Strength Training - The Basics

paprad · June 2013

Thanks Sara, was good to check that out.

tomdrinkard · June 2013

Bump

c_30 · June 2013

Hi everyone, my name is Camela. I am 29 years old, 5'5 and a half. I am currently 249 lbs, body fat% is probably 50% or higher, unhealthy I know but that is why I am here

) I was going to mainly focus on cardio however a couple of my mfp friends were quite adamant to do both strong lifts and cardio from the very start.

I am giving strong lifts a try Tuesday, I have been watching YouTube videos on form as well as what a overhead press or a barbell row is and I now have a general idea but some questions as well.

- 5x5 ... so does this mean that I am doing 5 squats at the heaviest weight that I can handle for a total of 25?
- each session ... does this mean each day increase by 5 lbs (dead lift 10 lbs) or once I finish one set of reps.

Sorry if it sounds stupid but I have zero clue and want to make sure that I am on the right track. My goal is to lose weight and tone up, I want muscle definition.

Sarauk2sf · June 2013

Hi everyone, my name is Camela. I am 29 years old, 5'5 and a half. I am currently 249 lbs, body fat% is probably 50% or higher, unhealthy I know but that is why I am here ) I was going to mainly focus on cardio however a couple of my mfp friends were quite adamant to do both strong lifts and cardio from the very start.

I am giving strong lifts a try Tuesday, I have been watching YouTube videos on form as well as what a overhead press or a barbell row is and I now have a general idea but some questions as well.

- 5x5 ... so does this mean that I am doing 5 squats at the heaviest weight that I can handle for a total of 25?
- each session ... does this mean each day increase by 5 lbs (dead lift 10 lbs) or once I finish one set of reps.

Sorry if it sounds stupid but I have zero clue and want to make sure that I am on the right track. My goal is to lose weight and tone up, I want muscle definition.

Hi! If you have not already done so, I would join the group here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

With regard to your specific question, you increase the next session (next day you do that lift)

paprad · July 2013

- Warm up your muscles before lifting by doing a short amount of cardio (less than 10 minutes). Stretching is not required and should not be done ‘cold’ in any event.

IHow about cool-downs - are they important? I find myself doing the most cursory of stretches after the workout - some calf, ham, arm, back - and then i feel faintly guilty. Is there a recommended cool-down routine?

bostonwolf · July 2013

^ I usually just walk around for a few minutes or if I have some juice left will hop on the elliptical for a leisurely 15 minutes and then stretch.

really just to bring my heartrate down to a "normal" level in a gradual manner. I have no idea whether it really helps or not but it's just a habit now.

StarChanger · July 2013

Thanks for the write-up, Sara.

I'm due for session #12 of Strong Lifts today and I'm starting to finally hit weights that I struggle with. I've not been doing any warm up....and I've been wondering what to do (besides de-load) if my form was breaking or incorrect.

Well-timed post for me!