Any women doing Stronglifts 5X5? Advice on starting?

burnsjulia
burnsjulia Posts: 50 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm intrigued by this and considering starting, but also a little intimidated both by the weights and using those particular weights in the gym. (I'll get over the gym part...) Why start? Just a different approach and working different things for me - variety.

On the Stronglifts site, there are recommended starting weights for women. Any women with any experience here? Where were you (fitness/strength-wise) when you started? Have you followed the program as it's laid out? Use the app? What do you do on "off" days?

I'm 48 and pretty fit. My cardio isn't the best, but I've got great core strength. I interval train usually 4x/week, take 1-2 tae kwon do classes/week, sometimes run 1-2x/week and walk the dog a couple miles every day.

Any start up advice is welcome. Thanks!

Replies

  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Start with the bar for the lifts to get the form right.
    if the bar is too heavy, used the fixed weight bars instead, use dumbbells if that's the only option though the form will be a little off for bench at least.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    edited July 2015
    My significant other used Stronglifts for a long time. She used the phone app and started with dumbbells, worked her way up to the bar, then continued progressing. She eventually started working with a trainer to further more specific goals, but she saw a large amount of success on stronglifts.

    Edited for spelling.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I would advise getting some microplates (1.25 lbs) because at some point going up 5 lbs on OHP may be too much and 2.5 will allow some progression. A lot of gyms don't have them so you may need to bring your own. I loved the program. Good luck.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    Check out this group for great advice on doing Stronglifts: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women. Read the summary for some excellent tips.

    I've been doing Stronglifts for a while. It's an excellent program to build strength.

    When I started, my cardio was good (I'm a runner) and I had decent strength for an average woman-I'd been doing a lot of body weight and dumb bell exercises.

    Starting weights: I think for everything I started with the bar (45lb) and/or the suggested weights in the original program. Except Overhead Press. For that, I think I used dumbbells for a while longer and then only a set or two with the bar until I finally could use the bar as the program states.

    As advised in the group, I got fractional weights, so many of my increases were 2.5lb to 5lb instead of 10lb.

    I do strength training on my off days from running. So, I'd say whatever cardio you like on the other days.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
    There is a group on here that can help but I'll respond. Part of the reason the weights start low is to work on form, so you'll want to start at that point or even lower if it's too challenging. The weights increase at decent speed. Even if squatting the bar is super easy on day one, it won't take that long before it starts to get challenging. You can add some weight if it seems way too easy but remember the point of the beginning is light for form work. And you can stack plates to get the bar up to a better height on deadlift and rows when using less than 135.

    I started with the bar for some of the lifts and I went with a lower weight on deadlift and row, both of which took me longer to figure out form wise before I really got the numbers up. Overhead press I ended up going less than 45, using fixed weight barbells, to work on form too because it's a challenging one and where the least progress has been for many.

    I hadn't lifted in years before starting the program and had a trainer show me form on them all too in order to make sure I would know what I was doing. I don't have the app though as I don't have my phone with me. I use a really old iPod to listen to music in the gym and carry around a notebook where I write down my lifts and what needs done that day. SL is pretty easy to follow with or without the app since part of the appeal is the simplicity of the program. When I did the program, I did do a little walking on the side, usually after lifting as winter was a bit tough for walking outside but in fall I did walking on my days off because it was nice outside.

    Now, after my current program I'm going to go back to something similar to SL but with some accessories and I'm training for a 10k.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    I did 5x5 back when I started lifting. I weighed 150 when I started, and had lost 26 lbs doing only cardio. I began at 75 lbs for squats, 95 pounds for deadlifts, 30 lbs overhead press, 40 lbs for bent rows and 45 lbs for bench.

    Everyone is different, so you really will just have to try out weights and see what you can handle. Bench and OHP are the hardest lifts to increase weight for women. I have lapsed a bit, but my PRs as of April are 160 lbs for squats (1 rep), 225 lbs for deadlifts (1 rep), 70 lbs for overhead press (3 reps), 85 lbs for bent rows (5 reps) and 110 for bench (1 rep)

    Your appetite may increase along with your weight - lifting and recovery from lifting can cause water weight gain. I went up to 165, but wore smaller clothes. You will probably have terrible DOMS after the first few workouts. If you stick with it, DOMS will be less and less. The best advice I can give is to learn proper form, especially on deadlifts. I taught myself by watching youtube videos. I see many people doing deadlifts and squats with bad form at the gym. It's dangerous, you can seriously injure your knees and back. I'm sure others will have a lot to add. Good luck!
  • GlassslippersAndFairyDust
    GlassslippersAndFairyDust Posts: 518 Member
    I do. I started with just the bar and progressed as design with the exception of overhead presses and bench press. I use fractional weights to progress on these, increasing by 2.5 lbs vs 5 lbs. This morning I deadlifted 140 lbs, pressed 50 lbs and squatted 110 lbs. I'm almost 56 yrs old.
  • rileyes
    rileyes Posts: 1,406 Member
    edited July 2015
    I started with the women's bar (35lbs) for the upper body work. I bought 1.1 lb washers when 5 lbs became too much. (form and safety first)

    Row: I have found that concentrating on pushing the chest up helps to keep my upper back from rounding.
    Bench Press: arch back, push out chest.
    Military Press: engage glutes, quads.
    Deadlift: keep arms straight, hinge at hips, engage glutes on pull.
    Squat: push through heels

    Watch YouTube for technique.

    Keep a neutral neck. Learn breathing techniques. Drink water.

    (edit to add:) Momentum--keeping a continuous rhythm makes it easier to complete the five reps for me.
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited July 2015
    I used the bar only as a warm up and then started with the recommended weights and added on from there. You might find the recommended weights are too easy like I did and move up pretty quickly. Good luck with Stronglifts. It has really helped me a lot.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    Start with the bar for the lifts to get the form right.
    if the bar is too heavy, used the fixed weight bars instead, use dumbbells if that's the only option though the form will be a little off for bench at least.

    ^^ this. I started at the bar and really focused on my form. Ohp I had to drop to dumb bells to build up some strength before I could go to the bar. You can invest in some smaller fractional plates or washers to help to increase your weights.
  • burnsjulia
    burnsjulia Posts: 50 Member
    Thank you for all the input! and for the link to the group - I thought I had seen one, but couldn't find it again today.
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