We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
Stronglifts 5x5 vs All Pro's beginners routine
pandorakick
Posts: 901 Member
I've seen both Stronglifts 5x5 and All Pro's beginners routine recommended for people wanting to start weight lifting. Can you perhaps tell me why you would recommend one over the other?
In my particular case I would have to adept excercises to the dumbbell equivalents. I don't have place for a barbell and prefer working out at home over going to the gym. Would this perhaps tip the scale in favor of either Stronglifts or All Pro's routine?
Looking forward to your opinions on this!
In my particular case I would have to adept excercises to the dumbbell equivalents. I don't have place for a barbell and prefer working out at home over going to the gym. Would this perhaps tip the scale in favor of either Stronglifts or All Pro's routine?
Looking forward to your opinions on this!
0
Replies
-
I have a response to this but I'm in a super long meeting. I thinks there's a third option - be back in a few hours0
-
**** sorry I thought this was in the sl group rather than Sara and ss'a group. I will let them respond0
-
I would love to hear about a possible 3rd option as well!0
-
Mark Rippetoe has a program for beginners called Starting Strength that is well thought of. This link will take you to a website that compares both.
http://spotmebro.com/starting-strength-vs-stronglifts-5x5/0 -
Mark Rippetoe has a program for beginners called Starting Strength that is well thought of. This link will take you to a website that compares both.
http://spotmebro.com/starting-strength-vs-stronglifts-5x5/
I personally consider SL and SS more or less the same program, frankly. I mean, yes, they are SLIGHTLY different, but for the purposes of this particular question I'd call them equal.
#tamekosucksatstayingoutofthreads0 -
Tagging to respond to later.0
-
Tagging to follow replies - interested in Sara & SideSteel's responses.0
-
My thoughts on this, and apologies for the scattered presentation of them, and I am sure SideSteel will weigh in with his:
- All Pro has more volume, which, depending on energy levels, can be either a good thing or a bad thing
- All Pro has a total higher rep range so will be more hypertrophy and less strength range. As it starts off at a higher rep range I actually think this is preferable for beginners anyway. It gives you a chance to get your form down but still get a decent volume of work done.
- You will find more people doing Stronglifts on here so it has more people being able to answer questions about it (although there is a good knowledge base on bb.com for All Pro from the looks of it)
- I am not a huge fan of having scheduled decreasing weight through the week without increasing reps as you have in All Pro, however, on the flip side, doing deadlifts and squats 3 x a week for full sets can be really taxing on your CNS (which is mitigated to a degree by being at a higher rep range)
It really comes down to goals, energy levels, available time etc etc0 -
Thank you for your reply Sara.
My goals have shifted from weightloss to getting stronger and looking better.
In the mornings I have about an hour available for working out. Given the amount of sets and reps, Stronglifts seems to be the more economic one time-wise.
For background information: According to the online calculator I've been using, my bodyfat has decreased from about 35% to currently 22.2%. I wouldn't mind it getting it a bit lower to about 20%, but that's not my main focus. I've upped my calorie intake the last few months very slowly to maintenance. I'm not sure whether I've found the "sweet spot" for that yet, will evaluate my current intake in a month. I'm 34 years old, 1.65 m and currently weigh 57.25 kg.
I'm currently doing ChaLean extreme, and I want to start "real" weight lifting after that in about 3 weeks.0 -
Sara - just to clarify one small point via the above (bolded) passage - you don't do conventional deads on All Pro's routine....it's stiff-legged deadlifts. Many people have asked him if they could do DL instead of SLDL and he explicitly recommends against it, for the exact reason you discussed above.My thoughts on this, and apologies for the scattered presentation of them, and I am sure SideSteel will weigh in with his:
- All Pro has more volume, which, depending on energy levels, can be either a good thing or a bad thing
- All Pro has a total higher rep range so will be more hypertrophy and less strength range. As it starts off at a higher rep range I actually think this is preferable for beginners anyway. It gives you a chance to get your form down but still get a decent volume of work done.
- You will find more people doing Stronglifts on here so it has more people being able to answer questions about it (although there is a good knowledge base on bb.com for All Pro from the looks of it)
- I am not a huge fan of having scheduled decreasing weight through the week without increasing reps as you have in All Pro, however, on the flip side, doing deadlifts and squats 3 x a week for full sets can be really taxing on your CNS (which is mitigated to a degree by being at a higher rep range)
It really comes down to goals, energy levels, available time etc etc
I get what you mean about scheduled decreasing weight through the week without altering rep ranges. He discusses the reasons for it and it makes sense, but I have two issues with it - one psychological and one physical. The psychological issue is that I can't help but feel that I'm cheating my progress on the lighter days by not pushing as hard (I try to compensate for it by decreasing rest periods between sets). The physical one is that, after the medium and light days, the weights feel much heavier to me on the next Monday's "heavy day" because I haven't pushed the full weight in a week and am now going up one rep. For both of those reasons, I find myself "cheating" on the heavier side with the weights on the lighter days - staying closer to the "heavy day" weights than the recommended decreases.
On the positive side, I like the higher volume and rep ranges better than the 5x5 routines, especially since I'm targeting hypertrophy/fat loss more so than strength (yes, even knowing that hypertrophy isn't going to happen to any appreciable extent while in a deficit). The workout takes just under an hour to complete, so energy issues aren't a problem.0 -
Sara - just to clarify one small point via the above (bolded) passage - you don't do conventional deads on All Pro's routine....it's stiff-legged deadlifts. Many people have asked him if they could do DL instead of SLDL and he explicitly recommends against it, for the exact reason you discussed above.My thoughts on this, and apologies for the scattered presentation of them, and I am sure SideSteel will weigh in with his:
- All Pro has more volume, which, depending on energy levels, can be either a good thing or a bad thing
- All Pro has a total higher rep range so will be more hypertrophy and less strength range. As it starts off at a higher rep range I actually think this is preferable for beginners anyway. It gives you a chance to get your form down but still get a decent volume of work done.
- You will find more people doing Stronglifts on here so it has more people being able to answer questions about it (although there is a good knowledge base on bb.com for All Pro from the looks of it)
- I am not a huge fan of having scheduled decreasing weight through the week without increasing reps as you have in All Pro, however, on the flip side, doing deadlifts and squats 3 x a week for full sets can be really taxing on your CNS (which is mitigated to a degree by being at a higher rep range)
It really comes down to goals, energy levels, available time etc etc
I get what you mean about scheduled decreasing weight through the week without altering rep ranges. He discusses the reasons for it and it makes sense, but I have two issues with it - one psychological and one physical. The psychological issue is that I can't help but feel that I'm cheating my progress on the lighter days by not pushing as hard (I try to compensate for it by decreasing rest periods between sets). The physical one is that, after the medium and light days, the weights feel much heavier to me on the next Monday's "heavy day" because I haven't pushed the full weight in a week and am now going up one rep. For both of those reasons, I find myself "cheating" on the heavier side with the weights on the lighter days - staying closer to the "heavy day" weights than the recommended decreases.
On the positive side, I like the higher volume and rep ranges better than the 5x5 routines, especially since I'm targeting hypertrophy/fat loss more so than strength (yes, even knowing that hypertrophy isn't going to happen to any appreciable extent while in a deficit). The workout takes just under an hour to complete, so energy issues aren't a problem.
Thanks for that. I was actually going to make a comment about why SLDL rather than conventional but thought that my personal preference for conventional may have been biasing my comment so left it out. That makes more sense.
Also, I cannot see any issues with either regarding LBM maintenance so, to me, that aspect is a wash.0 -
It is very interesting to read your points of view on this, Sara and AnvilHead! I hadn't considered the possible psychological apects of a program with decreasing weights during the week.0
-
Sara - just to clarify one small point via the above (bolded) passage - you don't do conventional deads on All Pro's routine....it's stiff-legged deadlifts. Many people have asked him if they could do DL instead of SLDL and he explicitly recommends against it, for the exact reason you discussed above.My thoughts on this, and apologies for the scattered presentation of them, and I am sure SideSteel will weigh in with his:
- All Pro has more volume, which, depending on energy levels, can be either a good thing or a bad thing
- All Pro has a total higher rep range so will be more hypertrophy and less strength range. As it starts off at a higher rep range I actually think this is preferable for beginners anyway. It gives you a chance to get your form down but still get a decent volume of work done.
- You will find more people doing Stronglifts on here so it has more people being able to answer questions about it (although there is a good knowledge base on bb.com for All Pro from the looks of it)
- I am not a huge fan of having scheduled decreasing weight through the week without increasing reps as you have in All Pro, however, on the flip side, doing deadlifts and squats 3 x a week for full sets can be really taxing on your CNS (which is mitigated to a degree by being at a higher rep range)
It really comes down to goals, energy levels, available time etc etc
I get what you mean about scheduled decreasing weight through the week without altering rep ranges. He discusses the reasons for it and it makes sense, but I have two issues with it - one psychological and one physical. The psychological issue is that I can't help but feel that I'm cheating my progress on the lighter days by not pushing as hard (I try to compensate for it by decreasing rest periods between sets). The physical one is that, after the medium and light days, the weights feel much heavier to me on the next Monday's "heavy day" because I haven't pushed the full weight in a week and am now going up one rep. For both of those reasons, I find myself "cheating" on the heavier side with the weights on the lighter days - staying closer to the "heavy day" weights than the recommended decreases.
On the positive side, I like the higher volume and rep ranges better than the 5x5 routines, especially since I'm targeting hypertrophy/fat loss more so than strength (yes, even knowing that hypertrophy isn't going to happen to any appreciable extent while in a deficit). The workout takes just under an hour to complete, so energy issues aren't a problem.
^ Exactly how I approach it. I usually stick within guidelines on medium days, but then make a judgement call on the light days. If I'm feeling beat down on a certain exercise I'll stick to the plan (-20% cycle working weight), otherwise I'll treat it as a another medium day. I also add push-ups/sit-ups to the end of my light day since I'm evaulated on those twice annually and need to keep the numbers up.
Personally, I'm in cycle 5 now and the heavy days are exhausting (and I'm old). I often feel like I'm expending the same effort on the medium days as I do on the heavy ones. I'm not sure if I could stick with a program that had me pushing full working weight 3x week on the same muscle groups.
Good luck!0 -
Thank you for your view on this Whiteheaddg!0
-
^ Exactly how I approach it. I usually stick within guidelines on medium days, but then make a judgement call on the light days. If I'm feeling beat down on a certain exercise I'll stick to the plan (-20% cycle working weight), otherwise I'll treat it as a another medium day. I also add push-ups/sit-ups to the end of my light day since I'm evaulated on those twice annually and need to keep the numbers up.
Personally, I'm in cycle 5 now and the heavy days are exhausting (and I'm old). I often feel like I'm expending the same effort on the medium days as I do on the heavy ones. I'm not sure if I could stick with a program that had me pushing full working weight 3x week on the same muscle groups.
Good luck!
Pfft with the old :happy:0 -
I agree, Sara - hell, I've got 9 years on him, what does that make me? :bigsmile:Pfft with the old :happy:0 -
I will chime in purely from a newbie with SL experience. I am currently in my 10th week of the program and I absolutely love it. I will do another cycle after this one....HOWEVER.....the program does get very exhausting as you progress in your weights. I love that I have gotten stronger and the progression is hugely motivating to me but even at this point, with my squat being only at 130, I'm finding it very tiring and I most certainly need my rest days between workouts. It's not that I *can't* do it....but it is certainly pushing me.
Hearing more about All-Pro's routine is certainly interesting, and intriguing, as I'm already giving thought to what my next move will be.....3 months down the road :laugh:
ETA: SL is also designed as a barbell routine. I don't know that dumbbells would work well as you progress. Sorry, just remembered that you had mentioned that in your original post (at least I think you did....it's been a long Monday
) 0 -
I'll offer this - when All Pro tells you to be conservative with your weight selection, he ain't kidding. He recommends using your 10RM weight to start with - the first two weeks at 8 and 9 reps feel relatively easy, the 10-rep week (this week for me) gets increasingly harder, and the 11- and 12-rep weeks are where you're more than happy to take advantage of the medium and light days - it's a grind! Don't start off with the weight you've been pulling on a 5x5 program - you'll be buried real quickly as the reps increase.
For anyone who's thinking of starting this routine at some point - take one workout beforehand to establish your realistic 10RM in each of the lifts and start there. Go ahead and laugh at how easy it is for the first two weeks....then see if you're still laughing on your "heavy" day of week 5 at 12 reps. :bigsmile:
One piece of genius is the way you cycle...if you make all your lifts in week 12, you start the next cycle by increasing your weights by 10% and dropping reps back to 8. Even though you're lifting 10% heavier, it feels much easier because of the drop in reps. And then if you sit and do the math, you realize that your "medium" days in the 2nd cycle were your "heavy" days in the previous cycle.0 -
older :laugh:
I agree, Sara - hell, I've got 9 years on him, what does that make me? :bigsmile:Pfft with the old :happy:0
This discussion has been closed.