Can/should I start the stronglifts 5x5 to my workout regiment?

knt217

I am new on my journey, but pretty dedicated. I've lost 11 lbs in this first month, which I realize is more than I should, but I have another 40 to go to be at my goal weight of 145, so it's not like I'm already light and losing a lot quickly. We've also recently moved to a new state and I don't know anyone. I stay home with my kids, so gym time has become an outlet for me to get out of the house.

Anyway, this is my current work out schedule:
Monday- 30 min running followed by 45 min Boot Camp class
Tuesday- 1 hour Zumba morning, 50 min Tabata Boot Camp evening
Weds- 1 hour WERQ
Thurs- 45 min Boot Camp (and going to try a 45 min spin class today- not sure if this will be the "normal" schedule since I've never done spin class!)
Fri- 30 min running followed by 45 min WERQ
Sat- 1 hour Zumba
Sun- rest

I'm not necessarily looking to add MORE, but could maybe replace something. I really like what I'm doing, with the exception of running-- it's okay. I feel accomplished afterwards, but I don't look forward to running like I do the other classes. I do it more so because I'm actively trying to lose the fat, and want to make sure I get some steady cardio in. Do you think I can add the Strong Lifts 5x5 program in with what I'm doing? I know I have a good amount of cardio, but I'm not sure what to classify the Boot Camp classes as- I would like to have a decent mix of cardio and strength training. Please help a newbie out!

CarlydogsMom

Looks like that's all mostly cardio and limited, if any, resistance/weight training (I don't know what boot camp is, but suspect it's a mix of both). I'd figure out your favorite cardio and then start on a weight lifting regime, first learning form (getting form right is most important) and then lifting progressively heavier weights. Speak to your gym managers to see if there's a free personal training session or whatever to get you going.

There are all sorts of threads on here on different weightlifting routines; use a solid program that builds upon the 5 main compound lifts (bench, overhead press, deadlift, squats, rows), like Stronglifts, New Rules of Lifting for Women, etc.

When you do cardio, you burn a mix of fat and muscle; lifting progressively heavier weights helps you maintain your muscle mass.

foursirius

If your going to go that route I'd make sure you do the harder cardio on the 3 day splits. Then do light cardio on the other days or use them as legit rest. The thing with a program like SL is you'll be adding weight frequently and if you started at the proper weight you'll need to rest days & calories to keep from stalling.

I've done a fair few cycles of SL and am currently on my 3rd cycle of madcows 5x5 and like to work cardio into my routine. I found that the first few weeks I could do cardio prior to lifting but have had to move it to either the end (which can be brutal feeling) or do a split training day. If I push cardio too hard on my offdays I'll stall on my working days. Right now I'm doing MISS on offdays for 30 minutes and 15 minutes of HIIT after workouts on lifting days.

jessiefrancine

CarlydogsMom wrote: »

Looks like that's all mostly cardio and limited, if any, resistance/weight training (I don't know what boot camp is, but suspect it's a mix of both). I'd figure out your favorite cardio and then start on a weight lifting regime, first learning form (getting form right is most important) and then lifting progressively heavier weights. Speak to your gym managers to see if there's a free personal training session or whatever to get you going.

There are all sorts of threads on here on different weightlifting routines; use a solid program that builds upon the 5 main compound lifts (bench, overhead press, deadlift, squats, rows), like Stronglifts, New Rules of Lifting for Women, etc.

When you do cardio, you burn a mix of fat and muscle; lifting progressively heavier weights helps you maintain your muscle mass.

Agree with this. Figure out what cardio you like best (I really miss the WERQ class my gym used to offer! so much fun!), then replace some of the other cardio classes with strength training days. Or if you really like the class format, but aren't ready for a solo lifting routine, see what your gym offers for non-cardio, resistance-focused classes. That's what I'm doing right now - lots of handweights, kettlebells, resistance bands and medicine balls. The class format keeps me accountable for doing the work and the changing routines keep me from getting bored. I'm not exactly getting shredded, but I have definitely seen an increase in muscle definition since I started incorporating the resistance class into my routine.

knt217

They offer Body Pump (which I tried and didn't like- felt like a waste of time doing high reps of low weights), and Boot Camp. That's why I'm doing the Boot Camp. Lots of push ups, squats with a bar and weight, but a combo of cardio too with burpees, mountain climbers, squat jacks, etc. I do prefer the class setting, but I'm not opposed to lifting on my own if I know what to do. It's $50/hr for a personal trainer at my gym. I could do that once, but probably couldn't do it a ton- and it's been since highschool and college since I've lifted with machines, so I'm pretty rusty. That's why I was thinking Stronglifts since it's a set group of exercises I can learn and focus on the form for.

jessiefrancine

Yeah, lots of reps of a low weight isn't going to give the same results. Sounds like Stronglifts, or a comparable program, would be a good bet for you. Since form is really important for those lifts, it might be worth hiring a trainer for a session or two to watch you do the workout and correct any form problems before you get too far into the program. In related news, there is another thread with some Stronglifts success stories.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10131685/any-5x5-success-stories#latest

jessiefrancine

Here's another current thread that might interest you. Several posters compare/contrast the various beginner lifting programs.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10132461/nrolfw-vs-stronglifts-vs-allpro#latest