Mellowcreme Edition – Starting Strength Weekly Report October 27, 2025

RTB

My client is 78 years old. He had one shoulder replaced in 2020 and the other shoulder had two rotator cuff surgeries (last one in 2015).

He can bench press, but cannot press overhead as it causes pain, even at light weights. I had him doing Viking presses with a neutral grip and this worked well. Recently, I began using the the Olympic ring method that Rip described in a video. My client can push the 15 lb bar up pain-free, but can not get to the optimal range of motion (ROM) where his hips are directly below his hands at the top (I’m guessing there is a 10-15 degree difference). He says he can’t push any further – not because of pain but because his shoulders don’t allow it. Given the length of time that has gone by since his surgeries, as well as his age, I’m not sure if there is anything I can do to help his ROM.

1. Does it make sense to work within the ROM he has and continue to use the Olympic bar rehab method? Or…

2. Should I go back to programming Viking presses? Barbell Prescription talks about using dumbbell and landmine presses, but I figured he would get stronger using two arms in the Viking press.

To provide further clarification, the shoulder replaced was a “reverse total replacement.”

Mark Rippetoe

For this guy, the viking-thingies sound like the best option. But this guy is not going to progress like a young novice, so don’t push him that hard.

PrimalFish

I have a “functional” leg length discrepancy. My right hip is visibly hitched up, which causes my right leg to be shorter the my left. I recently got a shim on my right shoe to correct the problem and it seems to help, but I came across some words you wrote that make me question if I have gone about this the correct way.

Firstly, in your article on leg length discrepancy you wrote:

“To be clear: in the absence of a measurably significant discrepancy in the anatomical length of the femur and tibia, the problem is corrected with the enforcement of proper technique under the bar – not a shim under the foot. If your right knee caves in when you squat, lighten the weight until you can squat it with correct technique, and gradually go up from there. Remember: we deal with lifters, not the sedentary public. A “functional LLD” is therefore a movement pattern problem – perhaps a serious and persistent movement pattern problem, but a problem that can and should be corrected by coaching, not appliances. But when an anatomical LLD is present, you must shim the short leg.”

So it seems pretty obvious to me from this that I should NOT use a shoe shim. This kind of makes sense to me. Squat with perfect form, even though it may not “feel” correct in the beginning and eventually everything will even out and correct itself. In my particular case, my body like to put my left foot more forward then my right foot when squatting without a shim, so I guess you’d recommend that I keep both feet even and squat with perfect form, even though it does not “feel” correct. Eventually all should be good.

But, on another thread, a Starting Strength coach seems to recommend the opposite and you seem to agree. Functional leg length discrepancy (laterally tilted pelvis)

Here is the relevant part of the conversation:

John Petrizzo: “I agree with Rip. Even if you don’t have a “true” leg length discrepancy, if one of your legs is “functionally” shorter while you are lifting, it should be shimmed. In my experience, no amount of stretching or ART is going to fix your lateral pelvic tilt for any meaningful length of time.”

AndrewStevens90: “John, are you saying (if the discrepancy is entirely functional) that there is no long term fix, and that I should just work around it (shimming, etc.) as best as possible?”

Mark Rippetoe: “I believe that’s what he said.”

John Petrizzo: “Yes. In my experience, while you may be able to level your pelvis temporarily through manipulations, the shift always returns so even though it is not a true LLD, from a training standpoint, it should be treated like one.”

So it seems like two different pieces of advice here. I’d like for my hip hitch to correct itself by using perfect squat form, but will it actually? Would a person with a hip hitch and a “functionally” short leg benefit from a shoe shim? Or should they squat with perfect form in order to correct their body?

Mark Rippetoe

How was your LLD measured?

PrimalFish

A few ways…

-Looking in the mirror and pinching in my thumbs on the top of my iliac crest. My right thumb is noticeably higher. It is also easily visible just by looking.

-Went to chiropractor who layed me down and pulled on my legs and told me my left leg was longer. Also chiropractor took x-rays of my pelvis and said my right side was hitched up. You can see it on x-ray.

-Before I went to chiropractor had someone else pull on my legs and found left leg longer.

Mark Rippetoe

Hard to see it from here.

John Petrizzo

Just to clarify my comments from the previous thread, if you have a functional leg length discrepancy (meaning your femur and tibia are of equal lengths, but you have a spinal or pelvic asymmetry that causes one of them to be functionally shorter in your everyday life) and that discrepancy causes you to be asymmetrical during your training, then I think a shim would be helpful. The reason for my opinion is that the spinal or pelvic asymmetry is very unlikely to resolve itself over time if it is idiopathic as it is probably something that you have had your entire life and no amount of manipulations or myofascial techniques are going to be able to resolve it for any significant length of time. However, that is not the same as someone who just has a minor asymmetry and simply develops form breakdown under load. There are lots of people who have minor asymmetries that do not require any intervention and the far majority of them can train just fine with careful attention to their technique under the bar.

I hope that clears up any confusion.