Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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ktg503
ktg503 Posts: 20
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Hello! I'm getting ready to start the Stronglifts program on Monday (was planning to today but something came up and I won't be able to get to the gym tonight, so I'll be running instead) and I'm wondering what weight everyone started at. I know the official Stronglifts protocol is to start with the bar for squats,press, and bench, 30kg for the row, and 40kg for deadlifts, but he also says somewhere on the website that his girlfriend started lower than that. I'm fairly strong from non-gym activity but I haven't lifted for a while now. What do Stronglifts veterans recommend?

Replies

  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
    Start with the bar for squats, press, and bench. 30 kg for rows and 40 kg for deads. See how those feel and adjust down if necessary. If they seem light, good, start from there to give yourself some time to work on form before the weight gets heavy. Remember, you are adding 5 lbs (2 kg or so) each time you do this so you will add 15 lbs onto the squat each week if you do it 3x/week. You can increase by 5 kg on deadlifts each session until that increase is too much.
  • Llamapants86
    Llamapants86 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I started roughly with the suggested weights (I don't have an oly bar, just a standard bar, so I couldn't get exactly 45 lbs with my bar and weights).

    I found most things except for OHP to be pretty light, but following the increase of 5 lbs every time it got pretty heavy pretty darn quick.
  • ktg503
    ktg503 Posts: 20
    Thanks ladies! I'm excited to start my routine. :)
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    I haven't lifted for years, like over 10, and I started with the suggested weights. :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    I didn't start with recommended...:bigsmile:

    I was doing a lot of bodyweight exercises before hand and weighted bodyweight (small dumbells)

    I started with 60lb bench, 60lb squat, 60lb row and since I have a standard bar 40lb OHP and 75lb DL..I had never done them before.

    I progressed quick enough..would have preferred not to sometimes so I could have nailed down form...
  • fknlardarse
    fknlardarse Posts: 210 Member
    I started yesterday! Loved it! I was fine with the starting weight for squats (I did 25kg instead of 20kg because we don't have an Olympic bar in our garage so I used a 5kg bar and 2x10kg weights on the end), but omg I couldn't budge it for the bench press, my husband had to lift it off me and I had to come down to 15kg! Embarrassing but hope I see quick gains! And I did 25kg for the barbel rows but that was tough so not sure i will be able to increase next time on that one.
    Let us know how it goes???

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