replacements for squats

[Kimberly Murphy]

I cannot do repetitive squats. I have a grade 4 chondral defect at the top of my trochlea, behind the patella in my knee. It "hits" at 60 degree flexion, only an issue with weight bearing exercise - although actual pain hits at about 45 degree flexion.

I wanted to get more (other, additional) opinions on how to modify workouts. Of course, there is issue with back squats, front squats, thrusters, wall balls, air squats. I do hip thrusts on my own to work the glutes.

How can I best modify WODs? Should I just do the called for movements but with half squats? Or, replace with another exercise? Any replacement exercises need to be easy to set-up and transition to.

Would love any feedback. Thank you.

[Darryl Shaw]

Trap bar deadlifts would probably be the safest alternative to regular squats for someone in your situation.

[Kimberly Murphy]

Originally Posted by Darryl Shaw

Trap bar deadlifts would probably be the safest alternative to regular squats for someone in your situation.

Thank you. I like those. Will have to donate a trap bar to the gym.

[David Meverden]

Nothing wrong with trap bar deadlifts, but half squats would be a more versatile sub. Could do half squat wall balls, half squat thrusters, half squat air squats. You could then add in straight leg deadlifts or good mornings to get in work for the muscle groups that got off easy in the half squat. You could either add in supplementary work afterwords or swap in 2 exercises to take the place of the full ROM squat, like so:

50 wall balls becomes 50 half squat wall balls and after the workout a few higher rep sets of straight leg good mornings

or

50 air squats becomes 5 rounds of 10 half squats squats with PVC pipe and 5 PVC good mornings.

or

50 Thrusters becomes 5 rounds of 10 half squat thrusters and 5 straight leg deadlifts.

You'll probably want less reps on the posterior centric part of the substitution, though it would take some experimentation to find the ideal.

[Michael A. Jones]

Originally Posted by Darryl Shaw

Trap bar deadlifts would probably be the safest alternative to regular squats for someone in your situation.

I concur with Darryl and will add in wall squats, Romanian deadlifts, step ups and weighted lunges.

Michael