Women doing Rippetoe's Starting Strength program?

2

Replies

  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    I started this today. I'm following the novice program:

    Workout A
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Bench Press
    1x5 Deadlift

    Workout B
    3x5 Squat
    3x5 Press
    5x3 Power Cleans (not doing these yet until I get the Deadlift form down... as these seem to be building on that)

    Just used the 45 lb BB today and so I didn't really feel like it was the best workout. I can lift way more that that for the deadlift, I have a feeling. And for the bench press... after I did the 3x5 with the 45 bar, I grabbed a small bar that weighed around 65 with the weights and was able to do that for a few reps.

    This program really appeals to me. It seems simple, straight forward and just no-nonsense all around. I'm doing this all from home, so I'm basically learning form by watching Rippetoe's YouTube videos and reading the wiki. Haven't actually ordered the book yet but doing that soon. Also, we only have two 45 lb plates for the Olympic BB, so I'm shopping on Craigslist for more.

    SUPER excited that I'm finally lifting... this is a GREAT program, women. Highly recommend doing this. It's not high maintenance with all those isolation exercises and that's what is so appealing to me about this. And no circuits... just do all your squats, then move on to the next one...
  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,164 Member
    bump
  • kensky
    kensky Posts: 472 Member
    Ahh, I'm excited to read this Jennie! I'm still chugging along in my Starting Strength program. Most everything is progressing nicely for me. I am still working on power cleans and always looking to refine my squat form but overall I can see me sticking with this through the summer and into the fall.

    Hi Harkis!! :smile:
  • harkis
    harkis Posts: 14
    Heya Kensky!

    Me too! I can see myself doing this program for a long time. It kinda just rocks...and makes you kinda rocksolid!
    It was funny that near the end of my time off is when my muscles started screaming at me. I don't expect it to take to long getting back to where I was but I'll take my time all the same :)

    I wonder how long it took AmazonAlog to get to what she's lifting now...

    Hell's yeah Jenny! It is really sexy for being such a straight forward program. When I was doing splits I felt that I had so much to think about and if I had kept a log like I do now I would be spending as much time writing as I do lifting. Ha!

    Best of luck and don't be a stranger!
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member


    Hell's yeah Jenny! It is really sexy for being such a straight forward program. When I was doing splits I felt that I had so much to think about and if I had kept a log like I do now I would be spending as much time writing as I do lifting. Ha!

    Yeah, I thought it would be like that too! Maybe I'm just super lazy mentally sometimes LOL. Not really, but seriously... who wants to have to THINK when you're pushing weight like that? Right?
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    Ahh, I'm excited to read this Jennie! I'm still chugging along in my Starting Strength program. Most everything is progressing nicely for me. I am still working on power cleans and always looking to refine my squat form but overall I can see me sticking with this through the summer and into the fall.

    Hi Harkis!! :smile:

    Have you made any form check videos yet? I'm doing this all from home... yikes! Glad to hear you're progressing nicely. How long did you do deadlifts before trying a power clean?
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    One of the best places to post a form check is bodybuilding.com forums. They have "rep" points that fellow posters give to other posters on the validity of their advice. It by no means makes them an expert, but it adds a little more credence to what they're saying.
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    One of the best places to post a form check is bodybuilding.com forums. They have "rep" points that fellow posters give to other posters on the validity of their advice. It by no means makes them an expert, but it adds a little more credence to what they're saying.

    Ok, good to know. Thanks!
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Heya Kensky!

    Me too! I can see myself doing this program for a long time. It kinda just rocks...and makes you kinda rocksolid!
    It was funny that near the end of my time off is when my muscles started screaming at me. I don't expect it to take to long getting back to where I was but I'll take my time all the same :)

    I wonder how long it took AmazonAlog to get to what she's lifting now...

    Hell's yeah Jenny! It is really sexy for being such a straight forward program. When I was doing splits I felt that I had so much to think about and if I had kept a log like I do now I would be spending as much time writing as I do lifting. Ha!

    Best of luck and don't be a stranger!

    Ha, I hear ya on the writing things up. I just finished putting together my next 3 week cycle for 5/3/1. Just don't get training ADD, find something that works well and stick with it. :) Love the fact you're doing this.
  • harkis
    harkis Posts: 14
    Ha, I hear ya on the writing things up. I just finished putting together my next 3 week cycle for 5/3/1. Just don't get training ADD, find something that works well and stick with it. :) Love the fact you're doing this.

    Whatever do you mean by training ADD? Most of the time I spend with the log is just scribbling, and on some days it really is just scribbling...

    This program works. It is so cut and dry I love it. My biggest decision every day seems to be 'to cool down or not to cool down...'

    Stretch should take precedence but rarely does.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,805 Member
    I'm doing a verbatim of it. Goblet Squats right now instead of barbell back squats. Besides that and that I'm Deadlifting Sumo style for now, my workouts are basically SS with 2-3 accessory exercises.

    I'm currently having trouble with my Bench Press. I got to 135 early January, and ever since I've gone up to 140 then dropped it back to 135. Did this twice now. I think I should maybe take a bigger deload, but I like being able to use the 45's finally.

    Been working my *kitten* off with getting my form down-pat, and finally seems to be paying off.

    P.S. Check out the Startingstrength.com forums. I was intimidated as hell by it at first (especially since Rippetoe can be pretty harsh on there), but there's a great community of helpful people there; especially in the form check forum.
  • Jenlwb
    Jenlwb Posts: 682 Member
    Going to come back to this to read the links later. I'm doing NRL4W, but I've also been using the Rippletoe vids for form. I was happy that my squat gets my thigh angle lower than parallel to the floor, I hadn't thought about getting my butt down close to my heels!
  • s00sh
    s00sh Posts: 91
    Can anyone help me with a nutrition plan for Starting Strength? I'm interested in burning fat, so a bit of a calorie deficit would be nice. I assume I should eat more on lifting days and try for the deficit on rest days? I'm F, 5'8", 155lbs and 36 years old. What kind of daily calorie numbers would you recommend? Will be lifting MWF.
  • kensky
    kensky Posts: 472 Member
    I wouldn't start at a deficit at all. Start at maintenance and tweak from there. Do you know your TDEE? The calculator I usually use gives your TDEE calories with you working out just 3 days a week as 2283.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • JennieAL
    JennieAL Posts: 1,726 Member
    Can anyone help me with a nutrition plan for Starting Strength? I'm interested in burning fat, so a bit of a calorie deficit would be nice. I assume I should eat more on lifting days and try for the deficit on rest days? I'm F, 5'8", 155lbs and 36 years old. What kind of daily calorie numbers would you recommend? Will be lifting MWF.

    I'm eating at a deficit while doing SS. Not gaining weight, not losing weight either... just inches. And losing rather slowly... so, that's considered a good thing for me at this point.

    I also fast Leangains style 16/8 most days (not all). I eat more on training days, less on resting days... I'm 5'7", 128-129lbs, 35 yrs old... eating around 1500 on resting days and 2000 on training days.... not strictly, but within that range. It seems to be working like a charm.
  • harkis
    harkis Posts: 14
    As far as diet goes I'm adopting some new rules. Eat every three hours, no fat after a workout, and no carbs from anything but vegetables after 6 pm.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Just got the book on my Kindle this past weekend. He's got some You Tube videos too. I'm looking forward to it. I'm hoping to get down to just one day a week for lifting.

    It seem my best bet since all I have access to (and room for) in my home is a barbell, free weights and a bench for bench presses.

    Only read through the squat so far.

    I'm sticking with my own eating plan since I follow Primal Blueprint and it turned out to be the best thing I have done for my body
    AND health. (and belly. Two months of P90x couldn't flatten my belly but just 6 weeks on Primal Blueprint and my belly was gone - turned out it was the whole grains causing every digestive issue I've dealt with since I was a kid - and there was a lot of them).
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I just finished a cycle of Stronglifts, which is almost identical to Starting Strength (substitute Barbell Rows for Power Cleans and there you go). I realize that I am not a woman, but I feel that the gender difference is paltry except the numbers you can expect to pull.

    1. Cycle your calories and especially your carbs. Eat maintenance or above on work days, and deficit on rest days, to make it balance out at the end of the week at the total deficit you are shooting for.
    2. Keep protein high. 1g per lb of LBM is a good target. If you don't know your BF% (and thus your LBM), there's nothing wrong with just going with 1g per lb of bodyweight.
    3. High carb on workout days, low carb on rest days. Load most of your carbs post-workout. Starchy carbs are even good at this time. A large meal right after your workout is a great move. Eating half of your daily calories at this time is perfectly fine ;)
    4. REST ON YOUR REST DAYS. The program is designed to build strength rapidly by continuously cashing and then rebuilding your muscles. Muscle growth will scorch your fat away. Please don't give in to the temptation to do oodles of cardio. Just chill and build beautiful lean muscle and watch the fat melt away.
    5. Form is king. Don't let ego get in the way of doing things right. If you can't do the rep with proper form, call it a fail and end your set there. Rest 5 minutes then try again (unless it's your last set lol)
    6. Enjoy the results.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    It seem my best bet since all I have access to (and room for) in my home is a barbell, free weights and a bench for bench presses.

    You're going to get unsafe real fast if you don't have a power rack in which to squat.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    I'm currently having trouble with my Bench Press. I got to 135 early January, and ever since I've gone up to 140 then dropped it back to 135. Did this twice now. I think I should maybe take a bigger deload, but I like being able to use the 45's finally.

    Form check. I know it may sound silly on BP, but are you using a powerlifter form?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I'm currently having trouble with my Bench Press. I got to 135 early January, and ever since I've gone up to 140 then dropped it back to 135. Did this twice now. I think I should maybe take a bigger deload, but I like being able to use the 45's finally.

    Form check. I know it may sound silly on BP, but are you using a powerlifter form?

    Having 45's on the bar is nice but keep your ego in-check because ego is a common cause of weight-lifting injuries. :D

    How are you feeling? Do you feel like absolute *kitten* or do you feel good? If you're feeling fine you probably don't need a longer deload.

    Check your form for sure, So You Think You Can Bench is a great video series on YouTube.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    It seem my best bet since all I have access to (and room for) in my home is a barbell, free weights and a bench for bench presses.

    You're going to get unsafe real fast if you don't have a power rack in which to squat.

    Second that one... Plus, it's not likely that you're setting yourself up properly to Squat otherwise. You need some kind of rack or mono-lift.
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
    Great choice of programs. If you want to build strength, Starting Strength or Stronglifts are the best place to start.
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
    2. Keep protein high. 1g per lb of LBM is a good target. If you don't know your BF% (and thus your LBM), there's nothing wrong with just going with 1g per lb of bodyweight.

    4. REST ON YOUR REST DAYS. The program is designed to build strength rapidly by continuously cashing and then rebuilding your muscles. Muscle growth will scorch your fat away. Please don't give in to the temptation to do oodles of cardio. Just chill and build beautiful lean muscle and watch the fat melt away.
    5. Form is king. Don't let ego get in the way of doing things right. If you can't do the rep with proper form, call it a fail and end your set there. Rest 5 minutes then try again (unless it's your last set lol)

    I agree especially with these. I eat fairly low carb pretty much every day (<150g/day - I am 6'5" 221 lbs), but get 1 - 1.25 grams of protein per pound of LBM daily. I also take getting 8 hours of sleep per night seriously. This is when your muscle actually builds. do not skimp on sleep!
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
    I'm sticking with my own eating plan since I follow Primal Blueprint and it turned out to be the best thing I have done for my body
    AND health. (and belly. Two months of P90x couldn't flatten my belly but just 6 weeks on Primal Blueprint and my belly was gone - turned out it was the whole grains causing every digestive issue I've dealt with since I was a kid - and there was a lot of them).

    Primal and Starting Strength work great together!
  • ganesha303
    ganesha303 Posts: 257 Member
    I'm currently having trouble with my Bench Press. I got to 135 early January, and ever since I've gone up to 140 then dropped it back to 135. Did this twice now. I think I should maybe take a bigger deload, but I like being able to use the 45's finally.

    I agree with the other comments on this note. Don't let ego trump form. I also suggest that not only de-loading but also add chin-ups in once a week as an assistance exercise if you are not already. This will help get your bench going as well.
  • jacquejl
    jacquejl Posts: 193 Member
    I'm a 41 y/o female, 4'11", 131 lbs, and I started Stronglifts 5x5 a month ago. I love it...everything about it! I am a bit intimidated about someone my size lifting like a man, but hey....when you really think about it, the only differnece is that i may hit my plateau quicker than a guy. So I'm following the routine just like anybody else. Good luck to you, friend me if you like. I can use the support and would try to be a great support for you as well. :happy:
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I'm a 41 y/o female, 4'11", 131 lbs, and I started Stronglifts 5x5 a month ago. I love it...everything about it! I am a bit intimidated about someone my size lifting like a man, but hey....when you really think about it, the only differnece is that i may hit my plateau quicker than a guy. So I'm following the routine just like anybody else. Good luck to you, friend me if you like. I can use the support and would try to be a great support for you as well. :happy:

    Or you may progress nicely and gain faster than the guy. ;)
  • Luthorcrow
    Luthorcrow Posts: 193
    One of the best places to post a form check is bodybuilding.com forums. They have "rep" points that fellow posters give to other posters on the validity of their advice. It by no means makes them an expert, but it adds a little more credence to what they're saying.

    No, I am going to disagree with you. BB tends to do a lot of things that would contradict the Starting Strength program or any other pure strength programs and would actually derail her efforts. if you following Starting Strength it would better to go to the source and post StartingStrength.com in the forums. They have sections specifically just for it.

    http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=155

    Also, unless you are BB that really is the last place you want to do a form check. Training for strength BB and too different things.
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,805 Member
    One of the best places to post a form check is bodybuilding.com forums. They have "rep" points that fellow posters give to other posters on the validity of their advice. It by no means makes them an expert, but it adds a little more credence to what they're saying.

    No, I am going to disagree with you. BB tends to do a lot of things that would contradict the Starting Strength program or any other pure strength programs and would actually derail her efforts. if you following Starting Strength it would better to go to the source and post StartingStrength.com in the forums. They have sections specifically just for it.

    http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=155

    Also, unless you are BB that really is the last place you want to do a form check. Training for strength BB and too different things.

    Actually, they do have a good section for powerlifters and strength athletes. Though, I do agree, the SS.com website is great for form checks.
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