Stronglifts...use smith machine or not? HIIT after?

DizzyLinds
DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hiya,

I'm going to start strong lifts this week and am not sure whether to use the smith machine or continue to use free barbell like I normally would?

Also, for those of you who do this, do you do your HIIT after and for how long? I'm trying to train smarter not longer.
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Replies

  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    I don't do Stronglifts but always a free barbell... Smith machine I've heard is not very good for squats and what not.

    I don't do HITT so I'm not help there.. but others will chime in shortly.
  • bsharrah
    bsharrah Posts: 129 Member
    Have you researched Stronglifts at all? If you have, you would already know the answer to this. The program founder is very vocal when it comes to smith machines.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    Maybe I skipped this part! Personally I've always used free weights.
  • LisaWilson2012
    LisaWilson2012 Posts: 118 Member
    Hiya Dizzy

    I go to a mainly men's body building gym so as well as the obvious eye candy, I have picked up quite a lot of tips!

    As for whether to use the free weights or machines, this is personal choice as to what you feel more comfortable with. The majority of the guys I see use free weights and so do I as I find them more versitile.

    However, for fat loss I highly recommend doing your weights first. The carbs you eat are stored in 2 places, the liver and muscle. Once you've done your weights and burned your carbs, your body had no choice to burn fat when you start your cardio. HIIT is a great way to speed up you met rate and doing it after your weights will increase your fat loss too.

    Just make sure you're eating healthily. You will need protein to help rebuid the muscle following your workout. Muscles get torn apart during weight session, on a microscopic level and it is the repair process which occurs over the following few days that burns continuous calories. This is why body builders maintain that weights also burn fat.

    Hope this helps. Feel free to add me.

    Lisa xx
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    Is stronglifts good if I'm already experienced with lifting heavy?
  • LisaWilson2012
    LisaWilson2012 Posts: 118 Member
    Definately!
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    StrongLifts is a beginner's program, designed to get you up to a good starting weight for Squats and Deadlifts before switching to something more advanced. Depending on how much you already lift, you may be better off skipping it.

    StrongLifts 5x5 involves doing 5x5 volume for everything except deadlifts (1x5, since you already squat every workout), adding 5lbs per workout to each exercise (again except deadlifts, which goes up in 10lb increments), with some built-in deloads, until you stall a few times. Once that becomes too much, he recommends you switch to 3x5 for a while, and then to something else entirely.

    Edit: "Something Else" typically being a workout that cycles light / heavy days and makes increases to the weight being lifted only once every week or longer.
  • jonthetrain
    jonthetrain Posts: 8 Member
    I only use the smiths machine if i have no one to spot for me on heavy lifts otherwise i would stick to free weights
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    I only use the smiths machine if i have no one to spot for me on heavy lifts otherwise i would stick to free weights

    You only really need a spotter for the bench press, and that only if you're not confident with a couple of viable methods of getting out from under a missed rep. For everything else, you can just ditch the bar (or even better, lift in a power rack with the safety bars set at the proper height).
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    Smith machine squats put a huge shearing force on your knees and back due to the lack of a natural lifting curve. It also does it to a lesser extent on the other lifts.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    I'm currently squatting 122lbs, benching 77klbs, pressing 55lbs and dead lifting 88lbs...all at 5 reps.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    You'll probably still see some gains doing StrongLifts 5x5 for a while, then. If I remember right, he says to keep doing that program until you've needed to deload an exercise 3 times, then switch to 3x5. (Don't recall whether that's on a per-exercise basis, or just switch the whole workout).
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    Will the reload happen when I can't push the weight up anymore?
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Sort of. If you can't complete your 5x5 sets one day, you try that exercise again at the same weight next time. If you complete it next time, then just move on as normal.

    If you fail to complete your sets 3x in a row, then you deload just that exercise by about 10%, and start working your way back up.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I'm currently squatting 122lbs, benching 77klbs, pressing 55lbs and dead lifting 88lbs...all at 5 reps.

    Judging by those numbers, you're definitely still safely in beginner territory. You will still benefit a lot from stronglifts. It will fix your deadlift problem fast too, as it adds 10lbs per workout to your deadlift. (Judging by your other lifts, your DL should be at about 150 right now.)


    No cardio after.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    So shall I start at the weights I'm using atNd try keep adding 5lbs to this?

    Also I'm sure the programme has an A and B workout... I do A twice then ?
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    It would probably be best if you just get the spreadsheet from the StrongLifts website which explains all this, but I'll try to summarize it in a reasonable length:

    Workout A:
    Squats, Bench Press, Barbell Row

    Workout B:
    Squat, Overhead Press, Deadlift

    Always alternate the workouts, even if you miss reps on an exercise, you don't do that one twice in a row (except Squats, which are done every workout).
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
    Why would you want to use a smith machine? I used one for years and didn't have any problems injury-wise but you take away much of the benefit of doing squats so it'd be a last resort for me.

    As far as HIIT, I do it after (if there's time) and no more than twice/wk.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    So shall I start at the weights I'm using atNd try keep adding 5lbs to this?

    Also I'm sure the programme has an A and B workout... I do A twice then ?

    Check the website, and definitely get the progress chart. Keep in mind it's designed with men in mind. You might need to add 2.5lbs rather than 5 to some lifts. (Bench press, over head press.)

    You can start where you left off, but it might not be a bad idea to go lower if you aren't used to the volume of 5x5.
  • KINGoftheBUFF
    KINGoftheBUFF Posts: 67 Member
    Don't use the smith machine!

    When you are squating and deadlifting 50+ over you bodyweight....Time to move on from stronglifts. For men maybe a little more. When you are moving 100+ more over bodyweight, you can never recover on this program....until then, its a solid program.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    I currently train on a lower/upper split so I'm trying to focus on doing a shorter workout but focus on compound exercises.

    So, I already do 5x5 for the exercises I currently do, specifically for these moves already.mive done a higher rep range for smaller muscle groups...arms, calves.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Oh, one other thing. You didn't mention how many sets you're currently doing. You'll want to get between 1 and 5 minutes of rest between your work sets (the more challenging it was to complete, the more you rest). Edit: Nevermind, you said 5x5 in a later post, so you probably already know this. :smile:

    You'll also want to start adding in warmup sets once the weight is high enough (you could do this for your squats right now). Here's what I do for my warmups (using workout B as an example):

    Squats (and everything except deadlifts, same warm-up structure)
    10 reps with an empty bar
    3 reps with 95lbs (pair of 25lb plates)
    3 reps with 135lbs (replace 25lb plates with 45lb plates)
    3 reps with 185lbs (add the 25lb plates back on)

    ... etc until I reach my work weight, then do the 5x5. I don't rest at all between warmup sets.

    Deadlifts:
    5 reps with 135lbs (pair of 45lb plates to set the proper bar height)
    5 reps with 185lbs (add the 25s)
    5 reps with 225 (replace 25s with 45s)

    ... etc. I'm pretty sure I read these warmup ideas (including doing full sets of deadlifts instead of 3 reps) from the StrongLifts PDF somewhere, but I don't remember for sure.

    Edit again: You don't have to use the 25s-45s increments for your warmups, that's just what works for me to get a reasonable warm-up in and still reach my work weight quickly. Pick any steps that you want.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    If you have options, never use the smith.

    If your goal is to increase weights, then hiit after, not before. When I hiit I generally go for about 15 or 20 ,minutes.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    I don't use the smith now anyway..just wanted to see people's thoughts.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    Lbs are so confusing as is use kg in my gym!
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    I don't use machines.. and I do HIIT after.. about 20 minutes.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    It's not exact, but just cut every number in half to go from pounds to approximate kg. If we say add 5 pounds, you've probably got a pair of roughly 1-1.25kg plates in the gym that gets the same ballpark result.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I use the Smith for squats if I cannot get on the normal squat rack. I just add more weight when using the Smith.
  • DizzyLinds
    DizzyLinds Posts: 856 Member
    I just noticed yo only do 1 set for deadlifts...5 reps!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    No Smith.

    If I do it HIIT it's on a non-lifting day.

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