Beginner barbell routine & hip mobility questions

StephieWillcox

Hi guys, apologies have tried to search for the answer to my questions (and I'm sure the answers are here somewhere) but I can't find anything.

Background:
I'm 29, 7 months post partum, currently weighing 190lbs and looking for both a hobby that's just for me that I can do at lunchtime, and to lose fat/weight.

I had my first experience using a barbell yesterday with a trainer to check my form etc and it was fun, except I have no hip mobility and can't deadlift from the floor (no doubt not helped by the fact I was only lifting 35kg, so it was even closer to the floor). The trainer had me doing rack pulls instead which were MUCH easier and felt very comfortable.

I have found the "Limber 11" routine which I will start to implement to increase my hips (also my calves are very tight).

Questions:

1) I could sumo deadlift from the floor, it felt ok, but rack pulls felt better. My aim is to conventional deadlift from the floor, which would you suggest I do to achieve this?

2) Is there anything else I should be doing to improve hip mobility/ tight calves?

3) I was planning these workouts 3x per week in ABA, BAB format. Does it seem reasonable as a very newbie to weights? (I wanted to keep the reps kind of high so I get some practice and so I can keep the weight pretty low to begin with)

A
Squats 3x10 (I did the empty 20kg bar yesterday for 3x10)
Bench press 3x10 (again, managed 20kg 3x10)
Bent over row (haven't tried this yet, tempted to use dumbbells as I doubt I can row 20kg)

B
Deadlift/rack pull 3x10
Pull up (haha, yeah right, assisted pull up clearly) 3x10
Shoulder press 3x10 (again, will need to use dumbbells here)

Any advice welcome!

Thanks

ETA: Forgot to say that I was also doing the squats with weights under my heels to help my mobility, I'll be continuing to do this until I can get the depth without

SideSteel

Squatting may also improve hip mobility some, and most people are quite capable of squatting every day on an ABA BAB type of full body split.


I would do:

Squat
Bench
Assisted Chin or Row


Squat
Dead
Overhead press


Fill in with accessories as needed.

The general template is Squat, a press, a pull each day. And you don't have to use a barbell for all of them. If you want to do assisted chins instead of barbell rows that's totally fine unless you have a goal to get good at a barbell row.

SideSteel

Also:

Can you describe a bit more what happens when you try to pull conventional? I'm just curious what you are using to assess that it's hip mobility preventing the issue. Then, describe what happens when you sumo as well.
Or post a video here.

Good that your trainer has you rack pulling instead if you can't get into proper alignment with the conventional dead from the floor. That's a good sign IMO.

I'm rambling here but if the sumo feels better on your hips than the conventional, it could have to do with hip anatomy -- it's possible that you're naturally better with wide squatting as a result, something to experiment with in case squatting wide allows you to hit depth. I've seen it before where I take a beginner and because of hip structure they do WAY better with a wide squat.

StephieWillcox

Thanks, this was all super helpful.

My squat stance is quite wide already. Certainly outside hips. I always though this was because I danced a lot from age 4 through to 18 and was always in turnout. So my body just likes that better. I have no idea if that is something that can actually happen or just a coincidence.

I will try to get a video of conventional vs sumo in a couple of weeks when I've had a bit of practice. But in a conventional I couldn't sit back far enough to start the deadlift. (Does that make sense?) my hips were way above my knees. Sumo I can sit much deeper and start the deadlift off from the floor. Trainer said my sumo deadlift form was good, but he wouldn't let me even try a conventional from the floor when he saw my starting position!

I guess it's the same problem with the squats - the weights under my heels helped enormously with sitting deeper.

I'm glad that the rack pulls are a good sign. It's kind of a muscle head sort of gym, but a good colleague from work goes there (he's huge and is all about the lifting PRs) so I wanted to believe the trainers knew what they were taking about!

I will certainly change my routine to squat every training day, they didn't feel very natural to me so I definitely need all the practice I can get.

Sorry if that was a rambly reply - the TL:DR version is thanks I love this group!

heybales

If you put blocks under the shorter plates to equal a bar at 45 lb plate height - does that improve things?

Or merely standing with empty bar, and going down with deadlift form, does ankle mobility/hip flexibility even allow bar to go down far enough without leaning forward?

Due to ankle problems and just plain lack of ability to bend that far, my squat without being ridiculously wide stance and spread knees out (which I don't want) requires a 1/4" block under heals.

My dead is right at the limit using 45 lb plate bar height, if I had to dip lower, my right ankle isn't going to bend that far, compensation is bad with weight shifting to left side, which can't bend much more (hence the squat issue).

So your mechanics and bone structure may just benefit from sumo anyway.

StephieWillcox

I'm in the UK, so the gyms work in kg, but the trainer had me attempt 40kg deadlift from the floor, so the bar + 2x10kg plates. I believe these plates are the full size, but half weight, plates. Maybe? I definitely think I was attempting a deadlift from as high as it could be with plates, but I'll have a look around today, I don't think i could see any bigger (size wise) plates around when I looked before - however they might be upstairs in the weights room where all the heavy lifters go.

There's a cage, free weights and all the machines (both cardio and weights) in the bit that I'm using - too intimidated right now to head upstairs!!

The weird thing is that I used to be really really flexible, and I still thought I was. Sigh.

I will try lowering the bar with deadlift form, but I suspect I'll have a significant lean.

Have been stretching each day, so hoping that I'll be able to pull conventional (sumo felt very odd to me, although I'm sure I would get used to it).

DopeItUp

You should post some videos of your conventional and sumo form. It could be simple technique flaws versus mobility issues. Or actual anatomical variations that cause one to be more difficult than the other (like me).

StephieWillcox

Had another session with the trainer today, and in a week of stretching religiously I attempted a set of 40kg conventional dead lifts from the floor and I pulled them

Thanks for your advice - I'm sure I will be back on to seek advice on my technique (with videos) once I started adding weight!

taco_inspector

StephieWillcox wrote: »

Had another session with the trainer today, and in a week of stretching religiously I attempted a set of 40kg conventional dead lifts from the floor and I pulled them

Congratulations @StephieWillcox