My Dad

[c17guy]

That’s what frustrated me the most. The Dr in this case is 5’10” about 220 and 15% bf in his mid 50s. He’s always been an incredible athlete. I thought he’d be better than this nonsense.

[granny]

I can't help but wonder how often these "experts" discourage others from making progress because they're embarrassed that they're weaker than a 72-year-old.

or maybe fearful of litigation?

[Jeff Munn]

or maybe fearful of litigation?

I'm actually inclined to believe this is the primary reason, now that I think about it more. All health-related fields encourage their practitioners to CYA (cover your ass). People love to sue.

[Jeff Munn]

I got my dad to the gym today. I thought I could coach the movements without any problem, but he literally could not squat, and I had no idea what to do about it. Even bodyweight squatting was too difficult. Once he was down about a foot, he came forward on his toes. I had him try to push his butt out more, widen his stance, sit back, point his toes out more, and nothing worked. He did pretty well with the deadlift and press, though. Despite the difficulty, he said he had fun and wanted to do it more often. I recommended he see a fairly local SS coach in the area to get more expert coaching. He has more issues than I am able to work with with my limited knowledge.

[Sam A]

Sounds pretty good for a first session; he left wanting more!

Squat depth issues aren't unheard of in the older population, so your coaching may be just fine. Recently I was working with a gentlemen in his mid 60s. He had a prosthetic knee and was overweight. Took a few sessions to get his body weight squat to parallel, another few sessions of goblet squats to get strong enough for the 45lb bar (gym didn't have technique bars). Presses and deadlifts went up in the meantime.

Hopefully your dad sticks with it! Good luck!

[Bill Puckett]

I got my dad to the gym today. I thought I could coach the movements without any problem, but he literally could not squat, and I had no idea what to do about it. Even bodyweight squatting was too difficult. Once he was down about a foot, he came forward on his toes. I had him try to push his butt out more, widen his stance, sit back, point his toes out more, and nothing worked. He did pretty well with the deadlift and press, though. Despite the difficulty, he said he had fun and wanted to do it more often. I recommended he see a fairly local SS coach in the area to get more expert coaching. He has more issues than I am able to work with with my limited knowledge.

It's a wise man who knows his own limits! Hopefully you and your dad can locate and work with a SS coach.

[Jeff Munn]

Hopefully you and your dad can locate and work with a SS coach.

There's an awesome SS coach in Los Angeles named Paul Horn. I went to see him once and it was awesome. Problem is, it's about an hour drive for my dad, and he's lazy and hates to drive, so I don't see it happening, but I will suggest it to him and see

Squat depth issues aren't unheard of in the older population, so your coaching may be just fine. Recently I was working with a gentlemen in his mid 60s. He had a prosthetic knee and was overweight. Took a few sessions to get his body weight squat to parallel, another few sessions of goblet squats to get strong enough for the 45lb bar (gym didn't have technique bars). Presses and deadlifts went up in the meantime.

Makes sense. I didn't see any way my dad would be able to squat with the bar just yet unless he did quarter squats. Even then, he would come forward over midfoot. His kinesthetic awareness and flexibility isn't there yet. He ended up wanting to do the leg press and I didn't argue. Something is better than nothing, I assume.

[Cheesepuff]

Box squats.

These might help, but there are other ways.

Google: diy jerk boxes. Basically adjustable height boxes you can progressively lower. Can also be accomplished with plates and a 5 gallon bucket turned upside down. Those boxes look more stable though.

A copy of The Barbell Prescription would be a good investment. It discusses box squats and many more relevant topics.

Good luck.

[carson]

I'm just shy of 71 and so may be too much of a youngster but I got started at age 66 with Dr. Sullivan. It took me quite a while to learn to squat properly and still must use a "safety" bar because my arms won't cooperate. My wife uses the adjustable height boxes for the squat. Goblet squats are also helpful.

Best wishes to you. I consider strength training with SS to be one of the very best decisions of my life.

[Jeff Munn]

I'm just shy of 71 and so may be too much of a youngster but I got started at age 66 with Dr. Sullivan. It took me quite a while to learn to squat properly and still must use a "safety" bar because my arms won't cooperate. My wife uses the adjustable height boxes for the squat. Goblet squats are also helpful.

Best wishes to you. I consider strength training with SS to be one of the very best decisions of my life.

Dr. Sullivan is my hero. I wish he was local. There should be at least one gym like Greysteel in every city. It's a shame how undervalued this process is by the general pop.

I will let him know about the goblet squats and box squats. We may give it a shot next time. I think box squats would be best because he always comes forward. I think it's more of a mental block than it is a flexibility issue. If he knows he's going to sit down on something, it may really help him understand how to shoot his hips back.