Strong Lifts 5X5 vs. %BF??

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wnrobert
wnrobert Posts: 20 Member
edited October 2014 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey, so today marks the start of week 3 for me on Strong Lifts 5x5

I have been able to continuously add the weight requested of me by the program so I feel I'm getting stronger. I've also stuck with my diet.

My starting weight was 161.8 lbs and my current weight is 159.6 lbs - however, my body measurements are unchanged over the two weeks. The spreadsheet for 5x5 asks for a %BF number at your start and at the end of every two weeks.

Every calculator I've found on the internet gives me different numbers (sometimes varies by as much as 20%) so I've tried to use the one that asks me for the most measurements. However, when I went to try to get my new %BF number for the spreadsheet, it told me I had actually increased in %BF and lost muscle mass. I can only assume this is to my body measurements not changing, but I find it hard to believe that I've gotten stronger, but lost muscle mass and gained fat.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    I know this doesn't directly answer your question, but...

    BF estimates/calculators are HUGELY variable. I'd pay more attention to how you look in the mirror and how you're progressing with your lifts. BF % is just another number that can mess with your head.

    If you HAVE to put in a number, I'd pick 1 method of estimating and use that same method every time. Pick a calculator and stick with it. Have a person use calipers and have that same person test the same locations every time.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    How do you look?
    How do you feel?
    Are you happy with the results so far?

    If the answers to those are positive, then I wouldn't worry so much about BF% numbers
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
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    Lighter weight, same measurements = higher bodyfat.

    Likely, your muscles are swollen temporarily die to the new workout.

    It's happening to me, I'm on week 2 right now. I've lost a few pounds, yet my pants are tighter around my legs and thighs. I'm thirsty as heck too.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    I agree w/ jacksonpt
    Pick one way in which you get your BF% numbers and stick with that.....
  • little_simon
    little_simon Posts: 37 Member
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    wnrobert wrote: »
    Hey, so today marks the start of week 3 for me on Strong Lifts 5x5

    I have been able to continuously add the weight requested of me by the program so I feel I'm getting stronger. I've also stuck with my diet.

    My starting weight was 161.8 lbs and my current weight is 159.6 lbs - however, my body measurements are unchanged over the two weeks. The spreadsheet for 5x5 asks for a %BF number at your start and at the end of every two weeks.

    Every calculator I've found on the internet gives me different numbers (sometimes varies by as much as 20%) so I've tried to use the one that asks me for the most measurements. However, when I went to try to get my new %BF number for the spreadsheet, it told me I had actually increased in %BF and lost muscle mass. I can only assume this is to my body measurements not changing, but I find it hard to believe that I've gotten stronger, but lost muscle mass and gained fat.

    Thoughts?


    Bro, it's been 2 weeks, don't get too caught up in the numbers.

    These sites are highly inaccurate, they're designed to follow trends rather than give an accurate number.

    Use the same site each time for the sake of measuring progress.

  • RoseyDgirl
    RoseyDgirl Posts: 306 Member
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    I've been on Stronglifts over a month now, and I don't think I ever logged that number. In using the phone app, I just do the routine, and increase by 5 lbs each time so that I can see the consistent upward graph for the 5 exercises.

    As to results - I feel stronger, I'm lifting heavier than I've ever done before (but each workout is a real challenge to do it). My shoulders seem to be getting much more tone but they don't seem to be shrinking any; however my waist size is decreasing enough that I've finally changed sizes. overall, one month, my weight has only changed decreased 5 or 6 lbs.
    -
    - I don't think about this as a weightloss routine though. My cardio has decreased to taking daily walks instead of hours of cardio at the gym... I spend my gym time at the power-rack and free-weights stations.

  • jmg000
    jmg000 Posts: 16 Member
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    okay, first of all. You've done this program for only 3 Weeks, so for all intents, you JUST started. Focus on checking your initial progress after about 3 months - give it time. Second, do not worry or concern yourself with BF%. Focus on progressively adding weight to the bar (with good technique of course). If you're getting stronger, you are NOT losing muscle. Focus on performance first, and appearance second.

    Also, I don't know your training history, but I'll assume you're a novice, so make sure you're eating enough calories to progress. You might be able to recomp (burn fat while gaining muscle) for a short while (few weeks), but eventually you will stall on the lifts which means you should add calories (and as a consequence will gain some fat).
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    Just trust it. As long as you arent cheating on your diet and you get adequate recovery (sleep, nutrients, etc) you'll progress. Trying to nail things down to an exact science is only stressful. Log things and adjust in the future. If you find that higher intensity or a higher workload tends to result in better progress than go with that. Setting goals based on computations is just a waste of time. Its trivial and annoying.

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