Stronglift 5x5 two days a week?

EmilyStopFlying
EmilyStopFlying Posts: 124 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm currently mostly doing cardio and I like the look of Stronglift 5x5 as a way to start strength training. However I also normally run 3 times a week and try and do other exercising at other times too (swimming, zumba etc) because it's the way I keep things interesting for myself.

Has anyone had success following the Stronglift program but doing it less times a week than recommended?

Replies

  • mkfoster9
    mkfoster9 Posts: 15 Member
    SL really needs the third day to maintain it's dirt simple nature.

    BUT - it doesn't actually take very long once you've been through all the stuff a few times, and you should be working with relatively light weight at first so it won't eat into your other stuff nearly as much as you might think.

    If you really don't have the time, there is a similar program called "Starting strength" that condenses most of what you need into two days. It's not quite as simple - you will eventually have to learn to power clean, which is a BIT more technical than the stuff in SL5x5 - but that's not a huge obstacle.
  • suremeansyes
    suremeansyes Posts: 962 Member
    I usually do it three days a week, but there are times I need to cut it down to two. No big deal, just keep alternating the workouts A and B, that's the important part.

    That being said, you can always strength train and do cardio afterwards with not much issue. I find I have a harder time the other way around, but nothing is stopping you from swimming after SL. In fact, I have to swim daily for work, for hours, and it's always after weight training. :)

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