Starting Heavy Lifting (Stronglifts 5x5)
baybeejulia
Posts: 218 Member
Hey all,
I've been on this MFP journey for 70 days now, have lost 4kg (8.81lbs) - need to lose 6kg more. But most importantly, I want to get shredded. I have never been the type to be lean or shredded.
I've decided it's time I start heavy lifting, because, well, I believe it's the best thing you can do! (I will continue to do cardio and eat at a deficit).
I'm modifying SL a tad, my plan is as follows:
WORKOUT A
Barbell Squat
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Tricep Dips
Pushups
WORKOUT B
Barbell Squat
Overhead Press
Deadlift
Chin-Ups
Seated Row
I also want to work lunges in there somewhere.
I'd like some feedback from experienced lifters. Am I on the right track, can I get shredded?
If you've started chubby/fat and become shredded from lifting, I'd love to see your results.
Thanks in advance.
- Julia
I've been on this MFP journey for 70 days now, have lost 4kg (8.81lbs) - need to lose 6kg more. But most importantly, I want to get shredded. I have never been the type to be lean or shredded.
I've decided it's time I start heavy lifting, because, well, I believe it's the best thing you can do! (I will continue to do cardio and eat at a deficit).
I'm modifying SL a tad, my plan is as follows:
WORKOUT A
Barbell Squat
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Tricep Dips
Pushups
WORKOUT B
Barbell Squat
Overhead Press
Deadlift
Chin-Ups
Seated Row
I also want to work lunges in there somewhere.
I'd like some feedback from experienced lifters. Am I on the right track, can I get shredded?
If you've started chubby/fat and become shredded from lifting, I'd love to see your results.
Thanks in advance.
- Julia
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Replies
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Stronglifts by itself will get you on your way to shredded. (You may find after awhile on the program that you need to step up to an intermediate program, but tackle that hurdle when you come to it.)
The accessories can help with hypertrophy work, but they aren't required. I wouldn't set those in stone because you may find that you want to do other stuff as you get further into the program. If you need ideas of what to do, bodybuilding.com has a fantastic database of workouts by muscle group.
Progress pics: here's a thread in this group of some progress pics: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/948109/progress-photos/p10 -
Stronglifts by itself will get you on your way to shredded. (You may find after awhile on the program that you need to step up to an intermediate program, but tackle that hurdle when you come to it.)
The accessories can help with hypertrophy work, but they aren't required. I wouldn't set those in stone because you may find that you want to do other stuff as you get further into the program. If you need ideas of what to do, bodybuilding.com has a fantastic database of workouts by muscle group.
Progress pics: here's a thread in this group of some progress pics: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/948109/progress-photos/p1
Thanks for that!
I did my first stronglifts workout last night but I don't feel like I did any work. My weight was as follows:
Squat 40kg
Bench press 25kg
Barbell row 25kg
I struggled with the lifts at the time but now I don't feel sore or anything. Am I supposed to feel like I achieved nothing? Lol0 -
"Shredded" happens with diet. Take a healthy deficit and don't try to lose fat too quickly, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. A lifting program like SL will help build muscles that the fat loss will reveal.0
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"Shredded" happens with diet. Take a healthy deficit and don't try to lose fat too quickly, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. A lifting program like SL will help build muscles that the fat loss will reveal.
I am currently eating about 1200 calories a day, my TDEE on a lifting day is about 1800 calories, and on a cardio day is about 2000 (I am very small so my TDEE is very low. On Sundays when I do no exercise my TDEE is about 1450, I wear a FitBit so this is as accurate as it will get).
Should I be eating more? I am consistently losing weight and don't want to hinder or slow that down, but at the same time, I don't want to starve my body or do it any harm.0 -
I am short so I know all about low TDEE. It is recommended that you don't set your deficit to lose 2 lbs a week if you don't have much to lose. Rather, it is better to set it for a small deficit like .5 lb/wk so you don't lose muscle along with fat. If you are very small 1200 might be fine. But I found I needed to eat more. I am 46 & 5ft 2in, 130 lb. A lot of people use the Scooby calculator to find their calorie goal. If you are losing steadily and aren't starving, your Fitbit is giving you accurate info you are probably doing fine. Building muscle is slow so the results won't happen in a month. I have been doing SL since October (8months) & while I am more muscular I am not ripped. But I haven't been so tight with my diet. I love to eat! When I was really trying to tighten my diet I ate about 1400-1500 calories and was slowly losing inches. I lost about 10 lbs which has mostly stayed off even though I am not calorie counting at the moment. Don't be discouraged if your body weight goes up a bit at first. It's water weight from muscle repair to new lifting program/glycogen stores replenishment. It will sort itself out. The lifting weights will get heavy soon & you will feel it-guaranteed! Good luck & welcome to SLs!0
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baybeejulia wrote: »Stronglifts by itself will get you on your way to shredded. (You may find after awhile on the program that you need to step up to an intermediate program, but tackle that hurdle when you come to it.)
The accessories can help with hypertrophy work, but they aren't required. I wouldn't set those in stone because you may find that you want to do other stuff as you get further into the program. If you need ideas of what to do, bodybuilding.com has a fantastic database of workouts by muscle group.
Progress pics: here's a thread in this group of some progress pics: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/948109/progress-photos/p1
Thanks for that!
I did my first stronglifts workout last night but I don't feel like I did any work. My weight was as follows:
Squat 40kg
Bench press 25kg
Barbell row 25kg
I struggled with the lifts at the time but now I don't feel sore or anything. Am I supposed to feel like I achieved nothing? Lol
At first, yes, you'll feel like you didn't do much. You should be using these first few workouts to make sure your form is spot-on. You'll be progressing quite quickly after this, so don't jump ahead just because you aren't sore.0 -
baybeejulia wrote: »"Shredded" happens with diet. Take a healthy deficit and don't try to lose fat too quickly, especially if you don't have a lot to lose. A lifting program like SL will help build muscles that the fat loss will reveal.
I am currently eating about 1200 calories a day, my TDEE on a lifting day is about 1800 calories, and on a cardio day is about 2000 (I am very small so my TDEE is very low. On Sundays when I do no exercise my TDEE is about 1450, I wear a FitBit so this is as accurate as it will get).
Should I be eating more? I am consistently losing weight and don't want to hinder or slow that down, but at the same time, I don't want to starve my body or do it any harm.
How fast are you losing? (We can help you figure out if you should/could eat more based on what you say you're eating and how fast you're actually losing.)
With only 13-ish pounds (6kg) to go, you should be losing about a half a pound a week. That may seem slow, but the less you weigh the less fat you have to lose. If you lose too fast, you could be sacrificing your muscle mass since you don't have a lot of fat stores to pull from.0 -
I am short so I know all about low TDEE. It is recommended that you don't set your deficit to lose 2 lbs a week if you don't have much to lose. Rather, it is better to set it for a small deficit like .5 lb/wk so you don't lose muscle along with fat. If you are very small 1200 might be fine. But I found I needed to eat more. I am 46 & 5ft 2in, 130 lb. A lot of people use the Scooby calculator to find their calorie goal. If you are losing steadily and aren't starving, your Fitbit is giving you accurate info you are probably doing fine. Building muscle is slow so the results won't happen in a month. I have been doing SL since October (8months) & while I am more muscular I am not ripped. But I haven't been so tight with my diet. I love to eat! When I was really trying to tighten my diet I ate about 1400-1500 calories and was slowly losing inches. I lost about 10 lbs which has mostly stayed off even though I am not calorie counting at the moment. Don't be discouraged if your body weight goes up a bit at first. It's water weight from muscle repair to new lifting program/glycogen stores replenishment. It will sort itself out. The lifting weights will get heavy soon & you will feel it-guaranteed! Good luck & welcome to SLs!
Thanks so much for all the info!
I am 4ft 9in, so my caloric requirements are a little lower than you. Without eating junk food, I can happily get all the food and nutrients I need and I do feel full on 1200 calories.
I haven't been lifting long enough to know whether my low calorie diet will affect my lifting though, I will have to see.
I am so excited to begin this journey haha0 -
How fast are you losing? (We can help you figure out if you should/could eat more based on what you say you're eating and how fast you're actually losing.)
With only 13-ish pounds (6kg) to go, you should be losing about a half a pound a week. That may seem slow, but the less you weigh the less fat you have to lose. If you lose too fast, you could be sacrificing your muscle mass since you don't have a lot of fat stores to pull from.
I am actually sore today lol, two days later. So I guess I did lift a significant amount.
In the 70 days since I have been logging on MFP, I have gone from 55.7kg (122lbs) to 51.6kg (113lbs)(officially, though I have fluctuated above this weight every now and then, I am currently 52kg). I don't know if that's too fast or too slow but I think it seems healthy.
My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.0 -
baybeejulia wrote: »My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
heh. i think most of us are the other way round. interested in fat loss, sure, but most of us seem like we'd eat more in a heartbeat if we felt like we needed it to get bigger lifts.0 -
Depends on where you stand now and how "shredded" you want to be, which will be influenced by your diet but the lifting will help maintain muscle, etc. If you want a defined muscle shape, then you're going to need to have a base to work from followed by a body fat that is low enough to show said development. Spend a little time on the female forum on bodybuilding.com and you can see some varying levels and what it takes to get there, depending on the type of goal you're wanting in the long run.
Me? I'm just trying to be less fluffy and lift some heavy weights.
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baybeejulia wrote: »How fast are you losing? (We can help you figure out if you should/could eat more based on what you say you're eating and how fast you're actually losing.)
With only 13-ish pounds (6kg) to go, you should be losing about a half a pound a week. That may seem slow, but the less you weigh the less fat you have to lose. If you lose too fast, you could be sacrificing your muscle mass since you don't have a lot of fat stores to pull from.
I am actually sore today lol, two days later. So I guess I did lift a significant amount.
In the 70 days since I have been logging on MFP, I have gone from 55.7kg (122lbs) to 51.6kg (113lbs)(officially, though I have fluctuated above this weight every now and then, I am currently 52kg). I don't know if that's too fast or too slow but I think it seems healthy.
My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
So, to the bolded: you are losing almost a pound a week. You're averaging 0.9 pounds, taking out any fluctuations. You can continue what you're doing OR eat another 200-250 calories per day. It will take your loss per week down to about 0.5 pounds, but that is still a reasonable goal (especially with only a few pounds left to lose). Losing less while eating more (and lifting) can actually help you retain more muscle mass. The faster you lose, the greater chance you have of losing fat and muscle.
But if you're happy losing where you are, then ignore my advice. I'm one of those who advocate eating as much as possible and losing a little more slowly to retain more muscle mass so that you're smaller/tighter at your end goal.0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »baybeejulia wrote: »My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
heh. i think most of us are the other way round. interested in fat loss, sure, but most of us seem like we'd eat more in a heartbeat if we felt like we needed it to get bigger lifts.baybeejulia wrote: »How fast are you losing? (We can help you figure out if you should/could eat more based on what you say you're eating and how fast you're actually losing.)
With only 13-ish pounds (6kg) to go, you should be losing about a half a pound a week. That may seem slow, but the less you weigh the less fat you have to lose. If you lose too fast, you could be sacrificing your muscle mass since you don't have a lot of fat stores to pull from.
I am actually sore today lol, two days later. So I guess I did lift a significant amount.
In the 70 days since I have been logging on MFP, I have gone from 55.7kg (122lbs) to 51.6kg (113lbs)(officially, though I have fluctuated above this weight every now and then, I am currently 52kg). I don't know if that's too fast or too slow but I think it seems healthy.
My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
So, to the bolded: you are losing almost a pound a week. You're averaging 0.9 pounds, taking out any fluctuations. You can continue what you're doing OR eat another 200-250 calories per day. It will take your loss per week down to about 0.5 pounds, but that is still a reasonable goal (especially with only a few pounds left to lose). Losing less while eating more (and lifting) can actually help you retain more muscle mass. The faster you lose, the greater chance you have of losing fat and muscle.
But if you're happy losing where you are, then ignore my advice. I'm one of those who advocate eating as much as possible and losing a little more slowly to retain more muscle mass so that you're smaller/tighter at your end goal.
I know plenty of people say this and we usually call bull**** on it, but I can't eat more. At the moment, having only just started lifting heavy (and arguably not feeling the taxing effect of it) I am eating plenty.
Eating healthier foods and making better choices means that I am actually fuller on a 1200 calorie diet. So long as I don't eat junk food, or too much bread/pasta/rice, then 1200 calories really is enough. I eat tuna, meat, toast and avocado for brekky, wholemeal sandwiches for lunch, chocolate, and 1200 calories is enough and I can't imagine eating more. My diary is open if you want to see.
If, after lifting for a while, I stall or find that I am exhausted, I am definitely willing to up my calorie intake. I don't have a time limit to reach my goal. I just want to look fitter and leaner and do what's healthy for my body.
Btw if it matters I am 4ft 9in.0 -
DawnEmbers wrote: »Depends on where you stand now and how "shredded" you want to be, which will be influenced by your diet but the lifting will help maintain muscle, etc. If you want a defined muscle shape, then you're going to need to have a base to work from followed by a body fat that is low enough to show said development. Spend a little time on the female forum on bodybuilding.com and you can see some varying levels and what it takes to get there, depending on the type of goal you're wanting in the long run.
Me? I'm just trying to be less fluffy and lift some heavy weights.
I recently joined up to that site and I am loving it! Such a wealth of knowledge there.
I am lifting to gain muscle mass, and eating at a deficit to burn body fat. Logically, this should result in 'shredded' lol.0 -
baybeejulia wrote: »DawnEmbers wrote: »Depends on where you stand now and how "shredded" you want to be, which will be influenced by your diet but the lifting will help maintain muscle, etc. If you want a defined muscle shape, then you're going to need to have a base to work from followed by a body fat that is low enough to show said development. Spend a little time on the female forum on bodybuilding.com and you can see some varying levels and what it takes to get there, depending on the type of goal you're wanting in the long run.
Me? I'm just trying to be less fluffy and lift some heavy weights.
I recently joined up to that site and I am loving it! Such a wealth of knowledge there.
I am lifting to gain muscle mass, and eating at a deficit to burn body fat. Logically, this should result in 'shredded' lol.
The problem with this, is that those two things rarely happen together. You will get some newbie gains, see significant strength improvements at the start, and may see some increased definition, but you won't build significant muscle mass on a deficit. What will likely happen is that you will retain the mass you have while losing because you are lifting while getting a bit stronger. You may see some muscles that weren't there before as you lose fat. You need a surplus of calories to build muscle, so once you are at your goal weight or body fat percent, you can increase your calories to maintenance or a small surplus, and concentrate on building muscle mass then.
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i may not be interpreting 'shredded' in the way that you are, but the version of it that i know of sounds like too low a body fat index to really be 'healthy' for a person's body. probably not life-threatening or anything, but still you have to get awfully thin before individual muscle striations begin to show through.0
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The problem with this, is that those two things rarely happen together. You will get some newbie gains, see significant strength improvements at the start, and may see some increased definition, but you won't build significant muscle mass on a deficit. What will likely happen is that you will retain the mass you have while losing because you are lifting while getting a bit stronger. You may see some muscles that weren't there before as you lose fat. You need a surplus of calories to build muscle, so once you are at your goal weight or body fat percent, you can increase your calories to maintenance or a small surplus, and concentrate on building muscle mass then.
That's exactly what I intend to do. When I get down to an ideal BF% (I am now 25%, I'd like to get down to about 17%), then I will eat at maintenance or surplus or whatever is required (I am yet to do research into maintenance and muscle mass gains). I will no longer need a deficit because I'll have lost all the fat and will just focus on building muscle to increase muscle definition.0 -
canadianlbs wrote: »i may not be interpreting 'shredded' in the way that you are, but the version of it that i know of sounds like too low a body fat index to really be 'healthy' for a person's body. probably not life-threatening or anything, but still you have to get awfully thin before individual muscle striations begin to show through.
Yes, this is the kind of shredded I want. Where individual muscle striations show through.
I really dislike when people start calling it unhealthy to be 'thin'. When a person is exercising and eating at maintenance (which is usually 2500 and more than enough), I don't see how that is unhealthy. They are fueling their body and getting fitter and stronger. Just because they have less body fat than the next guy, doesn't make them unhealthy.0 -
Few things that stick out here and since I'm back from work but not ready for bed quite yet, I'll respond.
1. Indeed, you are not likely to gain one type of mass and lose the other at the same time, at least not without taking years. Recomp is often the term used for lifting and eating at maintenance which can involve losing fat and a little addition of muscle but the time it takes to see any results rarely is one people can handle. That is why many go on cycles between bulking to gain and cutting to lose. Tends to have easier to view results on both sides.
2. If you do get down to a body far where you feel comfortable doing a bulk to gain muscle, you will still gain fat. You would have a minimal surplus since it's not easy for women to gain muscle but even then, some fat will come along that is why later a cut is used to strip away the excess that came as part of the process.
3. It can be unhealthy to maintain below a certain body percent. It's not so much a matter of "thin" but past a certain point for men and women the body starts to have issues because fat is important. Men can get a little lower than women and the low levels aren't easy to maintain because of the health risks involved. Not saying someone can't get to 20 percent or even lower, but there is some honest medical concern at certain point. Most of the ones who compete in shows don't maintain the low body fat all year, they have off seasons where they are at a higher percentage. Even the ones on the site who are getting ready for competitions right now mention often the importance of fat for the body.
I know how you feel on the height thing. I'm just a little bit taller as I am 4'11.5" and doing my best not to get to that 1200. Right now, with being active, I manage to eat between 1400 and 1700 while losing but still have a ways to go since I started at morbidly obese for my height. Have it set for 1 lb per week right now because anything more and the site would give me 1200 for daily calorie goal. But there is good reasoning behind the site's general recommendation to only have a small deficit if you don't have much weight to lose, in both muscle/fat as well as mental and for what to do once able to get to maintenance. It's a little easier to transition that way.0 -
baybeejulia wrote: »canadianlbs wrote: »baybeejulia wrote: »My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
heh. i think most of us are the other way round. interested in fat loss, sure, but most of us seem like we'd eat more in a heartbeat if we felt like we needed it to get bigger lifts.baybeejulia wrote: »How fast are you losing? (We can help you figure out if you should/could eat more based on what you say you're eating and how fast you're actually losing.)
With only 13-ish pounds (6kg) to go, you should be losing about a half a pound a week. That may seem slow, but the less you weigh the less fat you have to lose. If you lose too fast, you could be sacrificing your muscle mass since you don't have a lot of fat stores to pull from.
I am actually sore today lol, two days later. So I guess I did lift a significant amount.
In the 70 days since I have been logging on MFP, I have gone from 55.7kg (122lbs) to 51.6kg (113lbs)(officially, though I have fluctuated above this weight every now and then, I am currently 52kg). I don't know if that's too fast or too slow but I think it seems healthy.
My goal is to lose fat and get 'shredded' - getting stronger through Stronglifts is just an added bonus.
So, to the bolded: you are losing almost a pound a week. You're averaging 0.9 pounds, taking out any fluctuations. You can continue what you're doing OR eat another 200-250 calories per day. It will take your loss per week down to about 0.5 pounds, but that is still a reasonable goal (especially with only a few pounds left to lose). Losing less while eating more (and lifting) can actually help you retain more muscle mass. The faster you lose, the greater chance you have of losing fat and muscle.
But if you're happy losing where you are, then ignore my advice. I'm one of those who advocate eating as much as possible and losing a little more slowly to retain more muscle mass so that you're smaller/tighter at your end goal.
I know plenty of people say this and we usually call bull**** on it, but I can't eat more. At the moment, having only just started lifting heavy (and arguably not feeling the taxing effect of it) I am eating plenty.
Eating healthier foods and making better choices means that I am actually fuller on a 1200 calorie diet. So long as I don't eat junk food, or too much bread/pasta/rice, then 1200 calories really is enough. I eat tuna, meat, toast and avocado for brekky, wholemeal sandwiches for lunch, chocolate, and 1200 calories is enough and I can't imagine eating more. My diary is open if you want to see.
If, after lifting for a while, I stall or find that I am exhausted, I am definitely willing to up my calorie intake. I don't have a time limit to reach my goal. I just want to look fitter and leaner and do what's healthy for my body.
Btw if it matters I am 4ft 9in.
Gotcha. I wasn't saying you have to eat more. I was just answering your question of "should I eat more?" that you asked a few posts up. I assumed you were wanting to eat more based on the way you phrased it, so I ran the math for you to let you know that you COULD be eating more (just strictly looking at the math side of it). But like I said above: if you're happy losing at the pace you are/don't feel like you need more food, my numbers/advice can be ignored.baybeejulia wrote: »Should I be eating more? I am consistently losing weight and don't want to hinder or slow that down, but at the same time, I don't want to starve my body or do it any harm.0 -
This is a hot topic thread on the boards right now that you might find interesting. Welcome by the way!!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest0 -
Gotcha. I wasn't saying you have to eat more. I was just answering your question of "should I eat more?" that you asked a few posts up. I assumed you were wanting to eat more based on the way you phrased it, so I ran the math for you to let you know that you COULD be eating more (just strictly looking at the math side of it). But like I said above: if you're happy losing at the pace you are/don't feel like you need more food, my numbers/advice can be ignored.
Oh, excuse my misunderstanding!
I meant do I NEED to eat more to get the body that I want. If not, I am happy to continue eating like this. I just don't want the weight lifting, coupled with a caloric deficit, to put my body into starvation.
Just an example in the past week, on the days that I have done heavy lifting, rather than cardio, my daily burn has been about 1750. I think eating at 1200 is just low enough to give me the deficit I need to lose the fat.
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indianarose2 wrote: »This is a hot topic thread on the boards right now that you might find interesting. Welcome by the way!!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest
Thank you! Definitely jumping into the thread and reading through it! It seems losing fat and being muscly is everyone's goal hehe.0 -
baybeejulia wrote: »Gotcha. I wasn't saying you have to eat more. I was just answering your question of "should I eat more?" that you asked a few posts up. I assumed you were wanting to eat more based on the way you phrased it, so I ran the math for you to let you know that you COULD be eating more (just strictly looking at the math side of it). But like I said above: if you're happy losing at the pace you are/don't feel like you need more food, my numbers/advice can be ignored.
Oh, excuse my misunderstanding!
I meant do I NEED to eat more to get the body that I want. If not, I am happy to continue eating like this. I just don't want the weight lifting, coupled with a caloric deficit, to put my body into starvation.
Just an example in the past week, on the days that I have done heavy lifting, rather than cardio, my daily burn has been about 1750. I think eating at 1200 is just low enough to give me the deficit I need to lose the fat.
Yeah, you're fine where you're at calorie-wise. If you start feeling fatigued, missing reps, or losing too fast, then that would be the time to look at upping your calorie and/or changing your macro goals.
BTW, don't worry about "starvation mode." It's a myth, at least the way people believe it to work. If you keep reducing your calories, you'll keep losing weight. You don't suddenly reach a low level of calories where your body will gain weight on a deficit. A good example of this is anorexics. They keep eating less and less to keep losing. That's not to say it's good to keep eating less and less because you can damage your body and your metabolism doing so. Plus, you miss out on vitamins/minerals/nutrients you need.0 -
Yeah, you're fine where you're at calorie-wise. If you start feeling fatigued, missing reps, or losing too fast, then that would be the time to look at upping your calorie and/or changing your macro goals.
BTW, don't worry about "starvation mode." It's a myth, at least the way people believe it to work. If you keep reducing your calories, you'll keep losing weight. You don't suddenly reach a low level of calories where your body will gain weight on a deficit. A good example of this is anorexics. They keep eating less and less to keep losing. That's not to say it's good to keep eating less and less because you can damage your body and your metabolism doing so. Plus, you miss out on vitamins/minerals/nutrients you need.
Ok great, thank you.0
This discussion has been closed.