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Thread: How can I help my Grandmother?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
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    Albuquerque, NM
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    149

    Default How can I help my Grandmother?

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    Rip,

    I recently just started training my Nana at the gym. She's really beat up and wants to lose weight, have more energy, fix her low back pain, and be able to keep up with my baby (her grandson).
    She's 5'2", 63 years old, and probably ~170-180 lbs. She's bent over when she walks because of her back pain (her husband says it looks like she's picking piņon up off the ground when she walks). She had a double knee replacement about a year ago and her knees are fine (no pain). She has a lot of injuries and I'm unsure of how to help her out with upper body strength.

    She cannot get her left arm straight overhead (it's about 20-25 degrees relative to her spine when the ROM stops), so I've had issues with helping her press. We've been working with a broomstick at the moment.

    She's leg pressing at the moment. Those are going fine. 60lbs for 3 sets of 10.

    She can deadlift off of 1.5" blocks. Her most recent DL was 53x5.

    She's also doing lat pulls and cardio for 20-30 mins 5x/week.

    My question is what can I do to help her with her pressing movements? I haven't tried bench press with her yet, but I'm hesitant to do so with her just because of her shoulder flexibility. Have you encountered any people with bad shoulders like this and what did you do to help them?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    North Texas
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    53,557

    Default

    When she lat pulls, do her arms get vertical to the shoulders at the top?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
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    Albuquerque, NM
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    Default

    Oddly enough, yes. Not perfectly vertical, but more vertical than when she stands and raises then up.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
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    North Texas
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    So in tension the ROM is actually there, she just lacks the strength and stability to press up into it. Have her start by pressing the stick up the front of the rack, and work on the ROM using that as a guide.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
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    Albuquerque, NM
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    Default

    Awesome! Thanks Rip! That's a freaking cool idea

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Fredericton, NB, Canada
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    Default

    Isaac, do you have a copy of the Barbell Prescription yet?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Albuquerque, NM
    Posts
    149

    Default

    No, not yet.....

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    Fredericton, NB, Canada
    Posts
    111

    Default

    starting strength coach development program
    Get it, there's an entire section on remedial variants of the main lifts.

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