other options for squats,pull ups and dips

Bigger Stronger Leaner Competitive Bodybuilding
1

I’m interested in trying HST program. I’ve been training steadily for 4 months, in that time frame I’ve lost about 65 lbs, and put on a few pds of muscle. I’m 6 foot 235. I have a really bad flexibilty problem with my left shoulder which hinders me from doing squats and dips. I’m also just not strong enough to do pull ups. Are there are other exercises I can do in place of these so I can try the HST program? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

2

I know this isn’t the answer you’re looking for, but you should probably address your shoulder problem before you worry about doing a program like HST, or any program for that matter.

3

I’m going to agree with Steve on this. You should get your shoulder looked at. Who has looked at it so far? Have you looked into chiropractic or ART?

In the mean time, you can substitute leg presses for squats, pulldowns for chins and close grip bench or rack lockouts for dips. But make sure to get that shoulder checked out. My friend, Eric Cressey, had good results with ART after his first session and I know that feedback on the forum has been primarily positive.

4

ART? What is…

5

Thanks for the advice guys. I dont really have the cash right now to get my shoulder treated.

6

I couldn’t agree more. After my first ART session, I benched pain free for the first time in two years and actually added 5 lbs. to my 5RM. A lack of flexibility may be indicative of a muscular imbalance or weakness. If you let it go, the scarring will worsen over time, and it’ll only make the process of getting it fixed harder. Don’t put on band-aids; heal the wounds.

7

ART = active release therapy. There are many threads and a couple of articles that cover this topic. Do a search for ART on the forum and for ART, Ken Kinakin or Mike Leahy on the magazine side.

8

So, if you’re not strong enough to do pull-ups, have you started out with cable pull-downs or a Gravitron machine (which also allows less-than-bodyweight dips)? Duplicates the movement (fairly closely) while putting on a less-than-bodyweight load. Also, you may be able to put in deadlifts and front squats in place of back squats.