Did my first Stronglifts workout. Feedback please?

threnjen

Hi everyone,

It's been almost three weeks since I joined the gym and I've had 5 sessions with a trainer learning a lot of free weight technique, so today I felt ready to man up and go it alone.

I did squats, bench press and row.

Squats:
I've finally cleaned up my squat form, but I still am tentative and nervous about it so I was still squatting to tap my butt on a bench behind me. The bar felt quite easy though and I did a lot of extra reps (which is crazy because when she tried to teach me the bar on Sep 4 I could barely lift it and it hurt my back so bad). I'm wondering if the bench is the problem for being too easy because it kept me from going low enough. It was certainly keeping me from going below parallel. I'm scared to do it without the bench but I figure I need to prove I can go below parallel and get back up before I add more weight.
Question: If I do a set no problem without the bench and prove I can hit below parallel, should I add more weight right away and finish my sets with increased weight?

Bench press:
I did a set with a 30lb bar and realized it was far too easy, so I started over and did all the sets with the 45lb bar at the bench press. At least, I THINK it was a 45lb bar. Is that the default bar on a bench press? It seemed pretty easy to me so I was really doubting the weight. I did quite a few extra reps. I had a guy spot me on the first set and doing 5 reps took so little time that I did 10 just so I wouldn't waste his time.
Question: What should I do instead of the bench press if I can't find a spotter? I'd be pretty nervous to start adding weight to this if I'm on my own.
Should I add weight right away if I was comfortable with the 45lb? I was surprised that I had no problem with this, I just learned the chest press last week with the 30lb bar.

Bent over row:
Started with 30lb, too easy so I moved to the 45lb bar.


Overall, my trainer has had me doing a LOT more reps on the exercises she has been teaching me (15-20) and usually I work to failure in a circuit. I was a bit confused about how I felt after doing the Stronglifts protocol because I didn't feel particularly challenged by any of the weights I tried when I was doing only 5 reps and waiting at least 60 sec between. This is ... good? Right? Just means I can handle more weight than I thought with lower reps? How should I feel immediately after I have done all the sets? Am I supposed to feel exhausted, like I have lifted all the weight I can manage?

jstout365

Starting out you may find the weight to be "easy" but if you follow the program progression of adding 5 lbs each session, you will be at a heavy for you working weight soon enough. If the weight is easy and you can complete all 5x5, then yes, add the 5 lbs the next session. Even if the weight isn't easy, but you complete the 5x5, add the 5 lbs. Only repeat a weight if you are unable to complete reps in the 5 sets. If you are unable to move up after 3 sessions, deload and start back up. I don't know if I have ever felt like I didn't have anything left in the tank after a SL session even when I couldn't complete all the reps and I would say that feeling like that after every session would get super old super fast. At first, you will feel like you can give another full workout and that is fine because it is easier to focus on form when the weight is lower. As the weight increases you won't feel like that, but doing squats shouldn't leave you done and unable to do deadlifts.

Trainers tend to focus on the higher rep ranges for some reason. The 1-5 rep range is targeted to increase strength. Higher reps are better for building muscle, but once you get in the super high reps (15+) then it is mostly muscular endurance.

As for the bench on squats, get comfortable squatting with no bar where you can get to parallel or just below. If you really need to have the mental support of knowing something is behind you, try and find a lower bench or box that will allow you to get the right depth. You can even use one of the aerobic steps and adjust the number of risers based on your height needs. Box squats have their place in a routine, but you need to get your confidence up in order to ditch the safety net the bench gives you.

Llamapants86

Squats, I would suggest finding a lower bench to make sure you are going far enough down. There is a big difference in the amount of strength required to get out of the hole when you go parallel or lower than to a partial squat.

Bench press, and this goes with every lift IMO, learn how to fail safely. I work out at home, by myself all the time. While I do have safety equipment (like safeties on my squat rack) you still need to learn how to bail. For bench this means the roll of shame, it leaves some bruises but you get out from under the bar. You will also learn when pushing for that last rep is worthwhile and when just taking a 4 is your best bet.

The weights will seem easy at first, which is good, lets you work on form. If you have time and energy after go a head and do some extra reps/sets. Follow the 5 lbs increase and it will get heavy fast.

canadianlbs

first off, congrats on the first full-stronglifts workout. i know i was so pleased with myself the first time i did it :bigsmile:

for squats: i agree that it's a good thing to learn how to get below parallel early while the weight feels comfortable. for me getting down there was easy enough, but learning how to get OUT safely once i'm down was the biggest thing that i missed. there's this whole buttwink thing that can happen, and for me the cave-in point for knees seems to be just below the parallel line . . i ended up hurting my knees by putting way too much quad into it, and also because of a cave-in. had to rest and restart.

bench: 45 lbs is the default for bench and squat racks, yes. if the bar is about 7 feet long, it's probably 45lb. about safety on this one, i just want to mention one piece of advice in a safety video someone posted here recently - don't use collars to hold the plates on if you're benching alone. that way, if you lose control of the bar you can still tip it to slide the plates off and you'll only have the bar to fight with. and usually if i drop something it 'goes' on one side first, so there's that too.

i guess pushups are like bench press turned upside down, in a way . . . ? more knowledgeable people would know for sure.

How should I feel immediately after I have done all the sets?

i guess i usually feel something like: okay, *right now* i'm all done. i could probably start again in about 20 mins - but i don't think i'm going to get 5 reps in a set anymore.

threnjen

Great, thanks gang!! I was a little concerned about how I was going to add only 5lb weight at a time instead of 10lb, but I was at ****'s Sporting Goods today and the 2.5lb plates were quite cheap, so I picked up a pair to label with my name and take along to the gym so I can do the 5lb increments properly.

Re: squat form I am definitely capable of a low squat, as I've done it for a long while with dumbbells. But the bar is a different beast since it places the weight in a totally different spot than I got used to, learning it with dumbbells. So I know I have the range of motion to do it, I just have to trust that I can do it. And I guess the whole point of squatting in the rack is that the rack will save me. Maybe not save my pride, but save my rear end... Anyway, I'll stick with just the bar for my next squats, even if it ends up being easy, just because I need to focus on my form hitting below parallel.

Great tips thank you especially about the bench press and not collaring the weights. I will have to check if that seems ok at my gym; the equipment feels all squished close together =/ I wouldn't want to fail out... right onto someone's toes. But that seems like a pretty good plan overall if I don't have a spotter. I will have to google that roll of shame thing too.

It seems so obvious, now that you all have pointed it out, that the easy weight is the time to perfect my form and be sure I have it all down exactly right. I guess I was just surprised that it was not a great challenge. A lot of it is my own denial about my increasing strength. I realized it was only on the 8th when I had my first trainer appt and she put me under the bar at the squat rack and it was excruciating; I could barely hold it just standing there and she had to help me pick it up. I can't believe that the strength gains can come so fast when you are really focused on lifting.

I LOVE LIFTING!

TravelsWithHuckleberry

Welcome! So glad you enjoyed your first SL5x5! Definitely wander over to the group's daily check in thread and post how it's going. So much great stuff and amazing women in that thread!

The only thing I have to add is that at some point, you may end up needed to increase in 2.5 lbs. increments, so if your local store has 1.25 lb. fractional plates, might be worth picking up a set of those too. I'm getting to that point with bench press, and have a set on the way (under $20 including shipping at Rogue Fitness).

C.

canadianlbs

I will have to check if that seems ok at my gym; the equipment feels all squished close together =/ I wouldn't want to fail out... right onto someone's toes. But that seems like a pretty good plan overall if I don't have a spotter.

well . . . if there are toes in your vicinity, maybe their owners would be willing to spot for you.

mind you, i've never asked a stranger to spot, much too defensive and shy. but for me, i know what i'd choose between dropping a fully weighted bar on my face and dropping a plate on some stranger's toes. i can leave the stranger behind at the gym, but the face will be coming home with me.

rystraum

I was a bit confused about how I felt after doing the Stronglifts protocol because I didn't feel particularly challenged by any of the weights I tried when I was doing only 5 reps and waiting at least 60 sec between. This is ... good? Right? Just means I can handle more weight than I thought with lower reps? How should I feel immediately after I have done all the sets? Am I supposed to feel exhausted, like I have lifted all the weight I can manage?

I was equally confused when I started out. I barely broke a sweat.
All I can say is that stick to the program and the weights (and challenge) will come. Just focus on form while the weights are still light enough that you don't have to worry whether or not you'll even be able to get it back up. Trust me, when you're starting to need 3 minutes to recover adequately, you'll look back fondly to when you just needed 60 seconds to recover.