What do you add to SL?

lilawolf

Muscles first:
I can feel that I am working my shoulders, upper and lower back, chest, quads, and glutes with this program.

What I DON't feel is my biceps, triceps, calves and abs. Some of these are used to stablize, so perhaps I will feel them more as I add weight, but for now they do not feel "worked out". For now at least I've been throwing in one set of bicep curls and weighted crunches at the end of each work out. I really want to be able to do pullups eventually and I have a weak core, so I would really like to improve those.

After 12 weeks (10.5 to go!), I want to go back to cutting. I think that I will be hungry enough that I need to do cardio to buy me more calories. I am thinking about running and either a hip hop dance class ( a real dance class not an "exercise" one) or a martial art.

Summary:
Do you add in extra muscle exercises?
Can you tell me if I AM working the listed muscles already?
What cardio, if any, do you have in your program?
If you do a martial art, which one and why?

THANKS!!!

Soosannah

With the compound lifts you should be working everything. I just finished week 3 yesterday and already seeing great improvement in my upper arm definition, legs and even a little on my abs. I can tell a difference between 2 months of cardio(not much results) and 3 weeks of lifting(better results)Right now the only thing extra I do is yoga because lifting is really messing with my flexibility. I want to get back to some kind of cardio, usually running, but I have just been lazy past few weeks and my SLs leave me wiped.

Hopefully one of our more experienced gurus will be along to help ya out.

tameko2

Almost everything works your abs but overhead press and squats are probably where you will feel it most - it might need to get heavier first but all the exercises, when properly done, engage your core.

Both presses will work your biceps and triceps.

If you have the energy at the end you might add some dips and chin-ups but there's no need to add anything extra. I'd actually recommend you avoid a lot of strenuous extra ab work. A little is ok but I once did a ton and it made everything else difficult and painful. If you doubt that squats get your abs involved, do a bunch of work the night before and then squat. You'll regret it! :laugh:

jayliospecky

Yeah. I used to do specific calf-work, and my calves looked like this.



Not bad, but after doing stronglifts, and nothing but stronglifts, they look like this.



Granted, I happen to think I have some genetic gifting in this area. But still, I was impressed with what stronglifts has done. I've even lost half an inch off of them. Which is just fabulous, considering I've lost nothing off my lower stomach area. >.<

juliemouse83

I do light cardio and Yoga on both the days I lift and those I don't.

I am currently in the middle of week 5 and am seeing results all over.

I stress ate half a bag of crackflower seeds this afternoon, and even bloated, I look better than I did five weeks ago.

Lila, I think the further in you get, and the heavier the weight, you will start feeling it where you aren't right now.

jstout365

I probably do a bit more now than I will in a few weeks when I start getting closer to what I was at before starting SL, but I break it out to this:

M - Run (like 2 miles), core work, and some plyo/bodyweight exercises.
Tu/Thu/Sat - SL days.....I warmed up with half a mile run the other day and stretching before starting SL and felt better about the squats so I will keep that up. I will also do a few core things, but not too much.
W - Trainer day so I warm up with a half mile run and then she puts me through my paces. Often some plyo, lighter dumbbell work for triceps and biceps, and core.
Friday - Run 2 miles again, core work and depending on how I feel, either more plyo or HIIT style things.

Today was the first day I have been sore from lifting the day before so going into the workout with the trainer today I was feeling it a bit. As the SL weight gets higher I will probably reduce the other work, but I plan to play it by how I feel when the time comes.

I think I could qualify for the label of "nuts" for the amount I do, but I enjoy it and have been good about listening to my body and backing off when necessary.

lilawolf

Yeah. I used to do specific calf-work, and my calves looked like this.



Not bad, but after doing stronglifts, and nothing but stronglifts, they look like this.



Granted, I happen to think I have some genetic gifting in this area. But still, I was impressed with what stronglifts has done. I've even lost half an inch off of them. Which is just fabulous, considering I've lost nothing off my lower stomach area. >.<

Those are some of the prettiest legs I've ever seen . Great job!!! Still don't feel my calves or abs today, but I DO feel my biceps today. It must just be a weight thing. I did some weighted crunches again. This way they have two days to recover just like everything else.

Thanks for all of the advice guys! And yes, Jstout, you ARE crazy. Sheesh :sick: .

LastMinuteMama

I'm still fairly new to the SL program, but my plan is:

Sunday morning - HIIT (only because this is the only class I can make it to)
Sunday evening - SL
Monday - easy 2 miles
Tuesday - SL
Wednesday - rest
Thursday - SL
Friday - easy 2 miles
Saturday - 6 miles
rinse and repeat.
Pull -ups on SL B days

Let's just see if I stick with it. Of course, I just realized that I'm off a day since I did SL last night, but I'll have it all back on track come Sunday.

ECR1989

I also don't feel it so much at the moment, but I'm only on week 2 so I can't really comment right now! I barely work up a sweat when I do it, and that's with only 30sec breaks in between each set!

Today I did an extra set of everything (workout as well as my warm-up sets, and I did assisted pull-ups, 30kg weighted lunges (3x8 per foot) and did a 15 min ab workout. I then swam for 45 mins. I'll probably feel it tomorrow

My left heel has been giving me some problems since saturday so that's why I'm swimming at the moment, to try and keep up cardio of some kind but keep off my feet. I might try the elliptical tomorrow because then at least I'm moving but not having to keep stepping on my heel hard like running does.

I tend to alternate - SL days with some extra weight stuff after and maybe a swim if i've got the energy, and then 2/3 days a week not on SL, I'm aiming to do 45 mins cardio. I allow for 1/2 days off a week. I'm happy to tone that down when the SL programme gets more intense, but at the moment I'm not really finding anything very heavy so I'm adding extra things to supplement it.