New Rules of Lifting For Women (NROL4W)

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ROM problems with squats/deadlifts

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azalais7
azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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I just started Stage 1 and am trying to figure out if I need to substitute something (and if so, what) for squats and deadlifts. I have a mild disability which limits my ankle range of motion--they simply won't bend more than 90 degrees. This means that I can't complete a true squat or start a deadlift from the floor.

Any ideas for how I might modify these exercises and still get the general benefit? I can do leg presses on a machine if I have to, but I'm trying to work out a way to do what I can with free weights.

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  • ladyjoie
    ladyjoie Posts: 165 Member
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    You could do Romanian deadlifts - you'll get a similar range of motion and shouldn't stress your ankles at all. Basically, you start in the normal finish position, and just lower the bar as far as you can (say, just below the kneecap). Or you could try a straight leg deadlift, but you'll be using less weight and not engaging the same muscles.

    For the squats, I would recommend plie squats. Rather than the traditional legs-pointed-forward squat, you take a wide stance and point your feet outwards. Again, it works your muscles a little different, but it's still a really good squat. You're better off holding a kettlebell or something in front rather than a barbell.

    RDL video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnBREGM7pE0
    Plie squat video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETB6RvkszJE

    I hope this helps!
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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    Yes, thanks! I can do partial deadlifts, so that will definitely work, and I'll try the plié squats.
  • Jessica1274
    Jessica1274 Posts: 363 Member
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    I don't know about squat substitutes, but the Romanian deadlift is a good sub for the deadlift. I'd find some YouTube videos on form.
  • Cilenia
    Cilenia Posts: 208 Member
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    Ive been doing RDL's instead of normal deadlifts cause my legmuscles are really inflexible :)
  • ladyjoie
    ladyjoie Posts: 165 Member
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    Let me know how it goes! I tried a few plie squats yesterday and remembered some muscles I used to have... lol.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    hey just do what you can. when i first started i had pretty bad ROM with my ankles, knees and hips. what I did was stand with a wider stance so that i could get to parallel.
    just keep at it, work on any rehab or stretching things as well and then eventually you'll get there. by the end of stage 3 i was able to do proper post parallel squats.

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