Hi all, this is my first post.
I got hold of the Starting Strength blue book, Practical Programming, and as I'm 47, Barbell Prescription.
I'm 5ft 7inches and very skinny at 145lb and that's with a touch of belly fat.. My stats are my bench is an abysmal 40kg(88lb), squat a lowly 57kg(125lb), and my deadlift is fairing a bit better at 95kg(209lb). I've failed and progressed on both bench and squats, but my deadlift hasn't yet reached it's max although I think my grip will give out before my legs.
My problem is that my ankle dorsiflexion is so bad that I must place a big lift under my heels. I've got a scaffolding board I throw under there at present. My dorsiflexion is so bad that my heels lift before even a quarter squat position.I don't think it's something I can stretch/work through (though I'm trying something called mulligan movements in a kind-of vain hope).
Having a board under my heels is obviously not the best for stability, and it really affects me when I get near my limits. I feel my balance as forward, and the lifted heels make it extremely difficult to 'sit back'. What I can lift is being limited by balance rather than strength I think.
Obviously the best thing would be some magically better ankle flexion, lose the heel board and improve stability and form.
However, given I've explained that's probably impossible, what would you all advise. I'm thinking focus on deadlift along with lower weight higher volume squats. (This is suggested in barbell prescription for those who can't squat properly along with some accessory exercises. It's called deadlift/bench specialist in the book, although it's aimed at 60+.)
The above will be my default unless someone can come up with a solution for my squats.