strong lifts 5x5

clyn27

Ok so I am a 25 year female. I am 5'7'' and weigh 143. I currently am eating at 1200 calories a day ( I work a desk job) I want to start this program but I do not know what my calorie goals should be? I thought I wanted to lose weight but realized I am actually not really that over weight. Now my new goal is to lose fat and look more toned instead worrying about what the scale says. So should I move closer to maintenance or still be in a deficit?

jemhh

I think that you are right in realizing that you are not overweight. If I were you, I would try eating at maintenance for now. Commit to it for a couple of months and see how you feel about it. You might end up wanting to up your calories in order to add more muscle.

But definitely eat more than 1200 calories. I really like using the TDEE method, which gives you the total calories you need for the day, rather than the MFP method of a base number and then adding back exercise calories. I just checked the iifym.com calculator and based on the stats you listed plus 3 workouts a week, it says that 1963 is your TDEE. That's just a best guess though so you may find it differs from reality so you can tweak that as you go along.

hill8570

With your stats, if you want to get the most benefit out of SL 5x5, I'd recommend maintenance or a slight (5% max) surplus, with about 115 grams of protein a day.

clyn27

thank you!

zipa78

hill8570 wrote: »

With your stats, if you want to get the most benefit out of SL 5x5, I'd recommend maintenance or a slight (5% max) surplus, with about 115 grams of protein a day.

This is what I'd recommend as well. Eating at maintenance or just a smidge over will make your recovery much easier, which in turn will make the whole experience that much more enjoyable. You will still notice that after some weeks you have become tighter round the waist while getting some definition and roundness in your shoulder and butt.

Do the first 12 weeks of SL5x5 eating like suggested and then evaluate your situation and your goals.

Sam_I_Am77

Based on your stats above your approximate maintenance calories are 1,700. Start slowly, perhaps 1625 (5% deficit) and progress from there. If you can lose weight on 1600 calories then that's where you should be, it's better to start slow and progress slowly than to start extreme.

edit: This is TDEE not MFP, so not eating-back exercise calorie nonsense.

clyn27

Yeah I just bumped it up to 1500 today since I was eating 1200 I didn't want to go up to quick. I'll go up another hundred next week

Sam_I_Am77

clyn27 wrote: »

Yeah I just bumped it up to 1500 today since I was eating 1200 I didn't want to go up to quick. I'll go up another hundred next week

Nothing wrong with that approach. If you're interested Sohee Lee and Layne Norton wrote a book called "Reverse Dieting" that basically discusses what you do when you're done dieting to be successful and managing you weight.

jemhh

Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »

Based on your stats above your approximate maintenance calories are 1,700. Start slowly, perhaps 1625 (5% deficit) and progress from there. If you can lose weight on 1600 calories then that's where you should be, it's better to start slow and progress slowly than to start extreme.

edit: This is TDEE not MFP, so not eating-back exercise calorie nonsense.

What calculator did you use for this?

Sam_I_Am77

Mifflin St-Jeor equation

Women
10 X (Weight in kg) + 6.25 X (Height in cm) – 5 X (Age in years) – 161

clyn27

Holy *kitten* I'm out of shape. I did every thing with just the bar today and it's not even an Olympic bar, and I'm sore!

zette73

If you are going to lift, eat, eat, eat.

auddii

clyn27 wrote: »

Holy *kitten* I'm out of shape. I did every thing with just the bar today and it's not even an Olympic bar, and I'm sore!

It's awesome, and it gets better. You will have sore days, but it does get better the more you lift. And feeling strong is amazing.

clyn27

zette73 wrote: »

If you are going to lift, eat, eat, eat.

I plan to but I don't want to jump too fast. I ended up eating 1600 today after my snack. I'll go up some more over the next few weeks

piperdown44

I've run multiple cycles of 5x5 and will never ever, ever run it on a deficit. I might possibly, consider, maybe, if I'm feeling lucky run it on maintenance but usually a slight surplus. It IS taxing on the body and you require calories to make progress.

hill8570

clyn27 wrote: »

Holy *kitten* I'm out of shape. I did every thing with just the bar today and it's not even an Olympic bar, and I'm sore!

Heck, I did nothing but bodyweight practice (mostly on squats) before I even went near a bar, so you're doing good. Get your form right now - it makes everything else a lot safer.

sexynessa77

I'm doing the 5x5 I just need to get my eating straight on counting macros

clyn27

I need to go out and find a good protein powder because I am struggling to get enough.

hill8570

clyn27 wrote: »

I need to go out and find a good protein powder because I am struggling to get enough.

My target is 160g/day (in 1900 calories). You're welcome to take a look at my diary (it's always public) for ideas. Although my technique is a bit strange -- I allocate around 500 calories to a "snack" (half morning, half afternoon) that has a very high protein / calorie ratio (such as nonfat greek yogurt, canned salmon, or lowfat string cheese), and then let my normal food pick up the rest. On average, it works out well for me. Other foods in the same vein would be nonfat cottage cheese or tuna, but I'm not a fan of either.

clyn27

if I can actually eat everything I put in my diary today I will hit 100g for the day!!! Ok another question. For the barbell row and the dead lifts. I started out with just the bar and will be using small weights in the next few weeks which = short weights that do not elevate the bar very high. It just feels wrong and like my form is becoming a little iffy when I set the bar all the way down to the floor. Is it ok to just let it hover until I move up to weights that will elevate the bar off the ground a little more. Also I am doing this at home and do not have a rack, are there any variations to the squat once I move up to heavier weights like a kettle bell or something? I am worried getting it up on my shoulders will become difficult.

Sam_I_Am77

clyn27 wrote: »

if I can actually eat everything I put in my diary today I will hit 100g for the day!!! Ok another question. For the barbell row and the dead lifts. I started out with just the bar and will be using small weights in the next few weeks which = short weights that do not elevate the bar very high. It just feels wrong and like my form is becoming a little iffy when I set the bar all the way down to the floor. Is it ok to just let it hover until I move up to weights that will elevate the bar off the ground a little more. Also I am doing this at home and do not have a rack, are there any variations to the squat once I move up to heavier weights like a kettle bell or something? I am worried getting it up on my shoulders will become difficult.

Try to elevate the bar using other plates, box, something.., that will get the bar to roughly mid-shin. At first you can squat by lifting the bar onto your back but you won't get very far as you said. You can try doing Goblet Squats for now with a DB or KB.

3laine75

I did starting strength (similar to SL5x5) for a while on 1200 + exercise cals, before stalling out. You can get a few months strength gains, at deficit, before you need to start thinking about eating at maintenance or surplus.

Lift at deficit (doesn't have to be your current one) till you stall out on the lifts then reassess.

3laine75

amyrebeccah wrote: »

Why should she be at a deficit when she isn't trying to lose weight?

She wants to lose fat. Any suggestion other than deficit to achieve that - I'd genuinely love to know as I'm due to cut in February - if I can lose fat without cutting, I'm all over that!

clyn27

hmmm I will go on a mission later to figure out what I can set it on. My boyfriend has most of the weights all in one bag under the bed and I can't get it out of there by myself lol I am sure I have a few 2x4s out in the shed that might work. I am ordering db bars off amazon this weekend since I already have a *kitten* ton of plates ( boyfriend used to work out hard core back in the day then rolled a car and injured his back, never really got back into it) I will wait and see if I like doing it that way, if I don't I will try a kettle bell. The only gym around where I live my sisters ex husband works at and she is currently trying to get a restraining order so until he gets fired for touching another woman at work I can not join the gym out of respect for my sister ( not to mention I will probably get kicked out for punching him) so I will have to make working out at home work the best I can for now. Thank you for all the advise. I will probably have more questions at some point

cwolfman13

If you don't have much fat to lose you don't want to run huge deficits...especially if you're doing SL 5x5...you'll stall out pretty fast. If you run a deficit, make it very small...like 250 calories tops. To get the most out of the program though I would minimally eat at maintenance.

SL 5x5 is a pretty rigorous program, especially if you're dieting. I much prefer a 3x5 format when dieting...a 5x5 format dieting is pretty rough.

FullOnBurn

3laine75 wrote: »

I did starting strength (similar to SL5x5) for a while on 1200 + exercise cals, before stalling out. You can get a few months strength gains, at deficit, before you need to start thinking about eating at maintenance or surplus.

Lift at deficit (doesn't have to be your current one) till you stall out on the lifts then reassess.

You won't get very far on a 1200 cal/day diet and lifting heavy. Save yourself the frustration and eat at least your TDEE. If you really want to add muscle, you will have to actually eat at a surplus. You can do it at TDEE or a slight deficit but at a much slower rate. Pick your desired path. SL and the other linear progression programs get hard quick and you can easily lose your motivation when you keep stalling out because you haven't recovered enough (sleep + food)

hill8570

OP, if you've got room, there are plans out on the net for building DIY squat racks for not a lot of $$$. Depends on how handy you and the BF are.

jemhh

Also, check out Craigslist. A lot of times you can find equipment on there fairly cheap. I found my squat stands for $50 and then I just use a set of sawhorses as the safety stands.

3laine75

FullOnBurn wrote: »

3laine75 wrote: »

I did starting strength (similar to SL5x5) for a while on 1200 + exercise cals, before stalling out. You can get a few months strength gains, at deficit, before you need to start thinking about eating at maintenance or surplus.

Lift at deficit (doesn't have to be your current one) till you stall out on the lifts then reassess.

You won't get very far on a 1200 cal/day diet and lifting heavy. Save yourself the frustration and eat at least your TDEE. If you really want to add muscle, you will have to actually eat at a surplus. You can do it at TDEE or a slight deficit but at a much slower rate. Pick your desired path. SL and the other linear progression programs get hard quick and you can easily lose your motivation when you keep stalling out because you haven't recovered enough (sleep + food)

Thanks for the info....I've been lifting for 2 and half years and I'm on my second bulk/cut cycle. Actually I got six months of strength (and some noobie) gains - going from 0kg to 60 kg squat - eating at 1200 PLUS EX CALS as I said in my post, giving advice to someone new who is still looking to lose fat.

I am perfectly aware of how to work out my TDEE and the nutrition I need to reach my goals and did not ask for any advice. I also feel my advice, that OP can get a few months out of lifting at deficit, is helpful for her moving on. If she likes lifting, she will soon get the bug and start researching nutrition and ways of progressing herself. The important thing is to get in the weight room NOW to preserve current lean mass and bone density.

zipa78

jemhh wrote: »

Also, check out Craigslist. A lot of times you can find equipment on there fairly cheap. I found my squat stands for $50 and then I just use a set of sawhorses as the safety stands.

This would be my suggestion as well. One option (it requires a bit of practice, though) is to do front squats and just clean the weight up on your shoulders. It will be harder, but dammit, it will make you strong!

As for deadlifts and rows, you can do them from a hang while working up to the larger plates if you can't find anything to rest the bar on.

clyn27

It's not so much a money and more of a space thing for the rack. We are a family of 4 and a medium sized dog pecked into a 700 sq/ft house. That would be why all the plates are in a bad under the bed lol no where else to put them. We are buying a much larger house in the next 6 months so I will definitely invest in a rack when we move until then I'll just modify things to work with me and our limited space.