questions about stronglift 5x5

1. work on your shoulder flexibility. think of activating your upper back muscles and actively squeezing your shoulder blades together. you want that activation to happen the entire time you are holding the bar because the heavier the bar get, the more you will be making use of that stabilization to hold the bat steady. as for the use of a pad. i personally hate them because they effect my neck position or at least it feels like it does, but maybe if you have a choice of bars you can chose one that's smoother.

2. it just takes practice. eventually you will learn to use them as a unit. just keep at it

Our gym has pads for the bars and I typically use them but sometimes I feel more comfortable without it. I try to remember to stick my chest out, bring my shoulder blades closer together, and have somewhat of a wider grip. And for some reason it helps me to sort of look up at the ceiling when I come up. As for the benching, I too have that problem occasionally, especially since I quit using the Smith's machine. I think its more of a concentration thing but it seems to be getting better the more I do it.

Watch Mark Rippetoe's Start Strength series on YouTube. Same exercises as SL 5x5. I used to lift still found them informative. Second, look up an exercise called Shoulder Dislocations on YouTube as well. Less painful than it sounds. My right shoulder was dislocated several years ago, which I why I had to give up lifting for some time. I just tried to get back into SL 5x5, and found I have no backwards mobility in that shoulder. This exercise was given to my by someone in sports medicine. As far as bench press, time will even out your arm strength.

Basically, what everyone else has said.

Oh, but don't do this:

Our gym has pads for the bars and I typically use them but sometimes I feel more comfortable without it. I try to remember to stick my chest out, bring my shoulder blades closer together, and have somewhat of a wider grip. And for some reason it helps me to sort of look up at the ceiling when I come up. As for the benching, I too have that problem occasionally, especially since I quit using the Smith's machine. I think its more of a concentration thing but it seems to be getting better the more I do it.

It kind of helps, mentally, but it's not good form and eventually, you WILL wrench the hell out of your neck. Ask me how I know. :grumble:

It most likely won't happen early on, but when you're really straining to stand up under a heavy weight. It will hurt like crazy, and take a couple of weeks to sort itself out if you're lucky like I was.

Just keep your neck and spine as neutral as you can.

Sorry, I should have clarified. When I say "look up", I don't mean to tilt your head up. I meant just to focus (eyes) upward. And not necessarily all the way up to the ceiling, but maybe toward the top of the wall in front of you. For some reason it helps me concentrate on control, but I guess just having any focal point anywhere (straight ahead, whatever) will work fine. I just get distracted when I lift and see things going on around me that I lose concentration of form, so if I pick an upward focal point (where nothing is going on) and try not to notice everything else around me, I do better. That's just what works for me and might not be true for everyone. Looking upward might cause you to want to tilt your head back, so if it does, don't do it. Like I said, its just what works for me. I don't always do that, but if I find that there is a lot going on around me in the gym and not able to concentrate, this is what I do. But yeah, don't crank you neck backwards. Sorry, didn't mean to confuse or make it sound that way.

I have huge strength imbalances and I find it helpful to use dumbbells. I also do them single arm, weaker side first, and then repeat on the stronger side. It helps me with concentration and focus when doing the reps on my weaker side that this is then the only thing I need to concentrate on.