Hello docs,
Male 36 years old, 176cm tall, weighing 85Kg. Currently on (modified) Beginner Prescription.
Last Bench: 87Kg x 10 reps, OHP: 62.5Kg x 4 reps, Deadlift: 150Kg x 4 reps, Rows: 75Kg x 10 reps. Using Box-squats due to pain in both knees.
Training History: Did starting strength and Texas Method in 2012-14, became fat at 95KG bodyweight, had bicep tendonitis, with best low bar squat around 170Kg. At that point I did bodybuilding splits for 3 years, switching to high bar squats. Stopped training completely in 2018.
Injury History: Severe bicep tendonitis and elbow pain due to low bar squats on SSLP and Texas method, which I healed using coach Rippetoe’s high volume chins method and by giving up on low bar squats. Had a motorcycle crash in 2020 with impact on right knee. Didn’t get medical attention at the time. Soreness healed within a week but impacted knee started clicking during extension of knee joint. Don’t remember ever having any pain or discomfort in my knees, even squatting high bar, before the crash.
Fast forward to October 2023, when I started training on Beginner Prescription using high bar squats
Empty barbell to about 90Kg for sets of 4 at RPE 8, in a month. At that point I started having dull pain in left knee and very sharp, stabbing pain inside the right knee. De-loaded squats to 50Kg, tried shoving my knees out more but pain got worse. My physio diagnosed the pain to some kind of patellar tendinopathy and advised to foam roll quads, stretch hamstrings and single legged touchdowns keeping knees tracking the toes. At present, I am trying to use (low bar) box squat again, along with physio’s stuff. Scared for my biceps and elbows again.
Is Knee Rehab template my best bet at the moment? Can I still continue pulling and upper body lifts from Beginner Prescription while rehabbing the knees?