5x5 without squats

[kethnaab]

I can't squat. I can't do heavy barbell bench presses, and I can't do heavy barbell overhead presses. I simply can't. Shoulder reconstruction surgery has made sure of this. I can't even hold a bar across my shoulders.

I can do the various types of Pendlay rows (I do them with barbells, DBs and T-Bar), I can even pull from the floor, and I can do DB bench presses of all types. I really can't do much delt pressing aside from that little Hammer Strength seated apparatus. Hey, it's beter than nothing, and it took me 5 years of reinjuring myself to FINALLY get the message that I simply cannot do that stuff and that I have to work with what I can do.

Here's what I can hit now:

Flat bench DB Press: 135x5
Deadlift: 365x5
Pendlay Barbell row: 225x5 (3 sets), estimate 255 x 5 for 1 set
Seated Hammer overhead: 135x5
Pendlay Tbar row: 180x5
power shrug: 405x10 pretty easy

I can do probably 5 or 6 sets of 15-rep dips and I have done 5 sets of 10 hammer grip chinups recently at the very end of a workout.

now if I understand SF 5x5 style training, I would work my workout as thusly:

M
Deadlift - 345 x 5 x 5
Flat bench DB Press - 125 x 5 x 5
Pendlay BB Row - 225 x 5 x 5
Seated overhead - 125 x 5 x 5
chinups - 3 x 10
dips - 2 x 15

W
Pendlay BB Row - 205 x 5 x 5
Flat DB Press - 105 x 5 x 5
Pendlay T-Bar - 160 x 5 x 5
Seated overhead - 100 x 5 x 5
Power shrug - 365 x 10 reps, 5 sets
dips - 2 x 15
chinups - 3 x 10

F

Flat DB Press - 55 x 5, 75 x 5, 95 x 5, 115 x 5, 140 x 5 (Attempt)
Pendlay BB row - 135 x 5, 165 x 5, 195 x 5, 225 x 5, 255 x 5 (Attempt)
Seated overhead - 90 x 5, 105 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 145 x 5 (Attempt)
Stiff Leg Deadlift - 225 x 5 x 5
chinups - 3 x 10
dips - 2 x 15


if, on Monday, I hit all 25 of my reps for each exercise, I up the weight on the next Monday. If, on Friday, I hit my last set of 5, I up the weight next Friday.

Otherwise, I keep the weights the same for another week. I also use Wednesday to gauge my recovery, and use lesser weight on Wednesday if need be the next week.

On Fridays, I'll consider adding a set or 2 of barbell curls and some pressdowns to keep my elbows healthy.

I have conventional deads on Monday and stiffs on friday because I don't think that heavy pulling twice weekly will be beneficial in the long run, that is kinda exhausting. I also don't have any direct quad work in here because I fucking hate leg presses and I'd rather eat the corn out of Roseanne Barr's shit than do leg extensions.

How does this look overall, considering my restrictions?

EDIT - forgot to mention. I plan to do HST-style, 2 weeks of 15s, 2 weeks of 10s, followed by 3 weeks of the above-mentioned 5x5. The HST and the 5x5 are separate. Basically, instead of doing the HST weeks of 5 reps, I'll kick right into the 5x5 for 3 or 4 weeks. Then I'll spend a week deloading, doing 3x3 of all of the above, then back at the 2 weeks of 15s, HST-style to start the whole process over again.

 

[ForemanRules]

I find that declines are very easy on my shoulders..

 

[kethnaab]

yeah, but they're a pain to do because of the angle.

trying to unrack the bar when I don't have a spotter is damn near impossible. I'm okay with the heavy DBs, just need to figure something out when I go back to my main post, which only goes up to 125s on the DBs

 

[MANWHORE]

yeah, but they're a pain to do because of the angle.

trying to unrack the bar when I don't have a spotter is damn near impossible. I'm okay with the heavy DBs, just need to figure something out when I go back to my main post, which only goes up to 125s on the DBs

What about a machine decline? I really like the Hammer .. think that's what that machine is called .. declines? .. less chance of injuring something because all of the weight will be concentrated on your tris and chest. you won't have to worry about the weight falling in a awkward possition and possibly pulling something

 

[hendrixsolo]

I also don't have any direct quad work in here because I fucking hate leg presses and I'd rather eat the corn out of Roseanne Barr's shit than do leg extensions.

my opinion, but if you don't work your legs you're not going to make much progress. there are plenty of squat bars out there catered to guys who have had shoulder reconstruction, setups that take the stress off the shoulder completely. There are even waist straps http://www6.mailordercentral.com/ironmind/prodinfo.asp?number=1220 which aren't as good, but definitely better than nothing.

your workout looks fine, but it isn't really close to the 5x5 system. You're doing benches, rows, chins, seated overhead and dips three times a week instead of twice, and you're doing deads twice a week instead of once. that alone changes the workout from DFT to something entirely different.

there is no substitute for squats. nothing adds strength or mass like regular squat work.

I'd invest in a special squat bar or other piece of equipment, but then again I'm only concerned with being strong. I don't work show off muscles at all.

 

[MANWHORE]

1st i will say that core strength should be important because it helps to keep injuries low in the gym as well as every day life,and barbell squats are great for this purpose ... AND now i just have to say that we all can build a very appreciable amount of size without Squats or deads for that matter .. Do i recommend it? hell no but i see it all the time and have seen it many times in the past. Fuckin comp sucks ass .... Strength athlete is a strength athlete and a BBer is a BBer .. although Bbers could benefit from a strength training program at times,BBers must train in ways strength athletes don't in order to reach their goals .. this is the reason you see guys with 18" arms that never squat ... A strength athlete with 16" arms can be stronger but a BBers main concern isn't .. or shouldn't be strength .. During his strength training phases YES but not during his whole career as a BBEr