New trainee squat - correct depth first or progress with weight?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

My wife expressed some interest in strength training recently. We are both in our mid 40s, but she has had back issues for many years.

Out of an abundance of caution, I started her out on just DL and bench for 3 weeks, then introduced squat and press.

I started her squat with my 10KG junior bar. She cannot get anywhere near proper depth, probably a good 5" too high. She says it hurts to go lower, pointing to the upper backside of her thigh. (lower glutes or upper hamstring?)

Over 3 sessions, I tried to work on the depth, having her “box squat” with our bench for now. The bench is too high, but she is comfortable with that range of motion. Today we went up from the 22 pounds to 28 pounds.

My question is - should I skip adding weight and just work on the depth for a while? I suppose I can stack bumper plates and lower it a bit each session. Or, do I let her train up some strength with the 3/4 depth box squat, then work on depth over time?

I want to encourage her, I’m super excited that she wants to train. I am hoping that over time it will help her back issues.

Thanks for any advice,
Steve

2

Either way would be fine. If it were me, I’d probably do a few weeks with the box squat being loaded a bit heavier, then reduce the load and increase the ROM. Get some easy wins first!

-Jordan

1 Like
3

Thanks Jordan! That’s the direction I was heading, glad to get confirmation that it is a reasonable approach. I really appreciate all the time and resources you all make available to the community.

Steve