New 5x5 chick

roxywho42

I started back weight training last week. I had never done it on my own with no trainer and not in a class. It has taken me a week to find and decide on this program. I was sold as soon as I read the name Arnold. I want to be strong and look hot, not just look hot. I will be starting 5x5 as my official weight program tomorrow. A few questions that I haven't seen answers to and I'm sorry if the answers are right under my nose and I missed them.

I understand that other exercises are not needed, but are they to be avoided? I LOVE curls and my eventual goal is to have guns! I would also like to sometimes do other exercises that just appeal to me. Is that considered a no-no?

Am I supposed to avoid too much cardio? I also super LOVE my zumba and I do not want to give it up. I am also registered for a 5k in November and I want to start preparing.

My gym is small. We only have one bar. It is a men's bar. My hands are super tiny (small lifting gloves are a bit too big and I buy my winter gloves in the children's section). I understand the reason for using free weights instead of machines. I will obviously have to use the men's bar as best I can for squats. There is an EZ bar too. Would that be ok to use for the other exercises? Could I use the Smith Machine to do bench press?

Llamapants86

Welcome to the group! I personally do some accessories that help build my weak areas (shoulders and pecs). I think a lot of people here do a wide variety of things.

As for cardio I make sure to eat back my calories and make sure I'm not over doing it (I run on my non lifting days). I just make sure I get one true rest day a week or I start feeling icky and my progress grinds to a halt.

I have no idea on the bar stuff, I just have a standard bar at home for my weight lifting. Maybe some dumbbells until you feel comfortable with the 45 lbs bar.

roxywho42

Oh, it's not about the weight of the bar. I know i can do the 45 pounds. The bar is just too fat for my hands to grip.

lizafava2

My hands are really small - I think you'll just get used to the big bar. I used a lighter bar for the first time at a class last night and *hated* how small it felt in my hands. i don't think it matters if you use a small bar but I don't think the curved EZ bar is going to work for any of the other exercises. I could be wrong, but it doesn't seem like it would work right.

SezxyStef

Welcome

The bar I can't help with as I workout at home and have a small bar...just make sure your grip is worked.

Accessory stuff sure go ahead...a lot do. The only thing I do is chip ups atm.

I still do cardio...walking and biking but always after lifting or on off days.

I wouldn't use the smith machine for anything but hanging my towel off of to be frank.

jstout365

I would work with the regular bar for all the lifts. I would be surprised if the diameter of the ezbar was any smaller than the oly bar. Most are not.

Do any accessory work you want, but try to get it done on lifting days and not between SL days.....that will burn you out pretty quick.

Cardio you can continue. I run a mile after lifting most days and take a boxing class 3x/week so you can still do both.

I would not bench in a smith machine for the same reasons that I wouldn't squat in one. It controls the path of the bar and you don't get to build your stability up. I've only found it useful for doing pull-ups/chin-ups and inverted rows.....both keep the bar in one place.

ChoiceNotChance

I have really small hands, too. I manage with the regular men's bar- just takes some "tweaking" with grip, etc. As for the ez bar, I only use it for curls occasionally and skull crushers. It's very light but kind of unwieldy with the grips where they are.

When squatting, you use the thumb-over grip so it's not like you have to even get your whole hand around the bar. It's basically resting on your back with your palms/fingers keeping it in place.

Happy lifing.

cstringfellow2013

I wouldn't use the smith for BPs. See if someone can spot you. Working this program, you can get comfortable about what you can and cannot do. I, however, am forced to use the smith for squats as we don't have squat/power rack at the gym. I know I'm missing the balance/stability part of the squats and hate that. (I will have my power rack, one day!)

roxywho42

Ok, just back from the gym. I did the whole first workout with the regular bar! I guess it just looks bigger than it is and was making me needlessly intimidated. My gym has what I guess is called a power rack. It has things on the bottom to hold or catch the bar. I tested it out and there is a height that I can set them at that is just barely high enough that if I dropped the bar it would squish my boobs, but would not squish my throat. So, I can do proper form bench press and touch my chest, but I don't have to worry that I will kill myself if I am lacking a spotter which is what has always scared me about bench pressing. Yay!

roxywho42

I have really small hands, too. I manage with the regular men's bar- just takes some "tweaking" with grip, etc. As for the ez bar, I only use it for curls occasionally and skull crushers. It's very light but kind of unwieldy with the grips where they are.

When squatting, you use the thumb-over grip so it's not like you have to even get your whole hand around the bar. It's basically resting on your back with your palms/fingers keeping it in place.

Happy lifing.

I had to look up what a skull crusher was, but now I want to do those too!

hnsaunde

Glad to hear the regular bar worked for you!

For accessories, I didn't do any when I did SL (I switched to Wendlers in January), because I found that once I reached my high weights, the workouts alone were wiping me out, much less adding anything at the end. Go by feeling though, but I'm echoing jstout, do your accessory work on the same day, not on your rest days.

I ran 3 x a week when doing SL, again, until my form and recovery started to suffer, and then I cut it down and started putting in short sprint sessions, which helped my recovery time when endurance running. Near the end, I had to make a choice, weights or running, and I chose weights, but it all depends on your goals.