StrongLifts... 3x10?

Meganthedogmom

So I've done the stronglifts 5x5 program before and it was great. I enjoy the lifts and the simplicity of it. However, after doing a different program that required higher reps (8-12) I realize I like this more. I like how it feels, I like how my body is transforming, and I like not having as many rest periods. But again, I love the simplicity of stronglifts.

Has anyone done the stronglifts program with say, 3 sets of 10 reps instead of 5x5? Or any other variation? Is there any downside to this? Of course I realize I won't be able to lift as heavy doing more reps.

rybo

Nothing wring with that setup. You can still up weights when you perform all sets. 5x5 rep scheme is not magical.

IzzyBooNZ1

hmm I would like to know as well. I also like how simple 5x5 is, that is what appealed to me

ijsantos2005

No downsides to doing 3x10 vs 5x5.

canadianlbs

if i get you right, you're asking if you can keep the stronglifts lineup, but just do high reps/low weight instead. i'm not a trainer, but chipping in anecdotally.

i did wendler 5/3/1 for most of last year - another 'strength' programme with even less volume than 5x5 [you only do each lift once a week, and in your final week of a cycle you only 'have' to do a single rep at the heaviest weight to move on].

near the end of the year i started adding his boring-but-big format too, which is the same lifts but you take 50% of your work weight and do 5x10 reps with it, on top of the heavier sets. and then within that format, you increase the percentage independently of whatever the basic programme is telling you to do. it's sort of like running two forms of the same programme in parallel to one another.

i got injured after doing it for a month or two (not gym-related), and i haven't really come all the way back online yet. but up until then i made a lot of progress, and to tell you a truth i'm only half-ready to tell myself still, i think i actually like the 5x10 more. it's about what you like, and i really liked the consistency my form developed from doing that many reps. also got the impression that i was growing resilience, not just in stamina but just idk how to describe it . . . when you only do your lifts once a week and you're almost always doing them 'heavy', i started to get a feeling almost like my muscles were outgrowing their peripherals. the hypertrophy programme felt like i was filling in a lot of those little chinks that were openign up. i may be full of *kitten*, but i got the sense that my tendons and ligaments etc got stronger as well, not just my muscles. so for me, i liked that feeling.

idk if that makes any sense. like i said, i'm not a trainer but fwiw, anyway.

darreneatschicken

I was thinking of doing something similar in regards to slightly changing the stronglifts rep and set range:

Squat: 5x5
Bench with dumbbells: 3x8
Barbell row: 5x5

Squat: 5x5
Overhead press with dumbbells: 3x8
Deadlifts: 1x5

Is this a feasible idea? The reason I rather do bench and overhead press with dumbbells is because i feel that using the barbell for these two exercises puts a lot of stress on my wrists and forces them to lock up in an unnatural position (especially during the bench). Benching with dumbbells allows me to rotate my wrists in a bit more, which I feel helps with form and activating muscles. The problem is that dumbbells only go up in increments of 5 lbs once you hit 30 lbs, so 3x8 makes more sense? Please let me know what you guys think! I am just getting back into weightlifting after physio so maybe this deserves a separate post.

pondee629

Isn't the object of lifting to achieve "progressive resistance"? Adding weight, adding reps, adding sets as long as we are adding, AND using good form, shouldn't results come? Whether you are doing 5x5, 3x10, 8x8, 5-3-1, as long as you are increasing your work you are progressing. No?

Meganthedogmom

canadianlbs wrote: »

if i get you right, you're asking if you can keep the stronglifts lineup, but just do high reps/low weight instead. i'm not a trainer, but chipping in anecdotally.

i did wendler 5/3/1 for most of last year - another 'strength' programme with even less volume than 5x5 [you only do each lift once a week, and in your final week of a cycle you only 'have' to do a single rep at the heaviest weight to move on].

near the end of the year i started adding his boring-but-big format too, which is the same lifts but you take 50% of your work weight and do 5x10 reps with it, on top of the heavier sets. and then within that format, you increase the percentage independently of whatever the basic programme is telling you to do. it's sort of like running two forms of the same programme in parallel to one another.

i got injured after doing it for a month or two (not gym-related), and i haven't really come all the way back online yet. but up until then i made a lot of progress, and to tell you a truth i'm only half-ready to tell myself still, i think i actually like the 5x10 more. it's about what you like, and i really liked the consistency my form developed from doing that many reps. also got the impression that i was growing resilience, not just in stamina but just idk how to describe it . . . when you only do your lifts once a week and you're almost always doing them 'heavy', i started to get a feeling almost like my muscles were outgrowing their peripherals. the hypertrophy programme felt like i was filling in a lot of those little chinks that were openign up. i may be full of *kitten*, but i got the sense that my tendons and ligaments etc got stronger as well, not just my muscles. so for me, i liked that feeling.

idk if that makes any sense. like i said, i'm not a trainer but fwiw, anyway.

Not looking to do "low" weight exactly, I would still be pushing myself to do as heavy as I can at those reps. But yes, that's the gist.

I have Wendler's 5/3/1 book but I have not done that program yet. I do get what you mean. It's hard for me to explain as well but I just like the feel of higher reps better. It actually feels like I'm pushing myself more than when I only do five reps of something. And it's not like I'm lifting low weights when I do five reps because it's always a challenge when I go up to the next weight. It's just hard to explain.

@Dern420 I don't see why there would be a problem with using dumbbells. I know a lot of people have to use dumbbells as an alternative if they don't have barbells at their gym.

jemhh

Solid lifting programs tend to center around the same main lifts (or their variations.) The big differences are rep ranges and sets. I see no reason not to try 3x10.

pondee629

"@Dern420 I don't see why there would be a problem with using dumbbells. I know a lot of people have to use dumbbells as an alternative if they don't have barbells at their gym. "

My gym has both barbells and dumbbells (the dumbbells ranging from 5#s to 110#s each). I've recently switched to the dumbbells in main part to balance my left and right. With dumbbells your dominant/stronger arm can't assist the weaker one.

Elijah8468

I like to mix it up. One week 5x5 next week sets of ten, then a 10,8,6,4,2 . As long as your doing good weight and pushing yourself. Then you tend to not get so burned out

Meganthedogmom

Cool. Just wanted to double check. Sounds like it's just preference then.

Another question - has anyone purchased the stronglifts app? If so, was it worth it? I have the free version but it looks like the paid app has a lot more to it.

Chieflrg

meganridenour wrote: »

So I've done the stronglifts 5x5 program before and it was great. I enjoy the lifts and the simplicity of it. However, after doing a different program that required higher reps (8-12) I realize I like this more. I like how it feels, I like how my body is transforming, and I like not having as many rest periods. But again, I love the simplicity of stronglifts.

Has anyone done the stronglifts program with say, 3 sets of 10 reps instead of 5x5? Or any other variation? Is there any downside to this? Of course I realize I won't be able to lift as heavy doing more reps.

I don't thinks it's a wise idea. You're adding quite a bit of volume that will make it harder to recover from. The whole point of the program is to stimulate, recover, and adapt the muscles. If you don't recover, you won't get that full benefit of the program.

If you want to do more reps, why not find a proven novice program designed with a higher rep scheme?

Strong Lifts is a blatant rip-off of Starting Strength program which works extremely well for novice lifters. Once your start tweaking a program(especially a novice-advanced novice), it's no longer THAT program that has been proven to work.

ndj1979

Chieflrg wrote: »

meganridenour wrote: »

So I've done the stronglifts 5x5 program before and it was great. I enjoy the lifts and the simplicity of it. However, after doing a different program that required higher reps (8-12) I realize I like this more. I like how it feels, I like how my body is transforming, and I like not having as many rest periods. But again, I love the simplicity of stronglifts.

Has anyone done the stronglifts program with say, 3 sets of 10 reps instead of 5x5? Or any other variation? Is there any downside to this? Of course I realize I won't be able to lift as heavy doing more reps.

I don't thinks it's a wise idea. You're adding quite a bit of volume that will make it harder to recover from. The whole point of the program is to stimulate, recover, and adapt the muscles. If you don't recover, you won't get that full benefit of the program.

If you want to do more reps, why not find a proven novice program designed with a higher rep scheme?

Strong Lifts is a blatant rip-off of Starting Strength program which works extremely well for novice lifters. Once your start tweaking a program(especially a novice-advanced novice), it's no longer THAT program that has been proven to work.

this..

if you feel that you have progressed beyond strong lifts then look into a hypertrophy based program or move to something more intermediate like PHUL, Wendlers, etc....

the program is designed for a reason, for you to follow it.

sgt1372

All other things being equal (and they seldom are), you generally should NOT be able to lift as much weight doing 3x10 as you can doing 5x5 simply because it is easier to lift more weight for fewer reps. So, if you switch to 3x10, you should reduce the weight from what you were doing with 5x5 by about 10-15% to start and proceed increasing the weight via linear progression from there but the increment increases probably should also be lower as well.

You can use a lift calculator to more precisely estimate the different weight to use. For example, with the lift calculator that I use, 5 reps @ 160# equals a 1RM of 186# but in order to get a 1RM of 186# with only 3 reps @ 140#. The algorithm used by different lift calculators vary. So, you'll have to play around w/the numbers to compute the rep/weight equivalents.

SideSteel

What are your goals?

Meganthedogmom

SideSteel wrote: »

What are your goals?

I'd like to lose another 20-25lbs, then focus on gaining all the muscles.

SideSteel

meganridenour wrote: »

SideSteel wrote: »

What are your goals?

I'd like to lose another 20-25lbs, then focus on gaining all the muscles.

Then you are fine to change rep ranges however I wouldn't use the same progression rate.

Just for example, it's easier to add 5lbs to a set of 5 reps vs adding 5lbs to a set of 10 reps.

One thing you could consider would be to look up All-Pro's Beginner Routine (google it). It's a full body routine done 3 days per week using an 8-12 rep range and it might suit your preferences a bit more.

Finally, keep in mind that we aren't restricted to performing every exercise in the same rep range or the same rep range each day in the cycle.

So for example you could have days where you squat heavy and lower rep ranges, and days where you squat less weight at higher volumes.

Meganthedogmom

SideSteel wrote: »

meganridenour wrote: »

SideSteel wrote: »

What are your goals?

I'd like to lose another 20-25lbs, then focus on gaining all the muscles.

Then you are fine to change rep ranges however I wouldn't use the same progression rate.

Just for example, it's easier to add 5lbs to a set of 5 reps vs adding 5lbs to a set of 10 reps.

One thing you could consider would be to look up All-Pro's Beginner Routine (google it). It's a full body routine done 3 days per week using an 8-12 rep range and it might suit your preferences a bit more.

Finally, keep in mind that we aren't restricted to performing every exercise in the same rep range or the same rep range each day in the cycle.

So for example you could have days where you squat heavy and lower rep ranges, and days where you squat less weight at higher volumes.

That is some food for thought. I definitely didn't think I'd be able to progress at the same rate as 5x5 so I get that and I'm fine with it.

One of the other main reasons I like the program so well is because I can do all the lifts at home with what I have. A lot of other programs I see need dumbbells, cable machines, a pull-up bar, etc. but I am limited.

middlehaitch

Here, below, is the AllPro link.
It progresses 8-12 reps before upping weight (5 weeks) and has a heavy, medium and light day each week.
If tight for time it can also be run as a x2 with both days heavy.

There is a group, inactive, on MFP that provides good tips.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

Cheees, h.
It it the programme I use and like.

Meganthedogmom

middlehaitch wrote: »

Here, below, is the AllPro link.
It progresses 8-12 reps before upping weight (5 weeks) and has a heavy, medium and light day each week.
If tight for time it can also be run as a x2 with both days heavy.

There is a group, inactive, on MFP that provides good tips.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843

Cheees, h.
It it the programme I use and like.

Thanks, I do like the looks of that. I was thinking about adding some accessory work such as bicep curls and a few other things, so this might work. Appreciate it!

sgt1372

If you are going to do 3x10 w/bicep curls and other "accessory" lifts, you will NOT be doing Syronglifts anymore. You'll just be doing a program of your own design. Nothing wrong w/that, just don't say ou're doing Stronglifts.

Meganthedogmom

sgt1372 wrote: »

If you are going to do 3x10 w/bicep curls and other "accessory" lifts, you will NOT be doing Syronglifts anymore. You'll just be doing a program of your own design. Nothing wrong w/that, just don't say ou're doing Stronglifts.

Haha okay, of course, wouldn't want to offend anyone...

sgt1372

meganridenour wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

If you are going to do 3x10 w/bicep curls and other "accessory" lifts, you will NOT be doing Stronglifts anymore. You'll just be doing a program of your own design. Nothing wrong w/that, just don't say you're doing Stronglifts.

Haha okay, of course, wouldn't want to offend anyone...

It's not a matter of offending anyone but there are a lot of novices here who think that they can modify the program and still call it Stronglifts.

There's a specific regime to the program and it will only confuse novices more if you are doing 3x10 sets and other accessory exercises and still calling it the Stronglifts program.

It's not and you need to make that clear for others who may not know any better.