fat to skinnyfat to strong

Huffdogg

I lost 80 lbs doing nothing but calorie restriction and cardio, and ended up a scrawny wuss. Then I started lifting heavy (like an intelligent person should have the whole time) and put 15 lbs of that 80 back on in a better way. Not to say I added 15 lbs of pure muscle. That would be ridiculously good results lol. I just finished a filthy dirty bulk, so I need to cut now, but I do have enough muscle that the fat I'm carrying isn't anything I'm ashamed or embarassed about. After 12 weeks on the Stronglifts 5x5 program, my combined working weight for all 5 lifts, doing 3 sets of 5 for everything besides deadlifts (one set of 5) is 1125 lbs.

At 185 lbs bodyweight:

Squat: 250
Bench: 195
Overhead Press: 140
Barbell Row (Pendlay style): 195
Deadlift: 345

Not bad for a 34 year-old who didn't exercise at all for roughly 15 years.

dsjohndrow

Excellent!

tabithajoyy

Fantastic!

shanna0413

Good job!

Huffdogg

Thanks all!

ravihira1892

Hey dude so happy i've found someone who has done the Stronglift 5x5 workout!

Can you tell me how you felt doing this to begin with? did someone recommend this workout to you? What do you think of the workout? how long did it take to notice a difference in strength, size, fat loss etc? what improved the most? which was the hardest? sorry for lots of questions but i shall be starting this workout in 2 weeks since i want to gain lean muscle mass & built strength!

Private message me if you want to.

Huffdogg

I started stronglifts after I had lost 80 lbs and found myself too lean (read: scrawny) for my liking. A friend of mine turned me on to it. I had already started doing some of the basic compound lifts, so I did not start with the naked bar as recommended. I started about 20 lbs below weights I knew I could 5x5 without danger of failure and worked my way up into them. Right away I enjoyed it massively. I love the compact, simple nature of the program. I love the fast and constant strength gains, I love the iOS app
In terms of size/fat loss, it's kind of hard to say. My feeding was really sloppy for the whole 3 months I was on it, so my results are probably atypical.

I was flat-out amazed at how great Deadlifts felt. Oddly, I hated them at low weights, but once I got into the mid 200's, they started to feel great, and at 300+, they make me feel like I can walk through walls.

OHP is, almost without exception, the first place people stall. It's a muscle group that is much smaller than the others worked in the program, and one not a lot of people focus in regular lifting.

I HIGHLY recommend Stronglifts or Starting Strength for anyone looking to start lifting weights at any level of fitness/strength.

ravihira1892

Thanks for replying to me bro.

Did you increase your calorie intake or decrease it in order for you to gain lean muscle mass?

I'm guessing you followed the routine step by step, ensuring you took atleast 48 hours rest etc!

Yeah your right, a diet plays a huge part in how you loose the bodyfat & gain muscle etc! I think i'm going to go ahead with the StrongLifts 5x5 routine for a solid 6 months trying my best to stick to it even a year if things go all well!

Next will be my diet now, thanks man

UponThisRock

wow, you're moving some good weight. congrats bro

Huffdogg

I think that planning to do SL for 6 months is probably putting the cart before the horse. Go 12 weeks, then see where you are. By then, most ppl have gone to 3x5 or some other modification of the basic StrongLifts program.

ABSOLUTELY follow the 48 hours minimum rest. You could probably get away with doing it without the rest in the very beginning if you start with the naked oly bar, but it wouldn't last long, and you just set yourself up for failure and injury.

And yes, you want to increase your calorie intake substantially. Eat at least maintenance. What I personally recommend is eating AT maintenance on rest days, and 20% more on lifting days. Keep your protein at or above 1g per lb of bodyweight. Go high carb on lifting days, low carb on rest days. Most of your carbs post-workout.

ravihira1892

I think that planning to do SL for 6 months is probably putting the cart before the horse. Go 12 weeks, then see where you are. By then, most ppl have gone to 3x5 or some other modification of the basic StrongLifts program.

ABSOLUTELY follow the 48 hours minimum rest. You could probably get away with doing it without the rest in the very beginning if you start with the naked oly bar, but it wouldn't last long, and you just set yourself up for failure and injury.

And yes, you want to increase your calorie intake substantially. Eat at least maintenance. What I personally recommend is eating AT maintenance on rest days, and 20% more on lifting days. Keep your protein at or above 1g per lb of bodyweight. Go high carb on lifting days, low carb on rest days. Most of your carbs post-workout.

i totally forgot about the 12 week program! Yeah so do 5x5 for 12 weeks then 3x5 and carry on moving along the workout StrongLift provide! hopefully within 6months - 1 year i should see good results! Will be tough trying to keep clean diet mostly. Should i be worried if i miss a workout in that week?

What workout are you using atm?

Huffdogg

As of this week I'm going from StrongLifts to Wendler's 5/3/1. Less volume and easier to modify for a caloric deficit.

I should think you will see very real results in just 2-3 months with Stronglifts. I recommend not planning anything specific for when you reach 12 weeks. If you are still seeing consistent gains with it (eg, very few deloads, still adding weight most every workout, able to perform sets with 3 minutes or less rest in between them), then by all means keep going. What is recommended in the "guide" is that if you have to deload the same lift 3 times, to switch to 3x5. Personally, I made my own decision. When I could tell that I had gotten past the point on a specific lift where I was able to keep making continuous gains without massively extending my rest intervals, I went right to 3x5. But I have a lifestyle that may be different from yours. I work 60+ hours/week and have a wife & 2 girls I'm still trying to spend time with, so my gym time needs to be efficient. Rather than do 5 sets with massively extended rest in between, I dropped it to 3 sets so I could keep adding weight.

If you are forced to miss a workout, it's no big deal. Next time you go into the gym, just do the workout you missed. As long as you keep your rotation the same, you can bump things a day further or whatever. But I'd keep the rotation up so you're constantly doing ABABABAB

hollyberry2012

hey, I can't say I understand all that guy stuff you just posted...but I know a GREAT SUCCESS when I see one...congratulations and keep up the good work and attitude.

Huffdogg

lol it's not "guy stuff!" It's simply weight lifting terms that anyone can/should learn! EVERYONE can do Starting Strength / Stronglifts.