doing all the exercises in one day, twice a week?
KateRVA
Posts: 13
I just started Stronglifts 5x5 but I'm having such a hard time wrapping my brain around this after years of doing BodyPump classes. For the past year I was doing dumbbell/kettlebell workouts in addition to the classes, but even those were high rep, low weight, sweating my butt off and exhausted afterward kinda thing.
I'm so used to having a cardio aspect to my weightlifting and I'm terrified I'm going to gain weight. I gained ten pounds over the past year from emotional eating due to a bunch of life changes, and I'm still trying to get that under control. I still plan to do cardio on other days of the week, but I'm just having a hard time getting past this mental block. Also, I'm used to doing more exercises in a total body workout, twice a week. Could I do this with Stronglifts? Like do ALL the exercises in one day and do that twice a week?
Example:
Squat
Bench Press
Rows
Overhead Press
Deadlift
Then I would throw in some higher rep pushups or dips one workout, pullups or chinups the second workout. Along with maybe a pulling shoulder exercise (upright rows or side raises) and some biceps/triceps work since it's about to be tank top season.
I'm already in decent shape and have a decent amount of muscle from the higher rep workouts I was doing before. My goals at this point are:
- Gain strength. I don't necessarily need to be setting PRs all the time and lifting 2x my body weight or whatever, but I want to be functionally strong. Carrying my dog up and down the stairs if she gets injured again. Moving furniture. Etc.
- Lose the extra fat I gained over the past year. I gained 10 pounds but I'm not worried about the number since I'm going to be lifting heavier. Just want the extra jiggliness to go away.
Thanks!
I'm so used to having a cardio aspect to my weightlifting and I'm terrified I'm going to gain weight. I gained ten pounds over the past year from emotional eating due to a bunch of life changes, and I'm still trying to get that under control. I still plan to do cardio on other days of the week, but I'm just having a hard time getting past this mental block. Also, I'm used to doing more exercises in a total body workout, twice a week. Could I do this with Stronglifts? Like do ALL the exercises in one day and do that twice a week?
Example:
Squat
Bench Press
Rows
Overhead Press
Deadlift
Then I would throw in some higher rep pushups or dips one workout, pullups or chinups the second workout. Along with maybe a pulling shoulder exercise (upright rows or side raises) and some biceps/triceps work since it's about to be tank top season.
I'm already in decent shape and have a decent amount of muscle from the higher rep workouts I was doing before. My goals at this point are:
- Gain strength. I don't necessarily need to be setting PRs all the time and lifting 2x my body weight or whatever, but I want to be functionally strong. Carrying my dog up and down the stairs if she gets injured again. Moving furniture. Etc.
- Lose the extra fat I gained over the past year. I gained 10 pounds but I'm not worried about the number since I'm going to be lifting heavier. Just want the extra jiggliness to go away.
Thanks!
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Replies
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I don't know if it would be best to do them all in one workout... Someone else please chime in!
For me personally, I would not. It already takes me an hour to complete only three of them and to be honest, I wouldn't want to add more to one workout session. StrongLifts are f*****g hard! The delayed onset muscle soreness I get from only doing three of the movements is manageable (but awful at the same time lol) - I can't imagine how stiff and robotic I would be if I crammed everything into one workout!0 -
I'm guessing I might feel that way because it's so early in the program and I'm not lifting super heavy yet. I've done two workouts and I've just been focusing more on form since some of the movements are a little different than Bodypump (deadlifts from the floor, and lower squats).
Like I said, after years of having such a cardio component to my weightlifting, it may just take some time to adjust my mindset...0 -
I think you would be insane to do that, but that's just me.
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You could do 2 days a week rather than one and build in some accessory work or some cardio but I would not put all the workouts in to one day - it will get much harder very soon0
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If you are starting out with just the bar the weights add up quite quickly alternating the workouts, especially squats as you are doing these every time. I wouldn't put them all together, just follow the layout for A and B alternating and just add cardio on afterwards until you have built it up to when you are really moving some heavy weight.
You can also add a abs circuit on after each workout so you feel you are doing more work0 -
There's a reason the program is written the way it is. If you lift with any kind of intensity then you will quickly find that all these lifts will suffer because it's just too much. With the additional accessory work you're wanting to do and all the cardio you say you do, unless you eat in surplus you're going to have a very difficult time gaining strength because there's no "fuel" (calories) left to recover from all that. It's funny because I have a friend I'm training who's the same - the workouts I give her just "aren't enough" so she keeps adding more and more lifts to what I gave her, she doesn't eat enough (don't know if that's the case with you) then she wonders why she's not getting the results she wants.
Getting stronger and leaner takes A LOT of work, especially as a female. And it also takes time. Be patient, make sure you're eating appropriately (and enough), and shift your focus to progressing with the lifts (adding more weight). Do this and you'll be successful with your goals.0 -
What do I do if my gym doesn't have 2.5 lb weights? I can't increase in increments of 5, only 10... will this make me stall out faster?0
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Buy a couple of 2.5lb weights and take with you. Make sure to not leave them though.0
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Point 1: I would highly recommend NOT doing ALL the lifts together twice a week. Just do one day of A and one day of B. I have only been lifting twice a week and keep the split. I would suggest adding your body weight work to the end of the session as accessory work. I typically add in some accessory work on my lifting days. Don't be afraid of cardio after lifting if you want. Personally, and I'll proclaim that I'm a bit crazy, I find I have a better fat loss when I run just one mile after lifting. Yes, my legs feel like they are lead after deadlifting, but even at a 10 min/mile pace, I see the results I want. You will probably see an initial gain. DO NOT FEAR THE GAIN. This is caused by the muscle repair process. When you lift, the muscles get micro tears and the body pushes glycogen and water into the muscle to help repair it. This will cause a gain for a few weeks, but eventually, things will level out and if your diet is at a deficit, you will start to see a loss again.
Point 2: Ask the staff if they have the 2.5 lb plates, they may just be hidden. It is rare that a legit gym fails to have the 2.5 lb plates. If they still don't have them, go to a local sporting goods store (or online) and get a set for yourself. Take them to the gym when you need them. Some people even get a set of fractional plates in .25-2 lb weights to provide an even smaller progression.0
