Morbidly obese with barbell training

[kwicked]

I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do.

I have a friend who is 6'0 385lbs in his mid 30s. He has come to the gym with me a few times and really likes barbell training (he has lifted before when he was younger). The problem is he has an issue with form for all of the major lifts. For conventional deadlifts, he can't reach far enough to put the barbell back on the ground so I told him to do some empty bar Romanian deadlifts instead. For squats he couldn't reach depth because of his gut even with a wide stance and feet splayed out.

The barbell keeps him going to the gym but his form is horrendous. Is it better to let him keep barbell training with bad form as a conduit for weightloss or explain to him that this is not in his best interest for now?

[Austin Baraki]

Is there a height he can rack pull from with better form?

I'd have him continue squatting as deep as he can, which should improve as he loses weight.

Is he currently also doing any sort of conditioning and dietary intervention?

[kwicked]

Thanks for replying!

Yes, I actually think he would be able to rack pull with good form just slightly below his knees.

As far as conditioning goes, he's currently doing 20 minute walks on a treadmill with an incline every day. As far as diet goes, he tells me he's eating at a caloric deficit and lost about 9lbs in two weeks.

[Austin Baraki]

Excellent. There you go!