Older swimmer wants to begin the novice program

[gregpall603]

Dear Coach Rip,

So I've spread the word about "Starting Strength" to a co-worker -- an older woman in late 40's/early 50's -- and she's looking to begin the novice program after reading the book and understanding the lifts.

I intend on using what I've learned in "Practical Programming" to help her with the lifting schedule, but she swims intensively on Tuesdays and Thursday; and likes to do light swimming on another two days.

Is it possible to fuse SS with her swimming schedule? Or swimming 4x week and lifting make recovery impossible?

If the former, could you please specify which days she could lift on and I'll help her with the program.

Thank you.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I think she needs tr train 2x/week, started very carefully as a novice. Carefully, because she is almost certainly osteopenic.

[Luke Evans]

I think she needs tr train 2x/week, started very carefully as a novice. Carefully, because she is almost certainly osteopenic.

As someone whose mother has expressed interest in SS, what makes you say this? Sex/age/swimming?

[gregpall603]

I think she needs tr train 2x/week, started very carefully as a novice. Carefully, because she is almost certainly osteopenic.

That's what I was thinking -- 2x a week.

Would the A & B scheduling still apply? And, being a novice, would she be working on a linear program?

Thank you.

[Trewarin]

Would vitamin d3 levels be something she should have measured, being in that population?

[Mark Rippetoe]

As someone whose mother has expressed interest in SS, what makes you say this? Sex/age/swimming?

Her sex and age, and her 4x/week swimming predispose to osteopenia. Be careful.

Would the A & B scheduling still apply? And, being a novice, would she be working on a linear program?

Yes. Novices work on a linear program. See: http://aasgaardco.com/store/store.ph...on=show_detail

Would vitamin d3 levels be something she should have measured, being in that population?

Why would you not just assume she's osteopenic, since she probably is, and proceed appropriately? Will this test significantly change your approach to her training?

[Jonathon Sullivan]

Why would you not just assume she's osteopenic, since she probably is, and proceed appropriately? Will this test significantly change your approach to her training?

Everybody look at that. See, that shit there, that's how doctors are supposed to think.

And almost never do.

[AnimusImmodicus]

Her sex and age, and her 4x/week swimming predispose to osteopenia. Be careful.

Mark,

Forgive my ignorance, but can you please clarify why frequent swimming predisposes someone to osteopenia? I understand how sex and age affect this. I also understand that a lack of loaded physical activity (e.g. strength training) will decrease bone density/quality. However, I don't understand how swimming is implicated here. Are you just speculating that someone who swims 4x a week doesn't spend much time doing other types of loaded training? Or were you thinking more along the lines that endurance activities typically exhaust the bodies stores of essential nutrients? Most of what I could find on pubmed indicated that swimming had no or minimal effect one way or the other on bone quality.

Thank you for your time,
-Martin

[Mark Rippetoe]

First, swimming is the polar opposite of skeletal loading. She's spending significant time in the pool. We've already been told that she does no barbell training, and thus has no significant skeletal loading in an exercise context. Maybe she loads hay for a living, in which case I'm wrong. Endurance activities deplete calcium. She's 50. Yep, just a guess, and the internet is a bad place for a diagnosis.

[Clay Simczyk]

Funny. When I hurt my back, a doctor told me I should stop lifting and start swimming. What an asshole.