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Thread: Obese beginner - need some input

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Posts
    7

    Default Obese beginner - need some input

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    Hi folks,

    Short bit of background:
    I am a 29 year old male, 178kg bodyweight. I am morbidly obese, and have been for a number of years. A couple of years ago,
    I attempted a simple 5x5 in a commercial gym setting, and outside a power rack in my stupidity without a trainer, I lost my balance
    and fell during a barbell squat. Fell backwards, with the bar still on my shoulders, and hurt my back pretty bad. At the time, I was in
    the process of decent weightloss (around 45kg down), but I pushed too quick to get weight on the bar, and I learned my lesson with
    back pain for several years after (its been 8 years since then).

    Fast forward, picked the weight back up (and then some), and recently I decided to make the push into getting into starting strength.
    Purchased a brand name olympic bar, cast iron plates (currently only a set of 1.25kg, 2.5kg, 5kg & 10kg - looking at getting more in the very
    near future, probably 2 sets of 20kg at least). Power rack is on the way, so I have not yet started working out though.

    I have the book, and have been reading and re-reading the different sections to make sure I can start this off safely and with the necessary attention.

    My plan at this point is to start off with only the bar once I have my rack, and work my way up from there (the bar is pretty heavy to me already) with
    the plates I have and then add on in a month or two.

    My question is regarding the power clean in phase 2:
    I have never done cleans before, but I am very keen to learn. I have tried to get the feel of it by racking the bar on my delts, but it feels like I have
    a problem with mobility. To get my fingers under the bar, my elbows come down and then the bar ends up sitting on my wrists instead of my delts
    which I know from the book is incorrect (and painful to boot). Pushing my hands further out (so not stacking my wrists above my elbows) is also fairly
    painful in my shoulder / triceps.

    I know it will take a while before I get to a point where I do power cleans, but is there something I can work on in the meantime to enable me to starting doing them once I need to (the point where my deadlift becomes too heavy to recover successfully between workouts)? Am I missing something entirely with the rack position form?

    Apologies if this feels like a silly question, and thank you for taking the time to read/respond

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    399

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by niekz View Post
    Short bit of background:
    I am a 29 year old male, 178kg bodyweight. I am morbidly obese, and have been for a number of years.
    At 390+ pounds, the first question is height.

    The next question is whether you can get into the bottom position of the squat, as shown in this video:

    The Squat - Without the Bar

    If the bottom position of the squat is not currently possible for you, you may want to consider coaching and taking the approach discussed by Coach Andy Baker in this article:

    Training the Emergency Weight Loss Trainee | Andy Baker

    I have the book, and have been reading and re-reading the different sections to make sure I can start this off safely and with the necessary attention.

    My plan at this point is to start off with only the bar once I have my rack, and work my way up from there (the bar is pretty heavy to me already) with
    the plates I have and then add on in a month or two.
    If you are able to do the exercises, you would probably work through the plates you have (10kg and smaller) in a couple of weeks at most, as even the first workout for a young, plus-size male would not be just the empty bar (Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training (3d ed.), p. 27).

    My question is regarding the power clean in phase 2 . . . . To get my fingers under the bar, my elbows come down and then the bar ends up sitting on my wrists instead of my delts which I know from the book is incorrect (and painful to boot). Pushing my hands further out (so not stacking my wrists above my elbows) is also fairly
    painful in my shoulder / triceps.

    I know it will take a while before I get to a point where I do power cleans, but is there something I can work on in the meantime to enable me to starting doing them once I need to . . . .
    Presumably, power cleans are a bit in the future. For now, working on your overhead press and your deadlift will be a good start.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Posts
    249

    Default

    Good luck in your endeavor. I agree you'll need some more plates quickly. I also think power cleans can wait.

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