Weight progression
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LazyFoodie
Posts: 217 Member
When I started this last week, I thought the starting weights were manageable for everything besides the rows which I started at a lower weight than what the Stronglifts App said to do. However, I am finding the weight is now too much for me after just adding 5lbs for the overhead press and the bench press so I worked with just the empty bar again for my last two workouts. Should I keep doing the empty bar until I can comfortably add weight with good form or does this mean I started too high and I should go down in weight so I can keep adding weight in each workout? I am thinking of buying some 1.25 plates too so I can add just 2.5lbs at a time since my gym does not have them.
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Replies
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Yep, the weights increase fast with 5x5, and those 5 lbs. increments can be killers, especially for us ladies. I got a set of 1.25 lbs. plates and am so glad -- they allow me to keep progressing at a nice rate without killing myself -- so personally, I'd recommend them.
As for deloading to the empty bar, it's hard to say without knowing what you're lifting, and without knowing your failure rate. If you're failing on the third rep of your first set, that's one thing, but if it's happening on your fourth rep in set five, that's another.
Generally, I don't think there's anything wrong with starting light -- even though it can feel too light -- since it gives you time to get into a good rhythm with the program and concentrate on your form. Really, you have nothing to lose.
Keep us posted!
C.0 -
Thanks C.
I don't think I was very clear, I started with the empty bar and was able to do the complete 5x5 workout for my first A and B workout. But I didn't add the 5lbs like I should have for my second A and B workouts for the overhead press and bench press because I tried adding it and was really struggling with doing the lifts with proper form so I just did the complete workout with the empty bar again, I did not try for 5 sets of 5 with the 5lbs added to the empty bar. I did like two reps and realized I could not do it.
My question is whether I should go lighter than the empty bar so I can keep progressively adding weight on the lifts (in other words, did I start too heavy since I can't add weight already on my 2nd time doing these) or if I should just stay at the empty bar since I can do the lifts on the empty bar.0 -
the central idea of stronglifts is that in every workout, you should use the highest weight that you can do 5x5 with for that lift, while still maintaining good form. once one weight gets easy you add more weight, but you don't have to on every single next time you repeat a lift. so no, i'd say that if the bar is where you can do 5x5 and you feel good about your form there, you don't need to back down to a lower weight.
it does get confusing because his site goes so much about adding weight every time and the amount you should add. really, i think the important stuff that you should try to stick to is: 5 sets of 5 reps, good form, and the 5 specific lifts that are recommended. so long as you're doing that, you can adjust for your own experience on things like how much you increase by for every lift.
that site has good technical information as far as the actual lifts, but the 'as a lifestyle' part is so noisy, right
it's hard to sort out what really matters from the parts that are just him yammering and lecturing you about how wrong you would be to make mistakes you're not even thinking of making. 0 -
Nancy,
Thanks for the extra info -- that clears things up.
I agree with Canadianlbs (as usual). If you can do 5x5 with the empty bar and decent form, I wouldn't go down to lower weights.
With that said, I would continue to attempt to add weight at every session, even if you think you're going to fail after (or during) the first set. It's been my experience that I will stay at a weight that's comfortable longer than I should because moving up feels scary, or I'm just positive I'll fail. Sometimes I do, but sometimes I surprise myself and complete the sets! You really will be stronger on Friday than you were on Monday, so it's worth at least trying. You can always unload the bar and finish the remaining sets at a lower weight.
And again, yes to the 1.25 lbs. plates!
Good luck!
C.
PS - If you're using just the bar (or smaller sized plates) on rows and deadlifts, be sure to stack plates or steps so you can keep correct form.0 -
Are you sure that's what the program calls for? My understanding of StrongLifts is: add the five pounds each session, and do your best to get 5x5. If you can only get two sets of five and three sets of three, then you just don't increase next time and stay with that weight. It's only if you fail three consecutive times do you deload to a prior weight. The progressive overload component is necessary for optimal strength gains.
TL;DR: you gain more strength on partial completion with a higher weight in your progression than in full completion of a weight you've done before.
Most important: keep up your form!0 -
Thanks for the replies! My 1.25 plates on ordered and on their way! I am reading Starting Strength for form info but it is very slow going since some sections of the book puts me to sleep.0
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the whole site is so geared towards men . . . men men men, and i think he gives about 12 lines in it somewhere to women. in which he declares in this lordly way that adding 5 for bench and ohp 'is too much' for women, so go and get fractional plates.
i would so love to be able to prove the guy wrong. i'd add TEN for those lifts if i could, just to . . . well, just because.
but apparently using smaller increments is okay, because, after all, that's what mehdi's girlfriend does. i don't believe he could have one, personally, but for myself i've always tried to make sure of getting 5x5, rather than always incrementing no matter what. idk . . . maybe someone else knows for sure?0 -
In addition to smaller weight increases, you can do rep increases. Like if you get all 5x5 with the 45lb bar, but 50lbs is too much, you can increase your reps. Once you get to 5x8 at 45lbs, you increase to 50lbs and do 5x5. Just another work around. 0
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Thanks chubby.0
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canadianlbs wrote: »the whole site is so geared towards men . . . men men men, and i think he gives about 12 lines in it somewhere to women. in which he declares in this lordly way that adding 5 for bench and ohp 'is too much' for women, so go and get fractional plates.
i would so love to be able to prove the guy wrong. i'd add TEN for those lifts if i could, just to . . . well, just because.
but apparently using smaller increments is okay, because, after all, that's what mehdi's girlfriend does. i don't believe he could have one, personally, but for myself i've always tried to make sure of getting 5x5, rather than always incrementing no matter what. idk . . . maybe someone else knows for sure?
C'mon, Canadian! If it's good enough for Mehdi's GF, it's good enough for us!
(Light sarcasm here, in case you were wondering.)0 -
C'mon, Canadian! If it's good enough for Mehdi's GF, it's good enough for us!
(Light sarcasm here, in case you were wondering.)
LOL! hey . . . apparently mehdi is good enough for mehdi's gf. . . sez mehdi. but that doesn't mean - you see where i'm going with this? yeah, he put together a lifting program i like, but as a person, quel twonk.
off the subject of mehdi's personal flaws as a human being: adding reps to every set on ohp really worked well for me.
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