12 Weeks of Stronglifts: Still a woman! Lotsa pics.

I just finished my 12th week of Stronglifts 5x5. Fantastic group here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

I've been lifting about a year and a half, but the first year was on machines at the gym, and since July, I've been using free weights at home. Mostly just putzing around not following any particular program until I started SL in late September. I've been taking photos every two weeks to track my progress, and eating at maintenance (about 2300 calories a day).

I'm not posting these photos because they show some awesome transformation. In fact, there's not a helluva lot of difference between my starting photos and my week 12 photos. And that's the point. Lifting heavy made me buttloads stronger. But it didn't make me into She-Hulk. I might eat like a man, lift like a man, sweat like a man, smell like a man and swear like a man... but I still look most definitely like a woman.

All the boring stats...

Starting weight: 132.2
Week 2: 132.6
Week 4: 132.6
Week 6: 135
Week 8: 135
Week 10: 134.2
Week 12: 133.5

According to online calculators, My body fat gone from 20% at the start, to 18.6% now. I'm not sure if that's accurate or not, but I don't much care. I'm happy with how I look and feel, so the exact number doesn't matter to me.

Squat:
Start: 45
Week 2: 70
Week 4: 97
Week 6: 110
Week 8: 127
Week 10: 142
Week 12: 160

Deadlift:
Start: 75
Week 2: 90
Week 4: 107
Week 6: 110
Week 8: 135
Week 10: 145
Week 12: 160

Bench:
Start: 65
Week 2: 75
Week 4: 77
Week 6: 80
Week 8: 85
Week 10: 90
Week 12: 100

Row:
Start: 65
Week 2: 75
Week 4: 87
Week 6: 90
Week 8: 95
Week 10: 100
Week 12: 105

Overhead Press:
Start: 45
Week 2: 55
Week 4: 62
Week 6: 62
Week 8: 65
Week 10: 65
Week 12: 70

And the photos. Since the biweekly photos are getting pretty tiny, I also put the starting photos with the final photos.





















And this is why it gets so frustrating when we see women who think they're going to get big and bulky lifting weights, and especially when they're doing something like the 30 Day Shred with 3 pound dumbbells and eating 1200 calories. I didn't get noticeably bigger... I'm still wearing the same clothes. I didn't lose my curves... in fact, my waist got smaller. My bum got higher and perkier.

And best of all... I feel like a superhero. Like I said in another thread, I used to be a weakling. I once threw out my back because I twisted weird cleaning up cat puke. That was humiliating.... walking around like a question mark, and having people ask what happened. "Freak hairball injury." :blushing:

Knowing I can bench press 75% of my body weight and squat more than my bodyweight makes me strut around like a peacock. I always through of myself as pretty awesome. I'm smart, funny, creative, artistic. Being smart, funny, creative, artistic AND strong is even cooler.