[Sugarmama]

Hi, Now that I am in week 6 of the 16 weeks Moutaineering self guided program, I am a bit confused about the core exercises and the general strenght exercises. The plan tells me to pick the 4 most difficult core exercises and to do them with a heavier weight/longer or more challenging.

Now, I am an aging female athlete with a lot of injuries, and I am not able to complete the hardest exercises as they should be done. For exapmle, I cant do push ups. I can do knee push ups or wall push ups. I can do kayaker, and side plank, etc with some ok form. But the L-sit might never be in my wheelhouse. So do I pursue L-sit progression, or do I start weighing the ones that I can do properly.

Also legs step ups and step downs: step downs flare up my knees so I can’t progress them. I can only do them at 25% if the intended load (lower step height) No deep flexion. So do I pursue step downs with a weight vest but with less deep bend in the knees? I guess it makes the most sense.

I can hike steep stuff and put in long days with a heavy back pack, but I have to avoid certain type of load/movement. Any thoughts?

Topic

[LindsayTroy]

LindsayTroy on June 3, 2022 at 10:44 am #67954

What is your goal climb?

I think it’s silly to pick exercises you can’t do well, but it’s equally silly to do something that is very easy for you. I would scale the exercises back until you are doing good form rather than progressing with “ok” form. Along those lines, I would rule out L-sits. If you can’t do pushups properly, what about doing weighted plank?

As for step ups, I would imagine you could get a lot out of smaller step ups/downs with weight and you could work up to bigger steps. But again, along those lines, you’ll want to keep good form to avoid getting hurt. You might also want to do some PT exercises for your knees to help reduce flare ups as you progress.

[Reed]

Reed on June 4, 2022 at 10:05 am #67986

You might also consider bringing injury-prevention mindset towards your strength workouts. For example, you might try keeping step-ups and step-downs at bodyweight only (or even de-weighted, less than bodyweight, by holding on to a rope or rubber band) and very slowly increasing your range of motion. This could be more valuable for someone with a history of injuries than adding weight to a limited range of motion.