Thank you, women of SL 5x5! And one question...

CoCoRedRider

I've been stalking this group for at least a month and finally marched my reluctant *kitten* into the gym today and asked to be shown each lift. I wasn't intimidated by the men of the free weights (I'm 6' tall and work in a male-dominated field) but I was absolutely terrified of the barbell and actual lifts. But I did it! And it truly was fun! And just a bit over 30 minutes - a huge improvement over the 60 minute machine routine I've done in the past. So, thank you all for being in this group and spreading the word and enthusiasm; it's contagious. I never thought I would look forward to the next workout but I totally am.

One small problem with my gym, however: there is no rack for the squats. I was told they only have the Smith machine (I think that's what it's called). So I did that and my legs are certainly rubbery but I clearly was missing out on all the core stabilization benefits. I know I could use the bar from the bench press but do you have any suggestions for how to safely and/or gracefully get the bar on my shoulders?

tameko2

Depends on how the rack for the bench press is set up. At my gym this wouldn't work but your equipment might be different - you might be able to back up to the bar still racked and then get set up that way. You might have some configurable setups where you could move the pins that would hold the bar into position that will let you use it like a squat rack.

Otherwise the only way to do it is to clean and press it up and over your head, which is fine at low weights (I do it for warmup sets, for example) but not possible at higher weights. You could get started that way, anyway.

Past that, you'll probably need to get a different gym that at least has a squat rack if not a full power rack.

hesn92

THAT sucks. I wouldn't join a gym that didn't have a squat rack or power rack. I'm not sure what I would do if I were you. I would use one of the machines for the time being but in all honesty, I would start looking for a new gym...

auddii

Way late, but I found this:

http://stronglifts.com/squat-no-power-rack-steinborn-lift/

CoCoRedRider

Thanks, all, for the responses! My gym is in my neighborhood, less than a half mile away, so I'm really hesitant to go to a less convenient location - especially since getting myself motivated and into a gym after work is hard enough, regardless of how much I love it once I'm there...

So, I've been using the slightly taller rack that's above the inclined bench press. I straddle the top of the bench to get the bar on my shoulders then duck walk away from the bench. I'm not sure how safe this will be when the bar gets heavier but it works for now.