Starting Strength

PriceK01

Yesterday was my first day of Starting Strength I'm using the oly bar without weights to start, and think I'll just progress 5lbs at a time. Yesterday's workout wasn't difficult, and I'm really not feeling it today which is surprising. I don't have a squat rack, but our old Weider Club 500 has fairly large safety bars, so I feel comfortable. I might change my mind once I start increasing weights

Chief_Rocka

I wouldn't recommend starting with 5 lb increases for all your lifts. Squats and Deads naturally progress faster than OHP, there's no good reason you should be artificially limiting yourself.

DaniH826

The first week of Starting Strength is deceptively easy ... so enjoy! It'll ramp up here pretty quick. :drinker:

It's supposed to be easy at the beginning as that gives you a chance to really focus on form and get the basics down, laying a good foundation for yourself before you add serious weights. I probably spent my first couple weeks lifting around with just the oly bar before I added anything to it, just making sure my form was correct. Take as much time as you need to for that would be my personal suggestion if you're new to barbell training.

PriceK01

Thanks, Dani and Rock. So maybe I'll go 10lbs on squats and deads, 5lbs on bench and cleans? I don't want to get too ambitious and burn myself out. I'll see how things go after my next workout tomorrow. It's been so long since I've lifted (20yrs?), so I'm a little nervous. Also keep hearing my ex-husband in the back of my head complaining that I'm getting too bulky

Doing so few reps is definitely new to me and will take some getting used to. Yesterday I wanted to do 3x what the book said, but know it's best to stick with the program. I also hate skipping a day when I'm this excited. Maybe I'll go down to the weight room and rearrange things or something

DaniH826

If memory serves, Starting Strength has you go up in weight weekly by like 5 lbs per lift?

Whereas Stronglifts has you go up in weight each session?

Now, as a woman, that's fine for the lower body stuff, but don't be surprised if you find your overhead press and bench press lagging behind and having to go up in smaller increments and eventually using fractional weights. It's perfectly normal. Your cleans will also progress slower than your deadlifts. Again, perfectly normal.

If you have the book, be sure to read it all the way through because he goes into all that.

Also, you're not going to get too bulky as a woman without taking extra testosterone and/or steroids. No worries. Lift away! :drinker:

Chief_Rocka

Also keep hearing my ex-husband in the back of my head complaining that I'm getting too bulky

PriceK01

Just double-checked my book again and it actually looks like I go up in weight with each session, so I will increase tomorrow. And yeah, he suggests women go up in higher increments for squats and deads, so that is what I will do

Also, since I started without weights, I stacked plates under the bar for deadlifts (about 8-9") thinking I wanted the bar at about the height of 45's. Is this correct?

PriceK01

Exactly, Rock!

Sarauk2sf

Just double-checked my book again and it actually looks like I go up in weight with each session, so I will increase tomorrow. And yeah, he suggests women go up in higher increments for squats and deads, so that is what I will do

Also, since I started without weights, I stacked plates under the bar for deadlifts (about 8-9") thinking I wanted the bar at about the height of 45's. Is this correct?

For conventional deadlifts you should be starting at the same height as you would be at with a 45lb plate.

PriceK01

Thank you, Sara. That's what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure

PriceK01

Session 2 done! I think I'm going to feel this one tomorrow Overhead presses were harder than I expected. I made a poster of the spreadsheet from the SS Wiki, to help keep track of my workouts. It also calculates the warmups for me. Pretty handy!

Warmups are interesting, since some of them require less than the weight of the barbell. I used a curling bar for some of them. I'm guessing that at 25lbs with spring collars. Does that sound about right?

I also have what I believe is a triceps bar. I think that's 22lbs? I have another weird bar with individually swiveling grips. No idea what that one is! I took a picture, lets see if I can attach it:



Hmmm that didn't work. Anyone know how to insert pictures from Dropbox??

DaniH826

To insert pictures here you have to wedge the web link between two small-letter img tags

without the blank spaces

When I bought my bars, I weighed myself with them and without them and subtracted the difference to get an accurate weight. I think I just put the EZ curl bar right on the scale by itself.

No sense guessing if you don't have to, because there's so much variance. If you can weigh the bar(s), then do it.

PriceK01

Thanks, Dani! I did use the lowercase img tags, without any spaces. I think the issue is with the links Dropbox gives me for the pictures.

Good idea about weighing them on the scale. I think I'll bring it down to my weight room, rather than carry all the bars up two flights of stairs to my master bath.

I finally found of picture of the weird bar online. It's a 47" SupraBar Olympic Curl Bar and should weight 25-29lbs:

_noob_

Thanks, Dani! I did use the lowercase img tags, without any spaces. I think the issue is with the links Dropbox gives me for the pictures.

Good idea about weighing them on the scale. I think I'll bring it down to my weight room, rather than carry all the bars up two flights of stairs to my master bath.

I finally found of picture of the weird bar online. It's a 47" SupraBar Olympic Curl Bar and should weight 25-29lbs:

that's one bar I've never seen...

PriceK01

that's one bar I've never seen...
[/quote]

I've never seen it used, even though it's been in my home at least 5 years


I finished session 4 last night. So far, so good! Overhead press is still the most difficult, and I actually failed on my first set. Double-checked my stance and grip, then did all three sets correctly. I'm almost wondering if I should find some incremental weights so that I can reduce my current 5lb increases.

My boys stopped by last night to help me lift my roof top tent back up on the Disco. I was just finishing my last set of power cleans, and they said I looked buff

PriceK01

Ut oh! I've been wearing my Polar HRM during these sessions and logging my calories burned, so that I'd be sure to eat them back. I just read that burn calculations from a HRM are only correct for aerobic activities, and not correct for strength training. Is this correct??

SideSteel

I just read that burn calculations from a HRM are only correct for aerobic activities, and not correct for strength training. Is this correct??

That's my understanding.

PriceK01

Well, crap. That means I've been over eating the last week and a half

I thought it looked odd that my HRM burn was so much higher than the MFP estimates for lifting. Should I start using those instead, or not even bother?

SideSteel

My preference is to estimate TDEE with an exercise inclusive model and then eat roughly the same daily whether its a lift or rest day. You don't have to do this but I find it much simpler.

Alternatively you'll just have to re-estimate your expenditure from lifting.

PriceK01

Thanks, SS!

I had already upped my calories from 1380 to 1480 in anticipation of starting (I'm 44, 5'10", 135lbs (was maintaining at 134 before upping calories), and 22.38% body fat from the average using Heybales' spreadsheet. I've got my macros set for 111g protein, 49g fat, and 148g carbs.


I think I'll ignore any burn from lifting for now and see how it goes.

PriceK01

Session 5 done! I'm thinking 10lb increases on squats is going to be too much. Today I was supposed to be doing 85lbs, but the first set was really bad, I couldn't get parallel. I went back down to 75 on those. Everything else went OK

Sarauk2sf

The 10lb increase for squats and deads is really for guys - I believe that 5lb increases (and 2.5lb for upper) is recommended for women..

PriceK01

Thank you, Sara. I'm going to redo my spreadsheet and stick with 5lb increases across the board. Session six on Saturday was disappointing. I don't seem to be progressing the way I had hoped. I still cannot keep good form squatting 85lbs, or pressing the 55 I was supposed to be at.

Another question: I will be away for a music festival (Coachella) and will have to miss two workouts. When I get back, should I redo the last one I completed, or start up where I left off?

Sarauk2sf

I would just carry on from where you left off.

Have fun at the festival!

PriceK01

Thank you, Sara! I try to go each year as an early b-day present. It's always a great time, albeit not the healthiest. I figure all the walk and dancing cancels out all the beer and festival food, though

DaniH826

The 10lb increase for squats and deads is really for guys - I believe that 5lb increases (and 2.5lb for upper) is recommended for women.

Definitely tossing my hat into the ring with this also.

I bought six 2-inch flat washers to be able to increase my presses more incrementally (that way I can even go up *roughly* by 1.25 lbs if need be using 1 washer per side at a time), and it's working out great so far. Went the washer route since fractional weights can be pretty expensive, and I'm a cheapskate who doesn't care about being an ounce or two off here and there.

PriceK01

The washers are a great suggestion, Dani. Thank you!

DaniH826

The washers are a great suggestion, Dani. Thank you!

You're welcome! I bought mine at a local Fastenal store. Dude looked at me a bit funny, but as it turns out, people use those things for other stuff than just ... well, whatever those washers are actually made for. :laugh:

They don't usually carry them at the big home improvement chains, so you may have to do some hunting. There's always the Interwebs though. 2-inch flat zinc-coated stainless steel is what mine are. Fit well on the bar with a bit of wiggle room and stay steady with my plate clips/springs without issues. And for $3-4 a piece, it's a steal really, because the max you will ever need are 6 (should you choose to go up in 1.25-ish lb increments rather than 2.5-ish for certain lifts at certain times).