Upper body only on beginner program?

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hey, so I’ve been dealing with a nagging knee injury and have gone on a program to help me rehabilitate this.

Since I can still train my upper body, is it okay to mix just the upper lifts from the beginner program into the routine?

The knee program isn’t demanding at all, as I do not have the capacity to work at a level that is demanding as of right now. It also lacks a lot of volume on the upper body.

And also, quick question, not sure if this matters, but my right arm naturally reaches forward more than my left arm, so when I bench and lockout it would be an uneven bar. If I try to retract my right arm to compensate, it gives me an impinging feeling. What should I do?

2

If you wanted to do the upper body programming from the Beginner Template, that’d be fine. I wouldn’t change that programming per se’.

There’s nothing particularly worrisome about the arm thing you mention either. I would still cue you to keep your shoulders (not arms) retracted while benching all the way through lockout.