Room height restricted OHP substitutions?

2hobbit1

Hey lifters,

I have started the strong lifts 5x5 program at home and have ceiling height issues where I can set up my home gym.
as a 60yr old woman I'm starting slow on the OHP by necessity. I have enough clearance with the basement ceiling to press the bar to lockout but once I get to the point of needing to had plates I will not have enough space. I am currently using dumbbells until I get up to the weight of my bar.

My options would be to unrack bar to start position and carefully walk sideways to the narrow laundry room where I have a little more clearance but have issues with pipes hot water heater furnace light fixture etc, then walking it back to the rack etc for each set. Not enough space to set up the rack in the laundry room even though is has the height.

Or doing the OHP from a seated position or possibly from a kneeling position - I do have mats on the basement floor.

Or going really heavy on the dumbbells but the motion and balance does not feel the same.

What would be best - I do have a suspension trainer and a resistance band set up as well as my bench oly bar and weights and my half rack.

Thanks for your input.

wellbert

I'm 6'7 and used to work from home. I took a REALLY WIDE stance - like a sumo stance- to do OHP.

You could always use kettlebells, too.

2hobbit1

Any one else?

FireBrand80

I would do them seated

Determinednoob

Seated could work , but if you have enough room wherever the better clearance is, you can teach yourself to at a minimum deadlift the weight, drop back to the hang position, then clean the weight up, vs carrying it around in the rack position. you can carry the empty bar and weights over to this area and then load the bar and do the aforementioned.

magerum

Hey lifters,

I have started the strong lifts 5x5 program at home and have ceiling height issues where I can set up my home gym.
as a 60yr old woman I'm starting slow on the OHP by necessity. I have enough clearance with the basement ceiling to press the bar to lockout but once I get to the point of needing to had plates I will not have enough space. I am currently using dumbbells until I get up to the weight of my bar.

My options would be to unrack bar to start position and carefully walk sideways to the narrow laundry room where I have a little more clearance but have issues with pipes hot water heater furnace light fixture etc, then walking it back to the rack etc for each set. Not enough space to set up the rack in the laundry room even though is has the height.

Or doing the OHP from a seated position or possibly from a kneeling position - I do have mats on the basement floor.

Or going really heavy on the dumbbells but the motion and balance does not feel the same.

What would be best - I do have a suspension trainer and a resistance band set up as well as my bench oly bar and weights and my half rack.

Thanks for your input.

Seated sounds like the best option. You're bad *kitten* by the way.

2hobbit1

I'm not sure if I'm up for the clean and press yet but I like the idea. It will be something to work up to and practice with the empty bar at this point.
If I go with seated OHPs should I through in so extra squats since I won't be getting quite as much leg work?

Determinednoob

I'm not sure if I'm up for the clean and press yet but I like the idea. It will be something to work up to and practice with the empty bar at this point.
If I go with seated OHPs should I through in so extra squats since I won't be getting quite as much leg work?

There shouldn't really be real leg work to regular OHP. It is standing still. Don't confuse it with push presses where you get a boost from a squat. And the clean I am talking about is just deadlift the weight, drop back to just above your knees and then push up with legs a bit and fling arms up in a reverse curl type motion. Just to get it up then do presses from there, not clean and then press for every rep.

2hobbit1

Ok, I'm getting you now. That I should be able to do.

The leg work question was more from the preventing bone loss side of the equation. Since I'm in that age/risk group - more weight bearing work makes for less osteopenia/osteoporosis in my future.

Thanks for you help!