Hi- new here- few questions

LoLoGB

Hi. My name is Lauren. 5'4", 142 lbs, 28% BF. Just stared 5x5 yesterday after doing other lifting for a month. I need to lose 15 lbs and would love to see 20-22% BF. My question: #1 I'm not really sore at all from yesterday. Should I up my weight? #2 I eat my TDEE - 15%...what is recommended for 5c5? #3 is this a good program for fat loss fast or should I add in some cardio as well? I am attending a beach wedding and then have vacation coming up in 5 weeks.

Any other advice and what not to a newbie would be appreciated. Thanks!

Sumiblue

Welcome to the group. Heavy lifting isn't something you do for fast anything-fat loss/weight loss/muscle gain. That all takes time. Then SL program is a progressive lifting program and you do it by increasing the weights 5lbs at a time if you complete each workout. Don't jump ahead in weights because you may hurt yourself. The weights get heavy very quickly if you do the program correctly. Some of the women in this group are lifting at a deficit, myself included.I have found that I needed to increase my calories for better lifts. Lifting heavy is good for fat loss but it takes time. 5 weeks is very fast to see 6-8% fat loss. I've been lifting for almost 6 months and I've seen about 3% fat loss since January. I also increased my calories again closer to maintenance because I am within 10lbs of my goal weight and want to do a recomp. But that is a very slow process. In 5 weeks you can expect to get stronger and likely feel better as a result. You may get noob muscle gains if you are new to lifting. You may see the scale weight go up due to water retention but that is temporary and a sign that you are working your muscles.

giusa

Sumiblue wrote: »

Welcome to the group. Heavy lifting isn't something you do for fast anything-fat loss/weight loss/muscle gain. That all takes time. Then SL program is a progressive lifting program and you do it by increasing the weights 5lbs at a time if you complete each workout. Don't jump ahead in weights because you may hurt yourself. The weights get heavy very quickly if you do the program correctly. Some of the women in this group are lifting at a deficit, myself included.I have found that I needed to increase my calories for better lifts. Lifting heavy is good for fat loss but it takes time. 5 weeks is very fast to see 6-8% fat loss. I've been lifting for almost 6 months and I've seen about 3% fat loss since January. I also increased my calories again closer to maintenance because I am within 10lbs of my goal weight and want to do a recomp. But that is a very slow process. In 5 weeks you can expect to get stronger and likely feel better as a result. You may get noob muscle gains if you are new to lifting. You may see the scale weight go up due to water retention but that is temporary and a sign that you are working your muscles.

As @Sumiblue said, weightlifting is not a quick fix, it's a progressive longterm program. Most importantly *FORM* over weights. (I also believe 10% deficit is max recommended or a person will not have the energy to perform....)

Sumiblue

Oh yes! Bad form=injury. Watch videos or ask a good trainer for form tips. I am still working on my squat and deadlift form 6 months in.

LoLoGB

Thank you both! Sorry I didn't mean I needed to lose the weight and BF in 5 weeks- that would be crazy! I want to lose 10lb in 5 weeks though

canadianlbs

#1 - if you've lifted for a month already that could explain why you're not sore today - depending on how similar your previous workouts were to what stronglifts asks your muscles to do, i suppose. also on that, i can practically time doms by setting my watch. it comes on 24 hours after whatever i did, practically to the minute. i had it hit me once while i was standing around in the lineup at a grocery store 7 miles from home.

#2 - idk if there's a single answer for that one. it's still the whole calories in/out thing with weights, but that shouldn't deter you since it's just as true about cardio.

TravelsWithHuckleberry

Hi there, and welcome! Here's my two cents --

I've NEVER been sore from lifting except after taking full rest weeks. Muscle soreness is not necessarily an indication of whether or not an exercise is working, so don't worry too much about that.

As others have stated, your calorie deficit will affect your lifts. So, the amount of your deficit will really depend on your goals. If it's pure weight loss you want, then eat at a larger deficit and just know you won't add weight to the bar as quickly as you would if you were eating at a smaller deficit. Either way, I wouldn't do more than TDEE -15% -- almost all of the calculators I've seen explicitly say anything more is too aggressive.

Doing intense cardio in addition to 5x5 will also affect both your lifts and your cardio. It's important to find a balance and to not over train.

It's a GREAT program for fat loss, but it's not fast. In fact, as some others mentioned, you will very likely see the number on the scale increase for the first few weeks due to water retention. It will go away, but it can be discouraging, especially if you're looking to lose quickly.

My one other general piece of advice is to pretty much throw out your goal weight as your target. Take starting pictures, take your measurements, and concentrate on your body fat percentage. They are all better indications of your progress than what the scale will say.

Good luck!

canadianlbs

crabada wrote: »

My one other general piece of advice is to pretty much throw out your goal weight as your target.

yeah, i think i'll buy that. i just had a doctor's visit, is the reason why. last one was precisely a year ago when i needed her signoff to be allowed in a weight room.

so they weighed me again two or three days ago, a year later. exact same weight: 134. here's the thing though. in the summer i was far more interested in weight loss and did an aggressive deficit/cardio/lifts thing for a while. i dropped 10 pounds concurrently with my initial sl months, got sick of never getting or feeling any stronger, and started just eating whatever i feel like again. i'm still wearing the same clothes that fit me during that 'thinner' phase though. and i'd say i'm roughly about twice as strong. so that's worth a lot, if it's what you put value in.

i'll mention too that i'm 49 and my metabolism is really into the 'better start stockpiling fat' phase of life.