What were your first few Stronglifts sessions like?
Oishii
Posts: 2,675 Member
Tomorrow I have a free session with a PT at the gym which I hope will be an intro to the correct form for the lifts. I left a message explaining that I wanted to do, so I desperately hope he's not going to try to give me a tour of the machines...
So how did your first sessions go? Did you go it alone? Did you have help? How was it for you?
So how did your first sessions go? Did you go it alone? Did you have help? How was it for you?
0
Replies
-
I had a PT show me how the squat rack worked (how you change the height of the bar, and the safety bars etc) but beyond that I did it myself.
The first few sessions were fun! you aren't too tired as the weight isn't -that- heavy, but it feels like you are doing good work. Take the time to really look at your form though, get it right now and when the weight gets heavy you won't be hurting yourself or having to unlearn bad habits..0 -
I had a PT show me how the squat rack worked (how you change the height of the bar, and the safety bars etc) but beyond that I did it myself.
The first few sessions were fun! you aren't too tired as the weight isn't -that- heavy, but it feels like you are doing good work. Take the time to really look at your form though, get it right now and when the weight gets heavy you won't be hurting yourself or having to unlearn bad habits..
Did you use the Olympic bar from the get go?0 -
yes, although for rows it was easier to use the women's bar as (once you've got over just propping the very light bar on something) you can use larger plates and have less propping to do (you prop it on something to mimic the height it would be with a 20kg/45lb plate on each end so you aren't pulling from too low). If you have bumper plates of course this won't be an issue.
but you have to see where you start - it's not a competition with anyone except yourself, and if it is too heavy to start with you won't have anywhere to progress to!0 -
I didn't have anyone help me when I first started, but from reading around the forums etc, I knew about the safety bars etc.
I think like lwoodrof said, at first it seemed easy since the weight was so light, but it quickly gets challenging! I started right off with the Olympic bar for all the workouts also...
I have since gone back and reviewed some of the links that tameko posted in this group. One of them is a link to Mendi doing all the exercises, which I found very helpful. I definitely wasn't warming up like I should have been.0 -
Great question! I'm curious too, as I haven't started yet and will probably be going at it alone (except if the gym trainer has pity on me and decides to "show" me how to use the equipment). I guess it's not a big deal for anyone who has used barbells before, but for anyone who hasn't, there are so many "?"s.
I met a trainer today just to review equipment needs to be sure the gym has everything I need (they do!), but noticed that the 3 Olybars were already loaded with plates that I'd be scared to try to unload by myself at this point (iow, big & heavy) but not being used. What would I do in that case? Tell a trainer?
I'm also wondering at what weight everyone started (the empty 45lb Olybar? or less?) and if anyone started with the higher weight for the deadlift and barbell row (Mehdi said to start these lifts at 95 & 65lbs respectively)?
I've watched Mehdi's videos and it helps with form, but he's got his own basement set-up and it's all pretty streamlined. I'd love to see a video of a girl doing the workout....at a regular gym with the usual bros around. Now THAT would answer a lot of my questions.0 -
Great question! I'm curious too, as I haven't started yet and will probably be going at it alone (except if the gym trainer has pity on me and decides to "show" me how to use the equipment). I guess it's not a big deal for anyone who has used barbells before, but for anyone who hasn't, there are so many "?"s.
I met a trainer today just to review equipment needs to be sure the gym has everything I need (they do!), but noticed that the 3 Olybars were already loaded with plates that I'd be scared to try to unload by myself at this point (iow, big & heavy) but not being used. What would I do in that case? Tell a trainer?
I'm also wondering at what weight everyone started (the empty 45lb Olybar? or less?) and if anyone started with the higher weight for the deadlift and barbell row (Mehdi said to start these lifts at 95 & 65lbs respectively)?
I've watched Mehdi's videos and it helps with form, but he's got his own basement set-up and it's all pretty streamlined. I'd love to see a video of a girl doing the workout....at a regular gym with the usual bros around. Now THAT would answer a lot of my questions.
It's irritating when someone goes off and leaves all their plates on the bar, but I just remove them myself. Just make sure you have a good grip on them and make sure your toes are out of the way! Also, make sure you put them down correctly, using your legs, not your back, just like you would any other heavy object. One guy saw me going to use the rack where he'd left all his weight loaded and he came over and removed them for me and the other day, the guy using the squad rack next to me offered to help. I let him do the ones closest to him and I did the other side.
I didn't start with the Olympic bar on OHP or rows, I just used the fixed weight barbells until I was ready. In fact, I'm still not using the Olympic bar for presses, yet. I used my time with a trainer to work on form and to help figure out the correct weight to start out with. Keep in mind, Mehdi is talking to men and doesn't seen to consider that women might actually benefit from SL, so 95lbs might not be the best weight for you to start with. I think at the beginning, form is more important than how heavy the weight is.
There's a lot of videos on YouTube of women lifting that are pretty inspiring! For form videos, I prefer to stick with people that know what they're talking about, like Mark Rippetoe (Starting Strength), and a few others I've seen recommended on the general forums. Greg Pendlay has a good one on how to do the rows, also.
Have fun with your trainer!0 -
I used the internet to teach myself. I can't be bothered with annoying trainers.0
-
I didn't have an olympic bar when I started. And besides starting at 45 lbs would have been too much for me. I now have a fully stocked gym in my basement including an olympic bar, squat rack, bench etc. (Set my whole gym up including some machines for under $200).
Now I warm up with the olympic bar (except for OHP). It is true what they say......"what once seemed heavy will soon be your warmup weight".0 -
I did all of the above--I researched (youtube) all the different moves, then I went in alone (early morning, few people there) and just started with the squats. I think you'll be impressed by how much weight your lower-half can handle; my squats were stronger than I anticipated. But I will never get as low as Medhi does--and I think that's alright. I still feel like I'm engaging my whole body in the lift.
For the deadlift, unless you're experienced, PLEASE do not start with whatever heavy weight he says. I started my deadlift at 90lbs (I think he recommends 95?), and I still pulled a muscle in my back. I then dropped it down to like...60 lbs? Much more manageable.
And for that I used the pre-weighted bars (shorter, usually in a rack of about 10 different sizes) b/c I hate putting the plates/collars on for the deadlift. Also, when you do need to put the plates/collars on for the deadlift, use the squat rack to get set up (move the holders to the front lowest slot). I sat on the floor wrestling with the Olympic-sized bar for like 15 minutes before I realized that was an option.0 -
I used the internet to teach myself. I can't be bothered with annoying trainers.
Lol! Ditto! I started by myself and was contacted by a "trainer" via phone. I told him what I was doing (he'd never heard of StrongLifts) and what I wanted to accomplish in our meeting. He said he was a former bodybuilder yada yada and we set up a time to meet. When we got together, he gave me a circuit training routine with lots of cardio and machines. I had printed out a summary of StrongLifts and he told me I'd get bulky. I noped right out of there.
As far as leaving plates on the bar, I just clear them off myself (unless the person is still standing around, in which case I ask them if they're done. They usually get the hint). If you're worried about not being able to lift the plates, you can ask a gym employee to help. That's what they're there for.
0 -
Great question! I'm curious too, as I haven't started yet and will probably be going at it alone (except if the gym trainer has pity on me and decides to "show" me how to use the equipment). I guess it's not a big deal for anyone who has used barbells before, but for anyone who hasn't, there are so many "?"s.
I met a trainer today just to review equipment needs to be sure the gym has everything I need (they do!), but noticed that the 3 Olybars were already loaded with plates that I'd be scared to try to unload by myself at this point (iow, big & heavy) but not being used. What would I do in that case? Tell a trainer?
I'm also wondering at what weight everyone started (the empty 45lb Olybar? or less?) and if anyone started with the higher weight for the deadlift and barbell row (Mehdi said to start these lifts at 95 & 65lbs respectively)?
I've watched Mehdi's videos and it helps with form, but he's got his own basement set-up and it's all pretty streamlined. I'd love to see a video of a girl doing the workout....at a regular gym with the usual bros around. Now THAT would answer a lot of my questions.
I also like to use women fitness vids as help for me so check out these two awesome women on YouTube
barbella fitness
chelsealifts0 -
Great question! I'm curious too, as I haven't started yet and will probably be going at it alone (except if the gym trainer has pity on me and decides to "show" me how to use the equipment). I guess it's not a big deal for anyone who has used barbells before, but for anyone who hasn't, there are so many "?"s.
I met a trainer today just to review equipment needs to be sure the gym has everything I need (they do!), but noticed that the 3 Olybars were already loaded with plates that I'd be scared to try to unload by myself at this point (iow, big & heavy) but not being used. What would I do in that case? Tell a trainer?
I'm also wondering at what weight everyone started (the empty 45lb Olybar? or less?) and if anyone started with the higher weight for the deadlift and barbell row (Mehdi said to start these lifts at 95 & 65lbs respectively)?
I've watched Mehdi's videos and it helps with form, but he's got his own basement set-up and it's all pretty streamlined. I'd love to see a video of a girl doing the workout....at a regular gym with the usual bros around. Now THAT would answer a lot of my questions.
I also like to use women fitness vids as help for me so check out these two awesome women on YouTube
barbella fitness
chelsealifts
Super! I had found barbella before, but not chelsealifts. Very helpful! Thank you.0 -
This is from my own post. I actually started this morning and after had a good 1st workout. I was able to the bar with weights and although I had to stop it from tilting at first. Nothing was too heavy at all. Completed the 5x5 squat (45 lbs), 5x5 bench press (45 lbs) and barbell row (65 lbs) after doing warm up sets. Since I just signed up at my new gym, I get a free personal training session on Thurs. This is good because even though I've watched countless youtube vids on how to use it, I still looked pretty silly trying to setup the squat rack for my bench press. The bar kept hitting the holders for my first two sets until I realized I needed to move the bench. I also had to adjust the height of the bar for the bench press and had to figure that out as well. I even took the bar out from the squat stand awkwardly (lol) to set it up for the barbell row. I even asked a guy if I took one heavy weight off the barbell would the other one fall. He got a little laugh out of that and said no. Just wanted to make sure because I couldn't remember while standing there if I saw that happen in youtube vids. So having this PT teach me how to properly use the squat rack and maybe help with my form will be good. Other than that a good first session and I love it already. But I'll definitely be doing my cardio on non-weight lifting days, because I can tell my legs will get tired from squatting after a while.0
-
My very first session I had misunderstood the mendi brospeak and was convinced a bar was 45kg. I only weigh about 60kg fully dressed so the idea of squatting 45kg first off was insane to me let alone benching that sort of weight!
So I started with dumbells at about 8kg for a week or so, found the group here and realised my mistake and moved on to the bar. I still couldn't OHP a bar for 5x5 for a long time though but I did ok with the other stuff.
I had been watching what folk did with the rack and all while I was playing with the dumbells so I was happy enough with that. I am pretty flexible so no issues with depth of squat or anything. I never got the hang of pendlay rows though and just barbell row instead.
With regards rows and deadlifts if I were to put 2 25kg plates on a bar I would be attempting to deadlift and row about 120% of my bodyweight which is no bad place to aim for but certainly not where I want to be starting from!0 -
Congrats yankeefan! Thanks for the play-by-play. I signed up at the gym today, so d-day is coming for me too.
roxylola, thanks for the details. I'm in a kg country too and am trying to work out the conversions. I think I'll be doing a regular bar w/weights for OHP at first too, but hopefully I can get right into the other exercises with the Oly bar. I'm thinking I might just go play around with the regular barbells for a week or so, in order to watch other people too and learn the rhythm and norms for the gym (& learn my own strength). Good idea. Maybe I'll attempt one exercise with Oly bar per visit, until I've been through them all and start feeling more comfortable.
Very helpful thread and awesome group. Thanks all0 -
Welcome
My attitude (and there are people here who know much more than me so I am prepared to be corrected) has always been that just because the program is written thus does not mean I can't play around with what suits me best. It's a guide not gospel - just my opinion though
*to add
also, I had a break and restarted when I did I was using a preloaded 12.5kg bar of my OHP and got linear progression all the way to 20kg had a session where I did extra reps/sets then again to 22.5kg. By which time I was squatting 40kg so they won't all be equal0 -
For me, I started with videos and YouTube stuff. Once I got to what felt like "real" weights to me (probably in the ball park of squat and deadlifts of about 75 pounds or so) I realized I needed to double check my form. I've been going to an Anytime gym for a few years so I know the trainers. I set up 2 weeks of sessions with one of the power lifter trainers to specifically work on form. He helped me correct what felt like mistakes brewing (leaning to far forward on squats for one, LOL) and helped me feel more confident on working out with weights by myself in the gym...like how do you drop the bar without doing it on your head! (I work out at 4am and it's usually my mother and I alone in the gym and she's a-sckeered of weights so we're not near each other.) He didn't try to pressure me off what I was doing and while he hadn't heard of it, he thought the program sounded very good for a full body work out.
I just broke the 3 digit mark on my lifts - 100# in both squats and deads so I'm feeling very weight-ish this week! I never realized how much a silly achievement like this would boost my confidence. I weigh much more than this measly 100# wt so technically every time I get up from a chair I'm sort of rising from a squat...but putting that on the bar felt nice.
Enjoy SL!0 -
Well, I've been all on my own from the start, so it was a lot of figuring out what was what and where, and just trying to get the form right. I am still trying to do that. There doesn't seem to be anyone else at my gym who is doing what I am doing. The manager and trainer doesn't know anything about doing this type of thing as far as I can tell.0
-
Glad to see this thread is useful
I've had my first two sessions now, one with the trainer and one without. For me the most important thing is that I now feel confident to step into the free weights part of the gym :laugh: I bumped into a mummy friend in the changing rooms and she understood my sense of triumph and might join me someday
I'm being a woose with some of the weights for now, but I'm confident I can add to them already, so I'll soon be up to the Olympic bar and beyond.in no time. No way would I have thought of doing this without mfp, so I feel very grateful to mfp today :happy: :flowerforyou:0 -
Yay! winning!0
-
Yay for learning, progressing and getting stronger!!!0
-
I had a few sessions with a PT before starting ST. He was very focuses on using machines rather than free weights. Since starting ST I've been working out alone. I watch a lot of you tube videos on form but may look into getting a different PT in the future0
