Week 7 observations
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snoopy7501
Posts: 46 Member
Hey SL friends, just wanted to chime in and report some progress. I'm in the middle of week 7 of SL5x5. So far, I have never missed a workout, and have not yet needed to deload once on any exercise, although they're all finally starting to get harder, after weeks of feeling like I was taking it easy on myself. Monday was a milestone for me, because my squat weight hit 135, which meant I finally got to use the big boy plates (the 45 lb ones, lol).
My body weight has decreased from 248 to 242, which doesn't seem like much in 7 weeks, but I'm also building muscle, so I'm not too worried about that. My body fat percentage has gone down from 37% to 34%, and that's what I really want to see. Also, my girlfriend keeps telling me how much flatter my gut is. I don't see it yet, but it's nice to hear.
An interesting thing happened last week. For my first warm-up set, I went to squat under the empty bar, and it felt like I'd just put a broomstick on my back. I had to re-rack the bar, go to the other squat rack and lift up that bar to compare the weight, because I thought someone must have switched out the regulation bar for something lighter. Nope, turns out that I've just gotten stronger, so the empty bar now feels like nothing!
My body weight has decreased from 248 to 242, which doesn't seem like much in 7 weeks, but I'm also building muscle, so I'm not too worried about that. My body fat percentage has gone down from 37% to 34%, and that's what I really want to see. Also, my girlfriend keeps telling me how much flatter my gut is. I don't see it yet, but it's nice to hear.
An interesting thing happened last week. For my first warm-up set, I went to squat under the empty bar, and it felt like I'd just put a broomstick on my back. I had to re-rack the bar, go to the other squat rack and lift up that bar to compare the weight, because I thought someone must have switched out the regulation bar for something lighter. Nope, turns out that I've just gotten stronger, so the empty bar now feels like nothing!
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Replies
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That's awsome. Keep at it.0
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I'm in week six, and I too am excited to use the big boy weights! I withstood the temptation to skip my 125/135 days and move up, as I feel like I could handle it. Overhead press is another story, I only got 5/5/5/4/3/4 at 90lbs and my form went a little shaky. I'm unclear on the procedure now. Do I just try the same weight again, or decrease by 10% then work back up?0
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I'm in week six, and I too am excited to use the big boy weights! I withstood the temptation to skip my 125/135 days and move up, as I feel like I could handle it. Overhead press is another story, I only got 5/5/5/4/3/4 at 90lbs and my form went a little shaky. I'm unclear on the procedure now. Do I just try the same weight again, or decrease by 10% then work back up?
First of all, how'd you get 5/5/5/4/3/4? Are you doing six sets?
As I understand it, when you miss 5x5 once, you keep the same weight the next time. If you still don't hit it, keep it the same again. If you don't hit it a third time, THEN you deload by 10%. And like someone else told you in your other thread, make sure you're resting a lot between sets, as much as 3-5 minutes. The goal is not to do it quickly, just to do it.
I feel your pain, though. I did 95lbs yesterday, and nearly didn't make it. I'm pretty sure my first stall is coming up real soon.0 -
An interesting thing happened last week. For my first warm-up set, I went to squat under the empty bar, and it felt like I'd just put a broomstick on my back. I had to re-rack the bar, go to the other squat rack and lift up that bar to compare the weight, because I thought someone must have switched out the regulation bar for something lighter. Nope, turns out that I've just gotten stronger, so the empty bar now feels like nothing!
Ha! Funny you should mention this. The same thing happened to me on Monday. Empty bar warm up, and the feeling as if it's nothing. Six weeks ago, it felt so much heavier...
It's another reason why I love this program. You can really feel and measure your progress. Simple, effective.
--P0
