Just started SL 5x5 - advice please
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At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 on the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
It will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
I'm 40 and have been following Thinner Leaner Stronger for two years and am in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend this program!
Edited for typo.2 -
I am doing the SL 5x5 as well, and for strength gains its fantastic. i also have small arms so on the bench press day i do 3x10 for bicep seated bicep curls, and 3x10 of dips. on overhead day i finish with side lateral raises and some extra ab work. other than that, stick with the main 3 and you will see amazing strength results1
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At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 on the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
It will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
I'm 40 and have been following Thinner Leaner Stronger for two years and am in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend this program!
Edited for typo.
What are the workouts like in this book? Compound lifting etc?
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At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 on the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
It will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
I'm 40 and have been following Thinner Leaner Stronger for two years and am in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend this program!
Edited for typo.
What are the workouts like in this book? Compound lifting etc?
Yes, Mike Matthew is a big proponent of compound lifts. Squats, DL's, RDL's, they're all in there! I personally follow his 5 day split, focusing on one major body part each day (arms, legs/butt, chest, back, shoulders). His book gives a 10-week plan, I think, and then he has another book, The One Year Challenge for Women, which is simply lifting plans for a year, switching things up every three months or so. Very clear, very simple.0 -
wendler is great, but i don't think there's anything wrong with sl at your age. i chose it as my intro programme when i was 49 and made progress. and there's plenty of other women in the same group as me who have also been thriving on it. how much they weigh doesn't seem to have much bearing on it either.
i'm on wendler now, but not sorry that i did a year of 5x5 and several more months of 3x5 before i switched up. the main thing about wendler is that it's a very slow progression in absolute weight, but sl does not have to involve a 5lb increase with every workout. quite a few of the people i know slow it down to once a week or whatever when that becomes more appropriate for their strength level.
you can't know what you're capable of till you try.
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At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 on the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
It will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
I'm 40 and have been following Thinner Leaner Stronger for two years and am in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend this program!
Edited for typo.
What are the workouts like in this book? Compound lifting etc?
Yes, Mike Matthew is a big proponent of compound lifts. Squats, DL's, RDL's, they're all in there! I personally follow his 5 day split, focusing on one major body part each day (arms, legs/butt, chest, back, shoulders). His book gives a 10-week plan, I think, and then he has another book, The One Year Challenge for Women, which is simply lifting plans for a year, switching things up every three months or so. Very clear, very simple.
Thanks. Wondering if I should get both books?0 -
At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 on the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
It will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
I'm 40 and have been following Thinner Leaner Stronger for two years and am in the best shape of my life. I highly recommend this program!
Edited for typo.
What are the workouts like in this book? Compound lifting etc?
Yes, Mike Matthew is a big proponent of compound lifts. Squats, DL's, RDL's, they're all in there! I personally follow his 5 day split, focusing on one major body part each day (arms, legs/butt, chest, back, shoulders). His book gives a 10-week plan, I think, and then he has another book, The One Year Challenge for Women, which is simply lifting plans for a year, switching things up every three months or so. Very clear, very simple.
Thanks. Wondering if I should get both books?
Just get one and see if you like it first!
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the author of that book has a podcast I believe its called muscle for life. He came across a bit to arrogantbut if you can get past that and him trying to sell you on his super clean line of supplements then there is some good info in the couple episides that I made it through.1
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You are most welcome. Good luck with your training!
As others have mentioned, Mike Matthews has a podcast, videos, etc. and a lot of free stuff on his sites:
http://www.muscleforlife.com
https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
https://www.muscleforlife.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/
I ignore the supplements he is trying to sell but follow the nutritional advice as best I can.
It is well-reasoned and effective for me.
Ironically, his advice about most supplements being worthless is spot on even though he tries to sell his own...
40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat as a starting point will serve you well.
If you have the protein around 1 gram per pound of body weight then you will probably be in the ballpark.
I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Strawberry Banana and/or Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate pretty much every day.
I add some fiber powder (generic "Benefiber") and creatine (Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored) to mine.
Sometimes I add "PB2" to the chocolate shake.
Carbs are your friend when you are lifting.
Properly rinsed and cooked white rice and sweet potatoes are a good, inexpensive choice.
I use a fuzzy-logic Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer and I always have hot, fluffy rice ready when I want it.
Brown rice is not substantially more nutritious than white rice but it is almost always higher in arsenic (check with the FDA) and slower to cook.
Saying something like brown rice has 35% more fiber compared to white rice sounds cool, but 35% of 2 grams is actually less than 1 gram extra fiber, right?
Many people need to be more math literate.
Drink at least 6-8 cups of fluids and take a multi-vitamin each day.
Cheap insurance.1 -
You are most welcome. Good luck with your training!
As others have mentioned, Mike Matthews has a podcast, videos, etc. and a lot of free stuff on his sites:
http://www.muscleforlife.com
https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
https://www.muscleforlife.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/
I ignore the supplements he is trying to sell but follow the nutritional advice as best I can.
It is well-reasoned and effective for me.
Ironically, his advice about most supplements being worthless is spot on even though he tries to sell his own...
40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat as a starting point will serve you well.
If you have the protein around 1 gram per pound of body weight then you will probably be in the ballpark.
I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Strawberry Banana and/or Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate pretty much every day.
I add some fiber powder (generic "Benefiber") and creatine (Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored) to mine.
Sometimes I add "PB2" to the chocolate shake.
Carbs are your friend when you are lifting.
Properly rinsed and cooked white rice and sweet potatoes are a good, inexpensive choice.
I use a fuzzy-logic Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer and I always have hot, fluffy rice ready when I want it.
Brown rice is not substantially more nutritious than white rice but it is almost always higher in arsenic (check with the FDA) and slower to cook.
Saying something like brown rice has 35% more fiber compared to white rice sounds cool, but 35% of 2 grams is actually less than 1 gram extra fiber, right?
Many people need to be more math literate.
Drink at least 6-8 cups of fluids and take a multi-vitamin each day.
Cheap insurance.
Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?
And @Isutton484 - yeah, I did come across one of his videos. Yes, I agree about the arrogance but I will look beyond that and take the good info. Thanks!0 -
Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?
Good question. Sorry, I forgot you were "cutting" and I was not clear.
Technically it is based on LBM and/or what your goals are but none of this is an exact science yet.
Even if I knew your your body fat percentage it is impossible to have exact numbers.
For the sake of example, I am going to presume you are at 35% body fat.
Presuming that, we can check what the 40% protein number would be for a 20% calorie deficit and get some values:
Estimates come to about 1,568 calories per day with 1-3 hours of exercise per week at 198 lbs and 35% body fat.
This means ~ 157 grams of protein, 157 grams of carbs and 35 grams of fat per day - at a 20% deficit.
Source: https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
Plug these values straight into MFP and track daily.
We could also use the commonly-cited "0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight" when overweight which comes to about 158 grams of protein.
When you get to 158 lbs, then this number *is* your body weight and you could just use 1 gram per pound of body weight from then on.
For now the difference between the two methods is about 1 gram of protein; statistically irrelevant.
Targeting the range of 150 - 160 grams of protein per day should be fine.
Track it and see if you are getting results you want. Adjust as needed every two or three months.0 -
Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?
Good question. Sorry, I forgot you were "cutting" and I was not clear.
Technically it is based on LBM and/or what it "should be" but none of this is an exact science yet.
Even if I knew your your body fat percentage it is impossible to have exact numbers.
For the sake of example, I am going to presume you are at 35% body fat.
Presuming that, we can check what the 40% protein number would be for a 20% calorie deficit and get some values:
Estimates come to about 1,568 calories per day with 1-3 hours of exercise per week at 198 lbs and 35% body fat.
This means ~ 157 grams of protein, 157 grams of carbs and 35 grams of fat per day - at a 20% deficit.
Source: https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
You can plug these values straight into MFP and track daily.
We could also use the commonly-cited "0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight" when overweight -until you drop to 150 lbs or so- which comes to about 158 grams of protein...
The difference is about 1 gram of protein. Targeting the range of 150 - 160 grams of protein per day should be fine.
Perfect!! That works out where I am with the calories. When I first started, I was doing the 1200 calories a day for the 2 lbs per week but once I got down under 200 and started the lifting program, I changed it to 1 lb per week so with exercise, I'm usually eating around 1500 calories per day so it works out great!
Thanks again for the great info! I really appreciate it!0 -
rileysowner wrote: »HamsterManV2 wrote: »You can lift and eat at deficit. You will lose inches and weight, while building muscle. When you lose enough weight / get lean enough, you will be able to see your gains.
Lifting at a deficit will not result in significant muscle gain especially in a woman.
But she can see significant strength gains. Better to start now. All the people in the success forums say they wished they started earlier.3 -
At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger, for a woman.
But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 in the next 6 or 8 months.
Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
The protein will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.
Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.
Going to have to look into those programs myself.
I lift weights and am losing weight. It's always good to build more lean muscle and get stronger. It will help burn more calories too. Win win!1 -
Question about Stronglifts - how long are you supposed to take between sets and then between exercise changes? Does it matter?0
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