper back?


    Quote Originally Posted by spar View Post
    These sound like they could be just as due to strength deficits as mobility deficits.

    I would avoid the single joint machines like leg extensions, etc.

    Get her on the leg press until she can do a few bodyweight squats. Watch Rip’s video on the leg press, which he made for exactly this kind of situation. You can also see if she has structural mobility issues in her hips or legs by putting her on the leg press.

    I’d have her do flat-backed good mornings over back extensions--they’re more scalable for the very weak, and they will also teach her how to extend her back under load. Start really light, obviously, and you may have to start with a reduced ROM. Make sure thoracic extension and lumbar flexion are BOTH excellent before increasing ROM or weight. When she gets stronger, I’d alternate these with back extensions until she can do DLs.

    Keep her OH pressing. I also recommend lat pull downs. IMO, benching isn’t necessary, unless she thinks it’ll be fun and her shoulders are in good shape. Pushups, on the other hand, (from her knees if necessary, and/or on an incline) are a great exercise for very weak people.

    Some overall isometric ab work like planks would be good, too, I’d think. Normally, I find these useless, but for a person who is very weak and has postural problems, working on these can be helpful. Pushups cover this as well.

    And the stretching/mobility work will only help, of course, but don’t make the mistake of assuming this is her primary problem. Falling over before reaching depth, for example, could be a sign of inflexibility, but it’s also likely to be because of weakness. There isn’t a strict delineation between mobility and strength, obviously, and it sounds like you guys could use a coach to at least assess her issues.
    Last edited by aprazma; 10-17-2011 at 10:58 AM.

  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Quote Originally Posted by aprazma View Post
    Back extensions: she can do a set of 3-5 reps.

    Good mornings: she could not do them without excessively rounding upper back.
    Back extensions are fine for the lumbar, but someone who is weak and has poor kinesthetic sense won't benefit from them much for upper back strengthening. GMs are good, but only if she can do them.

    I am guessing that it's lack of kinesthetic sense that is rounding your mother's back. And/or possibly stooped shoulders/lack of shoulder/pec flexibility. Do her shoulders come forward, i.e., is her natural posture one that presents like a "caved in" chest?

    Have you tried having her GM with something as light as a broomstick? That could help you diagnose what's going on. Have her do some pec stretches, too, which are all over the Internet (the doorway stretch is a good place to start), and see whether she has bad mobility there.

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