New Rules of Lifting For Women (NROL4W)

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Squat Modification?

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weliveaswedream
weliveaswedream Posts: 56 Member
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I am going to be starting the program tomorrow. I really do not want to modify at all but I had surgery on my lateral meniscus about a month ago. I currently do body weight squats at home as part of my rehab but I'm still working on regaining correct form. I use the leg press during PT and was thinking of modifying the program to use a heavier leg press instead of the squats until I am able to do squats with correct form again.

Thoughts? Alternatives? What would you do?

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  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    If you are doing this at the gym, you can try and use the assisted barbell. The one that has the safety stoppers on it. It doesn't have the added weight of the Olympic bar, so is much much lighter. Or...you can use barbell's and hold them at your sides to start out even lighter.

    I would ask one of the trainers at the gym, usually they are welcoming at showing modifications to exercises that work the same muscle groups. Just explain what you are doing and you want an exercise that is ask close as possible to the one you can't do.
  • jhgreer
    jhgreer Posts: 145
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    I would start with bodyweight and add weight as you can. Advice I've been given from the veterans on this board is always to get your form right first then add weight. If bodyweight is the only way you can do it for now, start with bodyweight.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    If you are in PT then talk to the therapist and see what's safe. Don't just immediately jump to an alternative until you confirm that it's consistent with your therapy.

    that being said, goblet squats are a great way to add a little weight at a time to your body weight exercises.
  • lcuconley
    lcuconley Posts: 734 Member
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    If you are in PT then talk to the therapist and see what's safe. Don't just immediately jump to an alternative until you confirm that it's consistent with your therapy.

    I totally agree with this. The goblet squat has your knees at a much different angle than a tradtional squat, so you need to make sure that is OK.

    I would lean against the previous post that says to use the smith machine (assisted barbell?). As you state, the objective is to get the right form and the smith machine constrains you to perhaps-not-correct form.
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,008 Member
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    Oh come on, this is a FREE WEIGHT program - so, nope, I'm not gonna agree that a "machine-assisted" squat is a good "modification".

    Continue with bodyweight squats. From there, NROL4Life says the progression is:

    1. goblet squats
    2. DB squats
    3. front squats
    4. back squats
    5. overhead squats

    Yes, I think you need the "permission" of your surgeon and your physical therapist, but, nope-y, you don't get to use "machines" in this program!

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