Weak female programming.

[Garay1]

Female, 25 years old, 153 lbs, about 5'3''. Body fat percentage is unknown. She does have a big belly though.

She cannot do any chins, pull ups, or push ups. She aint bad with sit ups.

What kind of programming would you recommend for her? She wants to do SS in the future but the olympic bar is too heavy for her.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

The SS program is the best thing she can do for herself.

You will have to have a light bar (15 lbs or so) and the ability to microload at 2-3 lbs per workout.

[Michele Knaub]

Agree. I couldn't do any chins, pullups or pushups (not unusual for untrained women at all) when I started SS. If 45 lbs is too heavy, obviously you need a lighter bar. Worked for me. I did 5-lb jumps on my squat throughout my linear progression.

[Corrie]

Hey KSC, just an aside if you guys don't mind. Is it typical for an untrained female to have difficulty working with the weight of the empty bar?

I'm attending this month's seminar and would love to help my mom learn the lifts once that's done. I only have a standard bar and have no idea if it's something she could handle.

[hrat]

Preloaded curl bars? You should be able to rig some way to unrack them, even if they're too short. Band assist for chins. Ankle weights for cheap easy microloading. Bar propped on plates for deadlifts.
As I recall, it was quite a while before I could press an Oly bar, but squats and deads should reach 45lbs pretty quick.

[Andy Baker (KSC)]

Hey KSC, just an aside if you guys don't mind. Is it typical for an untrained female to have difficulty working with the weight of the empty bar?

I'm attending this month's seminar and would love to help my mom learn the lifts once that's done. I only have a standard bar and have no idea if it's something she could handle.

It is more than common. I would venture to say it is universal, especially if she is an older, untrained female. You will need lighter bars, light bumpers, and something to microload with.

[Tamara Reynolds]

Hey KSC, just an aside if you guys don't mind. Is it typical for an untrained female to have difficulty working with the weight of the empty bar?

Especially for press and bench, yes. Even at the SS Seminars I have been to where the female participants have some lifting experience, it is common to see women press 45 or 55 lbs for 3x5 worksets. Obviously, there is a range, but I am not sure that I currently have any women at my gym - other than myself - who are pressing more than 35 kg for a single. Most of the brand new women at my gym start pressing with the 10 kg bar. And, I have had more than one person start squatting with less than the 20 kg bar.