StrongLifts 5x5

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  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Nice work schwiggity. 100lbs next time :)

    Tigeratty: with rows, I like to use a weight that I can still squeeze the shoulder blades together when they are as high as they can go. You may have too much weight to do this at this stage? Chest size shouldn't matter if you're using db's either :)
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    can someone give me an idea of whats considered a low carb diet? As in grams allowed per day? or is it a percentage of your daily calories?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Nice work schwiggity. 100lbs next time :)

    Tigeratty: with rows, I like to use a weight that I can still squeeze the shoulder blades together when they are as high as they can go. You may have too much weight to do this at this stage? Chest size shouldn't matter if you're using db's either :)

    Some trainers recommend holding it at the top for 2seconds too.

    @lakersfan4life: There are various ways to eat low-carb. A very basic approach is to stay at 100grams or less per day and then balance the rest between fat and protein. If you want something more specific and structured check out the Anabolic Diet.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    So my university gym has some stupid no standing overhead press or olympic lifts rule. Am I going to lose out that much if I do seated Overhead Presses instead? (I know it won't be involving as much core or leg stabilizing muscles, however I do run already so I think the stabilizers in my legs are pretty well conditioned).
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    That's farked but as long as you keep upping the weights progressively it should still be ok. Squats and DL's are kings anyway :smile:

    So how are you progressing so far? Any form issues?
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    That's farked but as long as you keep upping the weights progressively it should still be ok. Squats and DL's are kings anyway :smile:

    So how are you progressing so far? Any form issues?

    Squatting low enough is still a bit hard. I need to have a friend do a form check video for me sometime, but everything is feeling better, and I'm setting up visual cues to know that I'm going low enough by checking my form in the mirror when I do a body weight squat and where my eye line is when I'm low enough.

    I thought Deadlift was going to be a big issue, but after watching some good videos and reading the SL guide many times over, my DL form seems to be good. I went backwards and did Inverted Rows because I wasn't strong enough yet to do the recommended 65 lb. rows. Got 5x3 inverted rows on the first day of it, so I should be able to move onto rows soon enough.

    I'm glad this thread is here. Definitely some great help.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    good stuff mate :)
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    So my university gym has some stupid no standing overhead press or olympic lifts rule. Am I going to lose out that much if I do seated Overhead Presses instead? (I know it won't be involving as much core or leg stabilizing muscles, however I do run already so I think the stabilizers in my legs are pretty well conditioned).

    I've heard of smaller local gyms that don't allow deadlifting and olympic lifts because they don't want the injury risk or the assoiced noise of the weights hitting the ground but a university gym??? How the hell do their football players train without being able to do some olympic lifts at least. Interesting... What school?
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    this sucks. i have to find a new gym since mine uses the hectagonal weights........
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    this sucks. i have to find a new gym since mine uses the hectagonal weights........
    What's the deal with the recommendation to only use truly round weights? Mine uses octagonal. What's the effective difference?
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
    this sucks. i have to find a new gym since mine uses the hectagonal weights........
    What's the deal with the recommendation to only use truly round weights? Mine uses octagonal. What's the effective difference?

    The difference is that the diameter is different at various points. So for deadlifts when it hits the ground between reps it may change the bar position relative to your body, which can promote improper form.
  • tigeratty
    tigeratty Posts: 75 Member
    I hope I'm responding to Schwiggity...There was no way I could start any of the upper body stuff with the recommended 65 lbs. I just started with the lowest premade barbell we have (20 lbs) and worked my way up, adding 5 lbs each time until I got to the failure point. Then I backtrack for one, two or even three workouts before I try it again. I mentioned earlier I was having trouble progessing past a certain point and got recommendations for push ups and pull ups so you might add those.

    Shari
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    this sucks. i have to find a new gym since mine uses the hectagonal weights........
    What's the deal with the recommendation to only use truly round weights? Mine uses octagonal. What's the effective difference?

    The difference is that the diameter is different at various points. So for deadlifts when it hits the ground between reps it may change the bar position relative to your body, which can promote improper form.
    Yeah, I guess I can see how that would effect things. When I'm dropping down on my deadlift, & back up, I tend to just quickly bounce it a little. I don't really let it rest on the ground & settle, at least for now. I'm not at a weight that's too difficult yet. This may change later. I hope that's a good way to maintain good form with octagonals.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    I'm not sure if they're hectagonal or octagonal plates, but they're not round ones at the university rec center. But I didn't seem to have any problem with the plates moving a lot. If I run into an issue with it, I'll probably need to buy my own 45's to bring or something, but from yesterday's workout, it looked fine.
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    and the people at the gyms im calling keep laughing at me when i ask what shape thier weights are........and they dont seem to have any idea what a power rack is..............

    i did notice when doing the rows yesterday that the bar would sometimes roll forward/backward a bit when the weights hit the ground.
  • tgh1914
    tgh1914 Posts: 1,036 Member
    and the people at the gyms im calling keep laughing at me when i ask what shape thier weights are........and they dont seem to have any idea what a power rack is..............

    i did notice when doing the rows yesterday that the bar would sometimes roll forward/backward a bit when the weights hit the ground.
    One of the top ten signs to get a new gym: "Power rack... oh you mean the thing you do curls in, yeah we have that". :grumble:
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    and the people at the gyms im calling keep laughing at me when i ask what shape thier weights are........and they dont seem to have any idea what a power rack is..............

    i did notice when doing the rows yesterday that the bar would sometimes roll forward/backward a bit when the weights hit the ground.
    One of the top ten signs to get a new gym: "Power rack... oh you mean the thing you do curls in, yeah we have that". :grumble:

    Ugh... no doubt. I love the guys that do arm curls with a weight lifting belt. Seriously?
  • kensky
    kensky Posts: 472 Member
    I believe I answered my own question. Carry on. :drinker:
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    5 x 5 bloke checking in...

    wednesday of week 4 today.

    loving the volume of squats...catching up with me already, may have started 15kg too heavy, lol. But not bothered, its the lifting style that i like, and am getting used to.
    The deadlifts are still at a piss weak level for me, lol...but slow and steady wins eh, plus my back is getting more then enough work from everything else!! :p

    Got a bench pb the other day...after just three weeks. 2 x 90kg! yeah. I've also added some extra work to it.
    Added weighted dips on bench day to increase the work there. Doing wonders.
    Also subbed the rows for weighted pullups. And am doing the rows on my saturday supplemental day instead.

    Re: gym not knowing what a power rack is...
    What the ****?

    If you are a personal trainer (or atleast call yourself that), and you dont know what a power rack is, or how to do deadlifts, back squats, front squats, military press, anything with kettlebells...and you prescibe a million curls, squats on a bosu ball, "arm days" and anything else thats not a compound movement, the PLEASE, hand in you're credentials, you dont deserve them.

    :p
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    squats on a bosu ball,

    What, Bosu Ball Squats are serious bizzniss! LOL! Right along with DB Bench Press on a Swiss Ball. I look around the trainers at my gym and I'm not sure it's necessarily the trainers, part of me thinks it the programs they follow. The whole group can't suck, can they?
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    lol. you wouldnt think so...

    and why do they have people do squats with thier backs against a ball against a wall...?? how about just teaching them to just squat?? wouldnt that be something. What else can they possible use a - what is is? a ball squat?? - squat like that for??

    atleast with real squats you can do many things...like use them in a conditioning drill etc...

    dont get it.

    Saw a trainer the other day instructing on the deadlift(crazy, i know). The problem here was i dont think they knew how to really doo them...i felt real bad for the trainee...
    things like "dont worry if you bend you back" and "lift with you're lower back and hips".
    and they were telling them lean right back on lock out...why?? at the top you shouldnt be leaning way over you're heels. serisouly, the trainer was having them lean back probably 3 or 4 inches behind thier heels...it looked quite uncomfortable.
    Oh dear. It looked horrible. I was scared for a minute.
    there was no cue's that were actually right or helpful.

    Was deadlift day for me that day, so i'm pulling my usuall weights, and the trainers re-action to my form was shake of his head with dissapproval??? I've had my form checked and corrected! its solid.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    squats against a ball against a wall is for VMO activation. Good for rehab for those with ****ty knees (like myself :tongue:)
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    But he had just been running nicely on the treadmill...? didnt seem to me like thier was a knee issue?
    its more i dislike this particular trainer. Seems to be mostly an oxygen thief.

    :tongue:
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    things like "dont worry if you bend you back" and "lift with you're lower back and hips".

    Umm.... ouch. He must also be a chiropractor and just drumming up business for himself.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Only at 65 pounds with the squat and hit failure on the 3rd rep of my last set. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....Also, I seem to have a balance and flexibility problem with squats. Any stretches in particular I can do to help with this? I'm usually parallel or lower in most of my work sets, but it's a struggle.

    Also, how much of a problem is it that I jumped ahead on Bench Press a little bit? Using 5lb plates felt so light so I'm using 10 pound plates (so my squat and bench are the same, but ideally the squat will surpass it quickly).
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Only at 65 pounds with the squat and hit failure on the 3rd rep of my last set. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu....Also, I seem to have a balance and flexibility problem with squats. Any stretches in particular I can do to help with this? I'm usually parallel or lower in most of my work sets, but it's a struggle.

    Also, how much of a problem is it that I jumped ahead on Bench Press a little bit? Using 5lb plates felt so light so I'm using 10 pound plates (so my squat and bench are the same, but ideally the squat will surpass it quickly).

    I know I use this a lot, but checkout "So You THink You Can Squat" on YouTube that will help give you a form check if you haven't seen it already. One thing that I was taught is to make sure you stretch your hip flexors. It might also be that you need to build-up some supporting muscles. Good Morning are supposidely a good exercise to help with the Squat.

    Some of these methods will say jump by range x and range y but I think that it's important that you learn to auto-regulate based on how your body responds. Although be careful how fast you jump ahead because you might just run into the "wall" quicker but taking bigger jumps.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Google for ankle a and hip mobility drills
  • mideon_696
    mideon_696 Posts: 770 Member
    i wouldnt "rush" any of the weight at all on this program.
    sure it feels easy for the first few weeks. my bench is still "easy" @ 62.5kg. but not rushing it has already led to a PB of 90 x 2...stick to 5lbs bro.

    what's you're warm up for the squats look like?
    include overhead squats with a stick?? do 3 x 15- i hold a few of them for a few seconds at the very bottom too. These losen me right up, also some dynamic drills. and a 5 minute session on the rower.
  • lakersfan4life
    lakersfan4life Posts: 322 Member
    i was benching 3 sets of 10 at 135lbs before i started this program this week. i did feel a little silly just benching the bar but i figure its all about learning correct form for the first couple weeks. I even realized i wasnt benching correctly by not keeping the chest pushed out and shoulders blades back. dont think i was even gripping the bar correctly.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    That's cool that you figured that out. Getting a good arch and proper shoulder support and even elbow location is important. Nice job.
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