StrongLifts 5x5

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  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
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    I bypassed that "start with just the bar" stuff. I know he says that's not for "beginners" but c'mon? No way I'm going to do sets of 5 with a 45 lb bar that I could probably rep out 100+ times.
  • cordovez
    cordovez Posts: 1
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    Wanted to add my two cents here because I didn't know there was a thread for 5x5 here and because I have never posted here. A couple of observations for anyone to take into consideration if you want:

    • You can do 5x5 for a very long time. And while at times it will feel boring and repetitive, at others you'll be curious to see how much more you'll be able to lift. The fact that I am warming up with 60kg (132lbs) for my squats, blows my mind, as I that used to be a challenging weight (currently I'm squatting 112kg (246lbs). I only weigh 78 kg (171lbs)

    • After 5x5 you do have oprtions to transition into intermediate routines, but you have to have gone fairly far in 5x5
    • I did not start with an empty bar, but I had done a doe the routine the year before so knew what to expect. Nevertheless, it is very easy to do the deadlift incorrectly. The best thing is to watch the videos by Mark Rippetoe on youtube. they're excellent
    • It does build muscle, but you won't be shedding the pounds unless you use proper diet. This is not a hi rep, muscle defining routine, but slow, muscle/strength building.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    There are two that you start with more than bar, deadlift and the bent over rows, so that the bar is lifted off the ground, though there are ways you could start with less if you needed to.

    I started out a little higher than bar (20 lbs), using his suggestion of 50% of max 5x5, but I did deload early with my over head press because I had not worked my shoulders much previously, so I had maxxed really fast. I started in March and I am now starting to struggle in most of the lifts, but I have been feeling it for quite a while.

    There are multiple reasons to start light:
    - because this is meant to be a beginner's program and beginners need to start light
    - people, especially those that haven't lifted, need to make sure their form is correct before lifting heavy weight. Lifting heavy improperly is a fast way to get hurt. People that have lifted will probably learn they were doing something wrong, so they need to ingrain the correct form.
    - If you start to high, you will max and plateau really fast, which will just cause you to deload and probably making you want to quit.
    - if you had been doing isolation exercises before, there are probably muscles that you haven't been working previously, which will become strained and injured if you start too high too fast. Starting low will help build these muscles to complement your other muscles.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    I haven't used StrongLifts, but I generally like 5x5 programs.

    I was just looking at the website. It appears they use five exercises (squat, bench press, barbell row, overhead press and deadlift) and all of them except for deadlifts start with just the empty bar. Is that right? Assuming it is and you just add 5 pounds a week like it says, how long are you supposed to do these same basic routines? They're great exercises, for sure, but you can't just do the same routine forever and expect to continue getting results. Also, why start with just the bar if you can already do much more than that?

    Staring with just the bar is important to master technique before you worry about heavier loads. Remember, it is a marathon not a sprint and you should be long term focused. Starting out with 10 or even 20 extra pounds will not translate to much more over a year time frame when you account for stalls and deloads. If you increase your squat 5lbs a session and deadlift 10lbs a session you will be adding around 60lbs to your squat and deadlift each month, which will add up very quickly.

    You can progress for quite a while on this program. I was able to progress past body weight squats and deadlifts in just six months and have since switched to an intermediate 5x5 program (madcow)
  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
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    Trained Madcow5X5 (workout C) this morning at 4:30am. Nice jump on the bent rows. Trained fasted with on Xtend watermelon BCAA's (LeanGains fast) in my stomach. First meal of grassfed sirloin steak & salad will be at noon.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I made sure I knew how to fail on my squats yesterday as I'm starting to struggle towards the end. I did 300+ no problem if I didn't hit parallel, but now with going past parallel I am starting to have a little pause at 205. I'll be repeating 120 on OHP saturday :grumble:, but that was to be expected. Still going strong on bench and deadlift, but I'm having trouble gripping the bar correctly on deadlift as I am pinching some skin at the base of my fingers.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I'll probably be deloading my row soon as I'm starting to cheat fairly badly. Just sent the email to cancel my lifting class as my one regular won't be able to attend any more, so I'll change my lifting time to something a little more convenient.
  • thkelly
    thkelly Posts: 466 Member
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    I made sure I knew how to fail on my squats yesterday as I'm starting to struggle towards the end. I did 300+ no problem if I didn't hit parallel, but now with going past parallel I am starting to have a little pause at 205. I'll be repeating 120 on OHP saturday :grumble:, but that was to be expected. Still going strong on bench and deadlift, but I'm having trouble gripping the bar correctly on deadlift as I am pinching some skin at the base of my fingers.

    be careful squatting a weight like that and not going to parallel. if your knees are going ahead of your feet that's putting all the pressure on the front of your knee and that's a recipe for disaster. people do this at the gym all the time as as someone who has had knee surgery it makes me cringe everytime i see it.
  • thkelly
    thkelly Posts: 466 Member
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    Trained Madcow5X5 (workout C) this morning at 4:30am. Nice jump on the bent rows. Trained fasted with on Xtend watermelon BCAA's (LeanGains fast) in my stomach. First meal of grassfed sirloin steak & salad will be at noon.

    do you have a shake post workout? that seems like a long time to go without food after an intense workout
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    I made sure I knew how to fail on my squats yesterday as I'm starting to struggle towards the end. I did 300+ no problem if I didn't hit parallel, but now with going past parallel I am starting to have a little pause at 205. I'll be repeating 120 on OHP saturday :grumble:, but that was to be expected. Still going strong on bench and deadlift, but I'm having trouble gripping the bar correctly on deadlift as I am pinching some skin at the base of my fingers.

    be careful squatting a weight like that and not going to parallel. if your knees are going ahead of your feet that's putting all the pressure on the front of your knee and that's a recipe for disaster. people do this at the gym all the time as as someone who has had knee surgery it makes me cringe everytime i see it.

    that's how I used to squat before I found stronglifts. I now go past parallel and enjoy it much more. I also find it much more difficult, which is a large reason why I enjoy it more. I also cringe when I see people not getting to parallel, some don't even look like they go half way!
  • thkelly
    thkelly Posts: 466 Member
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    I made sure I knew how to fail on my squats yesterday as I'm starting to struggle towards the end. I did 300+ no problem if I didn't hit parallel, but now with going past parallel I am starting to have a little pause at 205. I'll be repeating 120 on OHP saturday :grumble:, but that was to be expected. Still going strong on bench and deadlift, but I'm having trouble gripping the bar correctly on deadlift as I am pinching some skin at the base of my fingers.

    be careful squatting a weight like that and not going to parallel. if your knees are going ahead of your feet that's putting all the pressure on the front of your knee and that's a recipe for disaster. people do this at the gym all the time as as someone who has had knee surgery it makes me cringe everytime i see it.

    that's how I used to squat before I found stronglifts. I now go past parallel and enjoy it much more. I also find it much more difficult, which is a large reason why I enjoy it more. I also cringe when I see people not getting to parallel, some don't even look like they go half way!

    i really don't care what other people do at the gym (at least they are there) but one thing that just irritates me for some reason is people that quarter squat. they'll throw 3 plates a side on the bar and then barely flex their knees 5 times and call that a set.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    i really don't care what other people do at the gym (at least they are there) but one thing that just irritates me for some reason is people that quarter squat. they'll throw 3 plates a side on the bar and then barely flex their knees 5 times and call that a set.

    I agree, I just look away and keep my mind set on my own thing. Most of the guys in my gym lift correctly, which I find interesting considering it's a college rec center. I think the thing that bugs me more is the couple guys that have their hands holding the weights (gripped in hand holds) during squats. I could see that ending very badly should they fail.
  • End6ame
    End6ame Posts: 903
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    I made sure I knew how to fail on my squats yesterday as I'm starting to struggle towards the end. I did 300+ no problem if I didn't hit parallel, but now with going past parallel I am starting to have a little pause at 205. I'll be repeating 120 on OHP saturday :grumble:, but that was to be expected. Still going strong on bench and deadlift, but I'm having trouble gripping the bar correctly on deadlift as I am pinching some skin at the base of my fingers.

    be careful squatting a weight like that and not going to parallel. if your knees are going ahead of your feet that's putting all the pressure on the front of your knee and that's a recipe for disaster. people do this at the gym all the time as as someone who has had knee surgery it makes me cringe everytime i see it.

    that's how I used to squat before I found stronglifts. I now go past parallel and enjoy it much more. I also find it much more difficult, which is a large reason why I enjoy it more. I also cringe when I see people not getting to parallel, some don't even look like they go half way!

    i really don't care what other people do at the gym (at least they are there) but one thing that just irritates me for some reason is people that quarter squat. they'll throw 3 plates a side on the bar and then barely flex their knees 5 times and call that a set.

    I am the exact same way. I typically have a "to each their own" mentality but people that do partial lifts really irritate me, I don't know why.
  • lapamperedchef
    lapamperedchef Posts: 61
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    One word crossfit! www.crossfit.com This is not joke.
  • thkelly
    thkelly Posts: 466 Member
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    One word crossfit! www.crossfit.com This is not joke.

    LMAO
    i'm not gonna say crossfit is a complete joke, but it's pretty close.

    go back to your WOD and let us lift real weights in here
  • NubyGloom
    NubyGloom Posts: 49
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    SO! lol Iam a chick who likes to lift and never heard of this before! I like new challenges! and enjoying the routines I have right know but looking for something eles; get a little bit of a spice thrown into my routines!!

    ^-^ excited to hear about it I was glancing through the comments but never seen a site link. I did not go through them all maybe i will :D!

    I checked out the site but little confused! lol I dont have a gym where i live, but i do have a bench, and barbell and weights and barbells, extra... my big question is how does this work.

    So do we do the 5 reps then up it 5lbs then do the next set with the added 5 lbs or wait till the next workout b, for the next 5lbs??
    or did i miss understand that all!
    so srry I sound so retarted lol!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    Sign up for the free 5x5 report here http://stronglifts.com/free-stronglifts-5x5-report/

    It will give you a detailed outline of how this works.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
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    http://stronglifts.com/

    GO here.

    And no, you to the same weight 5 times, 5 times (5 sets of 5 reps) then the next time you work out (two days later) you add weight and do 5x5.
  • NubyGloom
    NubyGloom Posts: 49
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    ok sweet thanks guys gunna check that out right know ^^!!!
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Who here is/has been doing StrongLifts 5x5 program or any other 5x5 program for that matter? I have been seeing this grow in popularity both on MFP and other places and was just curious. Feel free to friend me so that we can all support one another; getting under the barbell is not always easy.

    Especially if you're just starting to do heavy lifting this is probably a good starting point. I haven't tried their version of it but what I tried years ago was sticking to compount movements (Bench, Military Press, Squat, Deadlift). Go heavy but not so heavy that you're grinding your reps out, move the weight with some momentum. Form, form, form.

    Probably keep smaller muscle groups to something like 4 sets of 8 or 10 reps, controlled lifts.

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