Too weak to squat - Home kit and ideas for Covid Gains

[anonymous]

For whatever reason I cannot squat. I have COPD but at the Gym was gradually building strength using machines to protect my CNS from causing a flare up. The plan was to seated leg press until I was able to easily air squat and then towards weighted squats / front squats etc.

Now with the homebound, I am looking at buying:

1. Barbell

2. Rack

3. Seat

My question is - shall I do Deadlifts as a way of gradually building back some energy into my legs before squats?

My previous programme for late 40s was - compound only 3 times a week 3 exercises 3 sets.

10 minute walk:

1 - Leg press 4 x 8-10
2 - Bench or Chest press 4 x 8-10
3 - Upright seated row 4 x 8-10
10 minute faster walk.

What do you reckon now please?

[WolfRose7]

For whatever reason I cannot squat. I have COPD but at the Gym was gradually building strength using machines to protect my CNS from causing a flare up. The plan was to seated leg press until I was able to easily air squat and then towards weighted squats / front squats etc.

Now with the homebound, I am looking at buying:

1. Barbell

2. Rack

3. Seat

My question is - shall I do Deadlifts as a way of gradually building back some energy into my legs before squats?

My previous programme for late 40s was - compound only 3 times a week 3 exercises 3 sets.

10 minute walk:

1 - Leg press 4 x 8-10
2 - Bench or Chest press 4 x 8-10
3 - Upright seated row 4 x 8-10
10 minute faster walk.

What do you reckon now please?

deadlifts are good, a more direct squat carry over would be weighted step-ups

You don't need to worry about your "cns", ever.
It's just building strength in general,
whatever regression, however light you start dosn't mattter, find a movement and weight you can do with moderate difficulty, progress over time, move to harder movements overtime

I would recommend average to savage 2 if you have the equipment to run it (rack, barbell), more than worth the 5 dolla donation.

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/average-to-savage/

[air2fakie]

You can try lunges (forward and reverse). They're pretty user friendly and have direct carryover to squats.

[Heisman2]

This won't answer your actual question, but two thoughts:

1. COPD should not prevent you from being able to squat.
2. Building up strength on a leg press is not going to help you perform an air squat unless you weigh many hundreds of pounds. It is more likely you have a mobility/balance issue regarding squatting. Feel free to post a video of you attempting an air squat for feedback. Now would be an excellent time to work on the mobility/balance requirements while you are training at home anyway.

[anonymous]

Wow thanks v much !!!!!!!!!!!!

That science link is just what I was looking for - a baby style tracking and monitoring back to basics tracker and that is good!!!!!

Also when / sorry IF gyms re open this could be the basis for overall strength.

Step ups / thats the one where u step up on a park bench and then lift the other leg up high after? Look easy - NOT for me.

Great points!!! And yes I making excuses maybe for being weak.

The COPD does vastly inhibit the oxygen exchange in body and muscles / bad asthma in other words - same thing.

At present yes I can do an air squat but if I go fully down - into almost a yoga squat pose/stretch sometimes one single full movement slowly up makes me feel like I am gonna pass out.

In my cold showers I do a wide leg yoga squat for a long time, resting on the bottom of the pose and relax to open my hips-very useful daily mobiliser. But yes sometimes when its time to come up say after 2 mins, I feel light headed like I am gonna go.

My condition also affects repair and recovery. Push the envelope one step too far I can be in bed for 2 weeks.

This start stop cycle has only been broken by listening to someone saying take it much slower, do less than u think u can do, because regularity is king and will build confidence.

Some months ago I began doing air squats ass to grass 3 x 8-10 or 4 x 8 followed by a light swim. I was unable to recover really and so gave up. The machines helped me start at the bottom.

My lung specialist says about how muscles rely on oxygen and when starved they don’t like it and you become fatigued quicker than you think.

So - maybe a cathartic programme might be just buy a bar and bench for now and see how often I can do the movements -

I like this balance theory too. Balance/strength - hand in hand I guess ex skater ex yoga for years. Could rarely hold the chair pose for long then either.

I live in a town house sometimes the three flights of stairs to my top lounge has my heart beating out of my chest. My mum is 72 she has more energy than me!

[TolerantLactose]

The COPD does vastly inhibit the oxygen exchange in body and muscles / bad asthma in other words - same thing.

There's an old joke about powerlifters. They only need enough aerobic conditioning to be able to get up on the platform to do your lift and then get off.

[OldFartTom]

I'm not medically qualified, treat with caution...

Sorry to hear you have COPD (I understand what the condition is). Yes it will inhibit you from do a hard set of 20 barbell squats (which requires a lot of huffing and puffing normally) but I don't believe it prevents all squatting movement and the ability to train the muscles in that way

The squatting movement can be done starting from very very low resistance in a gradual progression (no equipment). Below are the first 4 steps in the progression (which can get way difficult if you continue progressing). Anyway first steps in progression below to illustrate YOU can train squat gradually starting from easy

Shoulderstand squats


Jackknife Squats


Supported squats


Half air squats

[anonymous]

OMG those are brilliant - where on earth did you find those? - Don't say YOUTUBE.

Wow... I really really never considered that whole thing holding on to stuff - impressed and actually excited a bit.

I'd also say those shoulder stand squats are harder than most, but the blood flow in that pose is crucial to smash the blood around.

What do you think numbers wise so I don't get "sunburnt" 3 x 5 of each or 3 x 8 and monitor it?

[anonymous]

So .. thanks to you.

15 min walk

3 x 8 Table Squats
3 x 5 Press ups
3 x 12 Run Flat BMW Tyre Rows

- Legs are VERY Sore today - but NO overtired ness - I will rest them today - crumbs - an old saying went...

"You never know how weak you are until there's a Covid virus and you have to use your body weight"

[leeniepie]

just some thoughts:
- have you checked your blood pressure? this could be more responsible for your lightheadedness than your COPD
- do you breathe normally or brace (hold your breath) when you squat? I have low BP and asthma, and find that if I try to hold my breath too much I get lightheaded. I find its better to pause, catch breath and go again than to try to keep going
- not all squats have to be A2G. it might be that by sitting in this position you are restricting bloodflow in your legs, so that when you stand there is a rush of blood and you get lightheaded. try going just to parallell (where hip crease and top of knee are level, or hip is just lower than knee)
- try doing fewer reps per set so that you have time to recover

[OldFartTom]

So .. thanks to you.

15 min walk

3 x 8 Table Squats
3 x 5 Press ups
3 x 12 Run Flat BMW Tyre Rows

- Legs are VERY Sore today - but NO overtired ness - I will rest them today - crumbs - an old saying went...

"You never know how weak you are until there's a Covid virus and you have to use your body weight"

Good work, the fact that you're sore shows how much you need it! Maybe do this 3 times a week without increasing anything, until you adjust to it and the soreness goes

[ChunkBuster]

Check out Landmine split squats and Romanian deadlifts

[anonymous]

Good work, the fact that you're sore shows how much you need it! Maybe do this 3 times a week without increasing anything, until you adjust to it and the soreness goes

Like that! Cannot get down the stairs !!!! Here we go again. How can that be too much on my legs what now????

Good point on the blood there too!! Although the lightheaded ness is rarer than this sharp sharp DOMS.

This never happened at the gym recently. Surely I don’t immediately hit my legs again until the pain has gone right?

[leeniepie]

Like that! Cannot get down the stairs !!!! Here we go again. How can that be too much on my legs what now????

Good point on the blood there too!! Although the lightheaded ness is rarer than this sharp sharp DOMS.

This never happened at the gym recently. Surely I don’t immediately hit my legs again until the pain has gone right?

Just do some stretching and try to move around a bit today. Soreness is normal when it's a new stimulus for your body. Leave the exercises for today and do them again tomorrow, regardless of if you are still sore. The blood flow will actually help reduce the soreness, and the more you get used to it the less sore you'll be.

[OldFartTom]

It's not necessarily that it's too much (it's not very much exercise compared to what your legs do all day) -- rather it's very different from what you're accustomed to.

This is why I believe that you should tough it out and try to do it 3 times a week, because after maybe 2 weeks (6 sessions) you'll probably be ok with it. But reduce the reps a little if you are currently walking strangely and making involuntary noises when you sit on the can and stand up again

[anonymous]

Very encouraging. I will I think just walk it off today for 20 mins and maybe child pose for example smash some blood in the legs.

Its actually burning as I laid in bed, like the quads are on actual fire, or like I had a pre work out drink and carried on Squatting 60kg cause I liked the song I was listening to. Judging how little to do as we age or become more bodily odd is harder than it looks.

I am raging though, 3 sets of assisted hold on to a table V Squats IS clearly very different. I don't know anyone who would ache as bad as this from such a weedy movement, although to be fair I am not sure how many people could actually get down that low, it certainly activates everything thats for sure!

[anonymous]

Just wanted to thank you again v much particiulary Leenie and Old Man -

So far 7 days in and very happy with advice and progress.

Up to 4x8 table squats with NICE ache now... and so will do 10% incremental increases as and when

[OldFartTom]

If the lockdown goes on, by the time it's over you're going to have thighs and glutes of steel!

Just don't rush the increases, especially if you have reduced recovery or can overdo it and cause a flare up. Slow and steady beats rushing

[anonymous]

Got it... ok thanks

I was going to ask where I should be heading... I don't want to become all thin and lean from doing large numbers of squats... I did have a plan to work slowly towards 100 squats - 100 press ups...but if that is going to make my legs smaller... I might need to work or look towards buying a kettle bell and adding some goblet and weight.

Again yes patience is hard - as my legs defo feel firmer now!!! already thanks to you. But I do note that 4x8 very heavy on the leg press machine, did start to show some interesting improvements. I sat on the loo once in a coffee shop and the side of my quads was definately visable in the mirror as I went down.

If you were me and without too much time on your part - which area would you be heading?

For instance press ups are still really hard... like pressing a plate with 15 each side maybe - I can get to absolute failure. So that means for a while any improvements will relate to growing a bit.

But the legs is a different thing, the movement is a tiny bit easier. I am now up to 50 squats all the way down - no table 1m rest between sets.

I suppose we should all have super hard and strong bodys first but as Kettle Bells are all thats left in stock... maybe some deadlifts instead of squats or to add some resistance?

My plan was to get to 100 squats then reduce number and do it with a 10kg bell for instance.