Women lifters.....

LJC44

I have posted this write up about Strong Lifts 5x5 a couple times... it's a great program for beginners and worth a look! It's always awesome to see Women getting into heavy lifting!



Ahhhh Strong Lifts... I love this program because I think it's perfect for someone who is new to lifting to really see some good results. I have been lifting for 5 years now and every so often I will do a strength cycle based completely on the 5x5 protocol and always see a gain of some sort.

I just finished a SL cycle at the end of December and I checked my PR's over the last couple weeks.

Stats Before:
HT: 5'8''
WT: 191#

My PR prior to starting:
BS: 175#
SP: 105#
DL: 275#
BP: 130#
PC: 145# (I don't really like barbell rows so I only do them for the first 2 weeks then I switch to Power Cleans, if you are unfamiliar with this exercise, I reccommend sticking with the rows)

Stats After:

HT: 5'8''
WT: 168#

My PR after:
BS: 245#
SP: 140#
DL: 325#
BP: 165#
PC: 180#

Please keep in mind that I have been lifting for a while.

That being said, I think 5x5 is a great way to get into lifting, especially for women as it emphasies form and technique for the basic "big 5" lifts. You will gain strength, you will gain muscle, you will lose fat and you will feel like you are eating like a horse! However you will be using every single calorie that you put in your body and continue burning long after you have left the gym. The best advice I can give you is go on the strong lifts website, check out the videos on form, look up videos by mark rippetoe or mike burgener or louie simmons or Christine Beauchamp (little powerhouse female lifter) and LEARN the proper form first.

Squats- ALWAYS below parallel, best to start with high bar as low bar might be uncomfortable for new lifters and please for the love of cookies DONT USE THE SMITH MACHINE!!! It is one of the most UNNATURAL movements you can do with your body, when I see people using it I just want to cringe at what they are doing to their knees! Also you will create a gross muscle imbalance as the Smith Machine only strengthens (albeit not as much as free barbell) your major muscle groups while ignoring completely the supporting muscles. You will find that your lifts will dramatically decline if you have been Smithing it for a while then switch to loaded barbell.
Press- Please no bend in the knees to help the weight up... it's a shoulder press not a push press.
Deadlift- for the love of your vertebre, make sure you learn how to BREATHE properly before you attempt any big weight, look up valsalva breathing and learn the proper stance.
Bench- Yes there is a right way to Bench, watch videos by the people above, not some random dude on You Tube...chances are they are doing it wrong.
Row- core tight, core tight, core tight, oh and did i mention, core tight!
Power Clean- again I will stress not to attempt this movement unless you are familiar with it, or have exposure to olympic lifting. The goal of the 5x5 is to get stronger not hurt yourself.

The best way to get started is to research first, spend some time lurking on the strong lifts boards, catalyst athletics has great lifting resources and if possible go to a gym that has a coach that is trained to TEACH power/olympic lifts, just because a trainer "does" the lifts doesn't make them qualified to TEACH the lifts to an inexperienced or new lifter.

Start slow, learn the way your body feels when you have correct form and how it feels when you are doing something incorrectly. You will be sore, you need to rest on off days after about week 4 but can still do something like rowing or light calisthenics. You will eat more food than you ever thought possible, yet if you choose the right kinds of food, your body will transform. You will get an *kitten*, thick legs and a strong back...good luck finding jeans ( Can you say GAP)

Most important of all...STICK WITH THE PROGRAM...do it as is, start low...the empty bar might feel to light so you might be tempted to pile on more weight... DONT DO IT! There is an app on the iphone that will track your SL workouts...when I do a cycle I always start with an empty bar because even though I know I can do more, it allows me time to reinforce the correct movements and build to a greater max load.

If anyone has any questions about the program, please ask, I will do what I can to help get you started. I am by no means an expert, but I can try to answer alot of the questions beginners ask ( I was there once too)! Good Luck and get strong!!

This sounds like something I would love to do! I believe it can help me get back to my heavier lifting! Is this a program online or do you order?

jjblogs

This is awesome....just what I'm looking for. Thanks ladies!!

Rae6503

Even before this post I was planning on switching to strong lifts next week!

km_jenn

I agree with the above poster.. Jamie Eason 12 week live fit trainer is excellent. I have been through it twice now. I just switched up and am doing TNation workout. It comes from the same guy who helped Jamie Eason write her program. Its just more intense and incorporates deadlifts, squats.. and lots of them..

Deadlift- 135lb
squat- 135- on a great day... like badger does.. *kitten* to grass!

Those are the only ones I really count at the moments. We just started this Monday! Im so excited about it!

Which one are you doing? I pulled up the website and saw there were a few... I'm very interested!

Which one? The Jamie Eason live fit or the T Nation?

The T Nation

http://www.t-nation.com/img/photos/2011/11-superhero/superhero-program.pdf


This is the website for the print off.. If you go to www.tnation.com ( i think) look up the superhero workout and there are videos.

Awesome! Thanks.

michellebelle1

Just started round two of StrongLifts (free, google it!) and LOVE it! I modify it, so I probably don't see the gains I would if I followed exactly. I love to run and can't give it up, so running on non-lifting days probably slows down the strength gains. And I only do 2 days (again, running...)

I failed at 175# on squat, but I got up to 125# on DL and 75# on bench.

Anybody else able to squat significantly more than they can DL?? My PR (from maybe 2 years ago) was squat: 220#, DL: 225#. So I think something funny is going on. I use the hex bar now, could that be the problem?

rebeccap13

You should definitely be able to deadlift more than you can squat.

kris4chloe

I am checking out the Jamie Eason plan but wanted to find out if those who recommend it did just the exercise portion, or you followed the nutrition and supplements.

I am eating clean and following the guidelines of both my trainer and Tom Venuto's BFFM program and was looking for something that would help with the actual exercise portion.

Also she recommends cutting out cardio for phase one but I still have 40 lbs to goal and really don't want to cut that out.

Alot of the things she recommends are inline with BFFM but alot of them are not, such as the supplements and the cardio.

angied80

I am checking out the Jamie Eason plan but wanted to find out if those who recommend it did just the exercise portion, or you followed the nutrition and supplements.

I am eating clean and following the guidelines of both my trainer and Tom Venuto's BFFM program and was looking for something that would help with the actual exercise portion.

Also she recommends cutting out cardio for phase one but I still have 40 lbs to goal and really don't want to cut that out.

Alot of the things she recommends are inline with BFFM but alot of them are not, such as the supplements and the cardio.

You really should follow the nutrition part, if you want to see maximum results. At least try to follow it as well as you can. I did not do such a great job with this, I built muscle and kept fat. My workout partner followed the plan, built muscle and lost fat. Im still happy with my results but changed workouts to switch it up a bit to get that fat off and am watching what I am eating now. As far as the cardio, my workout partner and I included cardio.. only about 20 mins after our workouts, except leg day.

LJC44

I am checking out the Jamie Eason plan but wanted to find out if those who recommend it did just the exercise portion, or you followed the nutrition and supplements.

I am eating clean and following the guidelines of both my trainer and Tom Venuto's BFFM program and was looking for something that would help with the actual exercise portion.

Also she recommends cutting out cardio for phase one but I still have 40 lbs to goal and really don't want to cut that out.

Alot of the things she recommends are inline with BFFM but alot of them are not, such as the supplements and the cardio.

You really should follow the nutrition part, if you want to see maximum results. At least try to follow it as well as you can. I did not do such a great job with this, I built muscle and kept fat. My workout partner followed the plan, built muscle and lost fat. Im still happy with my results but changed workouts to switch it up a bit to get that fat off and am watching what I am eating now. As far as the cardio, my workout partner and I included cardio.. only about 20 mins after our workouts, except leg day.

Is this totally free?

summer827

Yay, women lifters!

I'm in my 4th week of the Starting Strength (Mark Rippetoe) novice plan

I'm 116#

Squats (from "air squats"): 85#
Overhead Press: 40#
DL: 105#
Bench: 55#

That's pretty much it for the first three weeks! Simple program. I'm adding in chin-ups and pull-ups this week.

Have to come back when I have more time to read more thoroughly!

angied80

I am checking out the Jamie Eason plan but wanted to find out if those who recommend it did just the exercise portion, or you followed the nutrition and supplements.

I am eating clean and following the guidelines of both my trainer and Tom Venuto's BFFM program and was looking for something that would help with the actual exercise portion.

Also she recommends cutting out cardio for phase one but I still have 40 lbs to goal and really don't want to cut that out.

Alot of the things she recommends are inline with BFFM but alot of them are not, such as the supplements and the cardio.

You really should follow the nutrition part, if you want to see maximum results. At least try to follow it as well as you can. I did not do such a great job with this, I built muscle and kept fat. My workout partner followed the plan, built muscle and lost fat. Im still happy with my results but changed workouts to switch it up a bit to get that fat off and am watching what I am eating now. As far as the cardio, my workout partner and I included cardio.. only about 20 mins after our workouts, except leg day.

Is this totally free?

Sure is! Bodybuilding.com

jjblogs

Second night of my lifting endeavor...

Man, am I sore! hehe But, I really think I LOVE it. My workout just breezes by when I'm lifting, whereas all that cardio just seemed to lag on forever. I used to do about 1/2 hour cardio and 1/2 hour weight machines/dumbells, but lifting less weight.

Have one other question. Lifting doesn't burn as much as cardio, so I'm assuming it's always good to do cardio along with lifting. I read one comment that it should be around a quarter of your workout. Now, for a person who is looking to lose a lot of weight, is it true that they should be focusing more on cardio rather than weights until they get closer to their final goal weight?

I guess what I'm wondering is if weight lifting is as good as cardio as far as staying healthy overall. If so, I don't understand why on earth all women haven't been lifting heavy all along.

Here's what I did tonight for lower body. Look ok?? Do I need more or something different?

Barbell Squat: 3x8 @65#
Stiff Leg DL: 3x8 @ 85#
walking lunges w/dumbells: 4x9 @ 30#
Hip Abduction 3x8 @70#
Hip Adduction 3x8 @ 50#
leg extensions 3x8 #50#
leg curl: 3x8 @ 50#
ab crunches with 20# medicine ball 50x
10 minutes on stationary bike

jeccalou

Marking

Rae6503

Second night of my lifting endeavor...

Man, am I sore! hehe But, I really think I LOVE it. My workout just breezes by when I'm lifting, whereas all that cardio just seemed to lag on forever. I used to do about 1/2 hour cardio and 1/2 hour weight machines/dumbells, but lifting less weight.

Have one other question. Lifting doesn't burn as much as cardio, so I'm assuming it's always good to do cardio along with lifting. I read one comment that it should be around a quarter of your workout. Now, for a person who is looking to lose a lot of weight, is it true that they should be focusing more on cardio rather than weights until they get closer to their final goal weight?

I guess what I'm wondering is if weight lifting is as good as cardio as far as staying healthy overall. If so, I don't understand why on earth all women haven't been lifting heavy all along.

Here's what I did tonight for lower body. Look ok?? Do I need more or something different?

Barbell Squat: 3x8 @65#
Stiff Leg DL: 3x8 @ 85#
walking lunges w/dumbells: 4x9 @ 30#
Hip Abduction 3x8 @70#
Hip Adduction 3x8 @ 50#
leg extensions 3x8 #50#
leg curl: 3x8 @ 50#
ab crunches with 20# medicine ball 50x
10 minutes on stationary bike

Honestly, if you don't like cardio, don't do it. To me it's just a tool to be able to eat more. You can accomplish the same fat loss with a calorie deficit controlled only by diet. I do do it a little more just because I have hobby's where endurance fitness is important.

It's not been "feminine" to lift. Women weren't supposed to lift! Also some guy in the 70s claimed cardio was super duper important and both men and women believed him.

Tonight looks okay but you could cut out some of the isolation stuff at the end. I've actually heard the hip machines are bad for your needs (causes imbalance). When you go past parallel with squats (and you should) you hit the hip and butt muscles a lot. If you are going to do isolation, I'd add in something for calfs. I just like to do calf raises on the leg press machine. Makes for nicer high-heel legs.

jjblogs

Thanks Rae....great advise. Appreciate it..:)

1HappyRosie

bump

skinnyb450

Bump

Elizabeth_C34

Right now, I'm just trying to figure out my max lifts to I can keep track later. I'm not sure which program I'm going to go with, so I'm interested to see what others post.

Squat: 95 lbs (x8 in 4 sets) (max squat 135 lbs)
Standing Calf raises: 140 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Abdominal machines: 70 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Lateral pull: 80 lb (x8 in 4 sets)
Romanian deadlift: 125 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Lateral raises: 20 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Bicep curl: 25 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Tricep dips on bench: 40 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Shrugs: 40 lbs in each arm (x8 in 4 sets)
Chest press: 50 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)
Back press: 80 lbs (x8 in 4 sets)

I'm pretty sure I can do more on the lat pulls, back press, calf raises, and DL, so those are not my max numbers.

MissFit0101

bump.. I will come back to this thread tomorrow.

Cathleenr

I do that. I watch all the other folks working out, making note of what looks good to try.

Since i still work out exclusively with a trainer while lifting, my exercises vary quite a bit - he's The Boss.

Today is chest day, and we'll do a two hour session. Typically, we'll start with chest stretches using elastic bands, to loosen me up. Then flat dumbbell presses, butterfly press, flyes. Next set will be something like a superset of incline presses on the Smith machine, and biceps curls. Then we'll throw in something for my core, like hanging leg raises, some pushups, maybe some decline chest presses. We'll do some cable work, maybe cable crossovers, and probably finish with flat bench presses with the barbell, to see if my max has improved.

Leg day, we do split squats, cage squats, lunges, hanging knee tucks, leg press, leg extension, ham curls (sometimes standing, sometimes prone), stability ball pull-ins (to stretch out my hams).

For the shoulders, it seems like he comes up with new torture every week. Frontal/lateral dumbbell raises are a given, then several different variations of shoulder press, with machines and without. Lots of cable work.

Back - rows, rows, and more rows. Lat pulldowns, assisted pullups

And we do a lot of core bodyweight work. One hour a week dedicated to it, and one or two exercises every day thrown in with my other stuff. I work out with him 9 hours a week, total of 5 days. One day completely off, one day with light to moderate cardio only. I do cardio most other days after my lifting.

Good luck! Lift heavy, lift hard, and you'll see a difference that you'll love.

this workout!