this looks awesome, going to start up next week!

moment_to_arise

hey everyone, just heard about this. I have been considering switching the majority of my workouts to lifting and wanted to ask a few questions before i got started.


i currently go to the gym mon wed fri for a morning workout program with a group of people. mon and fri is basically 30 min of floor ab exercises and wednesday is about 30-45 minutes of the same thing with added weight exercises inbetween each set. (ex we will do 50 flutterkicks and then grab a weight and do 10 kettlethrows or 15 on each side sidelifts, then do 20 seven sisters and then repeat the weight thing) usually on mon and fri afterwards i do 20 minutes of cardio as well, wed i just leave after we are done

is it bad to do this as well as the 5x5 strong lift? If i plan on doing the strong lift tues, thurs, and then either sat or sun? or should i only do this for awhile?

tameko2

hey everyone, just heard about this. I have been considering switching the majority of my workouts to lifting and wanted to ask a few questions before i got started.


i currently go to the gym mon wed fri for a morning workout program with a group of people. mon and fri is basically 30 min of floor ab exercises and wednesday is about 30-45 minutes of the same thing with added weight exercises inbetween each set. (ex we will do 50 flutterkicks and then grab a weight and do 10 kettlethrows or 15 on each side sidelifts, then do 20 seven sisters and then repeat the weight thing) usually on mon and fri afterwards i do 20 minutes of cardio as well, wed i just leave after we are done

is it bad to do this as well as the 5x5 strong lift? If i plan on doing the strong lift tues, thurs, and then either sat or sun? or should i only do this for awhile?

How strenuous are they? In the beginning I don't see why you can't do both. But the first time you try to squat with a heavy (to you) bar and sore abs you will be cursing the day you ever heard of that class. Also every time you set up for a bench press you will want to cry. (been there, done that, never did hard core ab work again).

The 20 minutes of cardio is more than fine. You might be fine doing ALL of it, but it really depends on you, how hard it is on you, how sore it makes you, how well you recover from lots of activity, etc. I *would* say if you're going to do SL you need to do that first, before the class, or on a different day. You won't be as successful if you try to do it afterwards.

moment_to_arise

well i've been doing the ab routine since beginning of december so im pretty much past the soreness part... i will try it out for awhile and see how doing both works.

does it really take 45 minutes to do one full workout? also, do you do each exercise by itself.? (5 sets of squats, then 5 sets of presses) or do you cycle through them (1 set of squats, 1 set of presses, repeat...)

xidia

does it really take 45 minutes to do one full workout? also, do you do each exercise by itself.? (5 sets of squats, then 5 sets of presses) or do you cycle through them (1 set of squats, 1 set of presses, repeat...)

Yes, once you get into needing to rest between sets. Workout B is slightly quicker because you're only doing 1 set of 5 of the deadlifts.

You do all the squats, then all the presses, then all the rows etc.

moment_to_arise

sorry i keep asking questions, im really excited to start this and want to make sure i do it right!

is it better to do this in the morning or afternoon? does it matter? should i adjust my calories/macro settings?

moment_to_arise

bump

DaniH826

sorry i keep asking questions, im really excited to start this and want to make sure i do it right!

is it better to do this in the morning or afternoon? does it matter? should i adjust my calories/macro settings?

I don't think the time of day matters, just whenever you can actually focus on it (meaning you're awake), and make sure you do it regularly (3 times/week with off days in between to give your muscles a break).

Far as calories/macros I'll let the others answer that.

Glad to have you! Lifting is fun!

moment_to_arise

thanks! looking forward to anyone elses answers to macros.

btw is there a particular phone app you guys use to track your 5x5s? I have the android OS and i just downloaded "lifting buddy" and it is specifically designed for 5x5 strong lifts. any one else use this? or use another one that is better?

tameko2

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

DaniH826

thanks! looking forward to anyone elses answers to macros.

btw is there a particular phone app you guys use to track your 5x5s? I have the android OS and i just downloaded "lifting buddy" and it is specifically designed for 5x5 strong lifts. any one else use this? or use another one that is better?

I personally use Fitocracy to track my workouts. I'm not sure about apps, but whatever works best for you. There's really no right/wrong answer here, just as long as you're consistent.

moment_to_arise

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

yea right now i am shooting for 40 carb 30 fat 30 protein and most days i get real close to that give or take a few % from the three... i guess i'll have to up my protein intake!

tameko2

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

yea right now i am shooting for 40 carb 30 fat 30 protein and most days i get real close to that give or take a few % from the three... i guess i'll have to up my protein intake!

UP your protein? What are your calories set at?

moment_to_arise

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

yea right now i am shooting for 40 carb 30 fat 30 protein and most days i get real close to that give or take a few % from the three... i guess i'll have to up my protein intake!

UP your protein? What are your calories set at?

my calories are currently set at a goal of 1550 with a macro of 40 30 30 (carb fat protein)

tameko2

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

yea right now i am shooting for 40 carb 30 fat 30 protein and most days i get real close to that give or take a few % from the three... i guess i'll have to up my protein intake!

UP your protein? What are your calories set at?

my calories are currently set at a goal of 1550 with a macro of 40 30 30 (carb fat protein)

That puts you at 115 grams of protein or so? Right? That's enough. Anything over 99 is good.

Given that you only have 10 lbs to lose you might want to edge your calories closer to your maintenance, though.

moment_to_arise

re: Macros. You'll see people talk about 40/30/30 and things like that. A lot of people like to think of it that way.

I prefer to work with a base amount of protein, and fill in the rest with whatever I want. Technically that is all you NEED to do.

The bare minimum protein requirement for someone eating a deficit is 1.4 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Someone who is bulking or eating at maintenance can actually go a bit lower pretty successfully (most people can, anyway) because the idea behind increased protein intake is that it is muscle-sparing in a deficit.

So for you that'd be roughly 99 grams of protein. After that, you do need to eat SOME fat but unless your diet is very odd its most likely that you'll hit the bare minimum fat requirement without trying. If you eat super low fat naturally for some reason, let me know and we can figure that out, but assuming you eat some fish/meat that isn't ultra lean like tuna/cheese/olive oil with your meals you'll probably be fine.

And then fill in the rest with carbs or fat. Whichever you enjoy more and find keeps you feeling satisfied.

yea right now i am shooting for 40 carb 30 fat 30 protein and most days i get real close to that give or take a few % from the three... i guess i'll have to up my protein intake!

UP your protein? What are your calories set at?

my calories are currently set at a goal of 1550 with a macro of 40 30 30 (carb fat protein)

That puts you at 115 grams of protein or so? Right? That's enough. Anything over 99 is good.

Given that you only have 10 lbs to lose you might want to edge your calories closer to your maintenance, though.

what would that be do you think? sorry i am fairly new to this whole process. i switched from weightwatchers which doesn't really teach you anything.

xidia

I use Strong Log on Android to log because it doesn't fart about with deloads and stalls for me. I prefer to manage those manually.

tameko2

what would that be do you think? sorry i am fairly new to this whole process. i switched from weightwatchers which doesn't really teach you anything.

How tall are you, how old are you, what's your daily activity like (like do you walk to school/work, do you take the train, do you drive, do you have a desk job where you never stand up, a desk job where you get up regularly for meetings/chat/coffee breaks, an active job, etc)?

Or you can go through this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

moment_to_arise

what would that be do you think? sorry i am fairly new to this whole process. i switched from weightwatchers which doesn't really teach you anything.

How tall are you, how old are you, what's your daily activity like (like do you walk to school/work, do you take the train, do you drive, do you have a desk job where you never stand up, a desk job where you get up regularly for meetings/chat/coffee breaks, an active job, etc)?

Or you can go through this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

im 5'8", 24 (will be 25 in july) i drive to work (its 46 miles away!) i have a desk job but i get up and walk around as often as possible, and the office is the top floor of a big warehouse so i am going up and down 2 flights of stairs at least 3-4 times a day and walking from the front to the back of the warehouse.