New to StrongLifts for Women

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Hi! Happy to see this is a group because I just got the spread sheet for 5x5 today and I am starting tomorrow morning. Just a couple questions.

First, what increments did you follow? Obviously his increments are designed for men, I can't see myself benching 130lbs...or squatting 220lbs in 12 weeks.

Second, what does "deload" mean?

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  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    I think most of us stuck with 5lbs for the squat, 10 for the deadlift, and many of us have either moved to, or started with 2.5 for hte upper body lifts.

    Kinda depends on you and where you are at. And no you won't be squatting 220 in 12 weeks, but you might find you can squat 150 in 12 weeks by going up by 5 for the first 6 weeks, then 2.5 for the last 6. (with a couple deloads in there - what I'd probably recommend and I think most people end up doing is after your first deload, work back up with a lower increment.)

    deloads are what you do after you stall 3x - you de-load some of the weight on the bar and start from a lower weight. 10% is the recommendation, rounded down.

    So if you stall on the squat at 150 you deload 15% to 135 and then next workout would be 140 (or 137.5) and so on.
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
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    The strong lifts app for your phone is great too!
  • michelledsmith517
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    Hi! I use the app, too!

    Enjoy your workout tomorrow, I love lifting.