can stronglift be reduced to 3x5?

Saying that, you don't have to do 5x5 to protect your joints.

http://blog.nasm.org/fitness/fitness-how-much-activity-is-enough/

Two of the most widely recognized activity guideline reports for improving physical fitness include Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise from the American College of Sports Medicine (2) and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (3). These guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity, or a combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity exercise per week. The weekly recommendation for resistance training is 2 or more days per week with exercises for all the major muscle groups (minimum of 1 set of 8-12 repetitions for each muscle group). Flexibility and neuromotor exercises (balance, agility, coordination) are also recommended at least twice per week.

The key phrase to note is “at least” with more benefits being realized with more activity.
- See more at: http://blog.nasm.org/fitness/fitness-how-much-activity-is-enough/#sthash.0LAQ5vp8.dpuf

that's a minimum.

You can do what you want to do. It sounds like you are going to anyhow.

How are you stretching SL 5x5 to last more than an hour? Am I missing something here?

You have 25-35 more pounds to go… You shouldn't have your rate of loss set so high. Take it down to a pound a week at most. That will give you more calories to eat. Giving up weight lifting because you are so close to your goal is ridiculous.

Robbnva wrote: »

I try to get cardio in because my calorie goal to lose 2lbs a week is low is 1370, so I like to burn calories so I can eat more. I get that number based off mfp and I know its accurate because for 2 weeks I ignored that number and went 1500 instead and my weight loss was 1lb in both of those 2 weeks.

Weight lifting doesn't burn many calories, at least not in a quantitative manner like cardio does.

I think your goals are conflicting with each other. It will be tough, if not nearly impossible to make any significant strength gains on a calorie deficit. let alone a big calorie deficit like yours. At best, you might be able to maintain where you are currently at but even experienced lifters on a cut cycle usually lose strength.

3x5 may be easier on you during on a deficit because you aren't stressing your body as much and therefore you also don't require as much energy to recover but don't expect to build much strength nor muscle at the same time.

Robbnva wrote: »

But I don't eat 1370 calories a day, I eat between 1700 to 1900 a day. If I set my.calorie goal for 1900 a day, I'd still be doing the exact same thing I'm doing now except I wouldn't be eating my exercise calories back. So it's

A. Set calorie goal at what myp says it should be and eat my exercise calories back

B. Enter some arbitrary number based off ??? And don't eat my exercise calories back.

I don't see the difference really. You all say 1370 is too low, well blame mfp for that number. Mfp has been my godsend and has helped me lose 87lbs, idk why I'd start ignoring it now.

I think I'm just going to switch to another program and worry about heavy lifting later. Body pump, p90x3, or focus t25. Those last 2 seem to have great results and take less time.

Thanks for the help guys and gals.

I would suggest just trying 3x5 or another program with fewer sets for awhile to see how it works for you, time-wise. You do not have to do 5x5 as a lifting program. It might be the most mentioned on MFP but it is just one program of many. Several other programs were mentioned earlier and another one that hasn't been mentioned is All Pro's beginner program. I ran it last fall and it took one hour, warm-up (walked on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes) to finish. You'd be lifting slightly lower weight (it's based on your 10 rm) but more reps (8-10) and you only rest 60-90 seconds between sets.

Robbnva wrote: »

FullOnBurn wrote: »

Robbnva wrote: »

I try to get cardio in because my calorie goal to lose 2lbs a week is low is 1370, so I like to burn calories so I can eat more. I get that number based off mfp and I know its accurate because for 2 weeks I ignored that number and went 1500 instead and my weight loss was 1lb in both of those 2 weeks.

Weight lifting doesn't burn many calories, at least not in a quantitative manner like cardio does.

I think your goals are conflicting with each other. It will be tough, if not nearly impossible to make any significant strength gains on a calorie deficit. let alone a big calorie deficit like yours. At best, you might be able to maintain where you are currently at but even experienced lifters on a cut cycle usually lose strength.

3x5 may be easier on you during on a deficit because you aren't stressing your body as much and therefore you also don't require as much energy to recover but don't expect to build much strength nor muscle at the same time.

that's the thing, I'm not trying to gain strength or muscle. I'm trying to get skinny and tighten my lose skin.

Calorie deficit to get skinny. A bigger one to get skinny fast. More than likely, you'll need time at maintenance for the skin to tighten up.

Going to a 3x5 format is fine...basically you'll be doing Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength...SL 5x5 is basically a higher volume version of Starting Strength.

Your goals are more clear now, but my original statement still holds. It is very difficult to even maintain current strength on an aggressive calorie deficit. If you are looking to aggressively lose weight then cardio work with a caloric deficit is what you need, calories in vs calories out. Building strength, which isn't necessarily synonymous with bodybuilding, requires at lot of energy and often at a surplus.

Programs like 5x5, Starting Strength, 5/3/1 are version of progression programs where you regularly increase the weight to overload your system, which responds in turn by building strength. That rest and recovery requires a lot of energy and you can't do that on a big deficit and progress to higher weights at the same time, A linear progression program in the lower rep range may not be for you at this time.

BTW, people work for years and go to extraordinary lengths to get big, so most of us don't have to worry about bulking up by lifting weights.

When I was doing madcow I reduced everything to 3x5.

dbmata wrote: »

Robbnva wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Robbnva wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Do you want to maintain your current strength levels?

Basically yes. I don't care how much I can press, or squat, or even deadlift. Being fat all my life. I just want to be a healthy weight, close to the bmi range as I can (my range is unobtainable IMO)

Then I would say go ahead and try the P90x or other alternatives that you mentioned or a different lifting program (like the All Pro's I mentioned above.) For me, right now, I am at a spot where my main focus is losing fat. Eventually, I want to build muscle and I'd like to gain strength but I'm at the point where, as long as I am eating in a deficit, my strength is pretty much just going nowhere. So I'm lifting to maintain right now and I am perfectly fine with that and it sounds like you are the same. Your goals and focus may change down the road, when you are at or closer to your ideal weight/weight range. That is completely normal and to be expected. Any of those programs will be fine for you for your current focus.

Yeah once I'm in maintenance phase, ill worry about building strength, all I know is I'll never want to be one of those guys who live to lift and has huge muscles. Nothing wrong with those guys, just isn't me.

Thanks

With your plan, you'll ensure you have very little in the way of muscle, so then with that in mind.

You have a good plan. Keep it up, consistency is key.

@Robbnva, the poster is in timeout so he's got bars across his profile pic in the forums. There is a bug in the app/mobile version where the bars cover the entire post.
If you use the desktop version, you can read what dbmata said.
it's a known issue with MFP.

I've quoted the post here for you.