Stronglift several days in a row?
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mystgrl1604
Posts: 117 Member
I work shifts (12.5hrs day and night) plus a long commute, and the only way I can get exercise is to do it on my days off, which can sometimes be together. Im starting stronglift 5x5 tomorrow, and i have 3 days off together so I was planning to get my 3 workouts in those 3 days. Otherwise it will take me AGES to get through the programme.
Now, the question...am I better off waiting and only doing 1 or 2 stronglift workouts a week instead of the recommended 3 workouts a week in terms of strength gains and weight loss? Plus the website also recommended not doing anything, not even cardio, on rest days, but if I do that, I will be barely in the gym every week. So I'll need to do cardio every single time I have time off work for my weight loss plan to actually work.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Now, the question...am I better off waiting and only doing 1 or 2 stronglift workouts a week instead of the recommended 3 workouts a week in terms of strength gains and weight loss? Plus the website also recommended not doing anything, not even cardio, on rest days, but if I do that, I will be barely in the gym every week. So I'll need to do cardio every single time I have time off work for my weight loss plan to actually work.
Advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Replies
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Part of strength training is the recovery period. This is when the muscle fibres, that you damage when lifting, repair themselves. Without a recovery period, this can't happen, and it won't be too long before you CAN'T repeat a workout.
Take the rest days, do two workouts with a day in between, do something gentle on the middle day. What's the rush?0 -
This is why I went to an upper/lower split. I couldn't work out back to back days on SL.0
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girlinahat wrote: »Part of strength training is the recovery period. This is when the muscle fibres, that you damage when lifting, repair themselves. Without a recovery period, this can't happen, and it won't be too long before you CAN'T repeat a workout.
Take the rest days, do two workouts with a day in between, do something gentle on the middle day. What's the rush?
Yup. You don't build muscle during a workout. You build muscle by resting between workouts. If you don't get this rest period, you don't get muscle repair and growth.0 -
girlinahat wrote: »What's the rush?
I want to lose weight! Hahahahaha. I have over 100lbs to lose!
Anyway...y'all saying I take rests in between, but can I do cardio during my rest days? I go to classes and can do anything from pilates to zumba to crossfit as cardio.
As a sample, this is how this current week looks like:- Monday-day shift
- Tuesday-stronglift day 1 + 30min boxercise + 30min body pump with night shift after
- Wednesday-sleep after night shift, then stronglift day 2 (which will probably be cancelled now) + 1hr energy pump + 1hr pilates
- Thursday-stronglift day 3 (now day 2) + 1hr zumba + 1hr body blast
- Friday-stronglift day 4 (now cancelled) + 1hr pilates
- Saturday-day shift
- Sunday-day shift
Anyway, as I figure it, I'm not doing any exercise on the days I'm working except hitting anything between 10-20k steps running around the ward (I'm a nurse), so i tend to treat those as my rest days.0 -
That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.0
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That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
It used to work for me last year. I did it like that (substitute stronglift with just normal weightlifting session focused on a different body area per session), plus cardio, and i lost weight before i fell off the wagon when i went for a month long holiday. Lol. So i thought i'd get back into it in the new year. I actually enjoy those classes and cant get enough of them! Plus im too exhausted on a work day to actually go to the gym afterwards. I get up at 5.30 and don't get home until 22.00.0 -
It's not designed to be done that way.0
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That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
Agree with this. Heavy lifting is strenuous and a program like Stronglifts is intended to be done on its own or with light exercise on the off days. If you have three days off coming up I'd consider doing Stronglifts on days 1 and 3 and then your cardio/fitness classes on day 2. You can add a little cardio to your Stronglifts days but you really don't want to push it!
Muscle is actually built during recovery, so rest, rest, rest!0 -
mystgrl1604 wrote: »That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
It used to work for me last year. I did it like that (substitute stronglift with just normal weightlifting session focused on a different body area per session), plus cardio, and i lost weight before i fell off the wagon when i went for a month long holiday. Lol. So i thought i'd get back into it in the new year. I actually enjoy those classes and cant get enough of them! Plus im too exhausted on a work day to actually go to the gym afterwards. I get up at 5.30 and don't get home until 22.00.
Then it didn't work for you last year. Full body programs and body part splits are very different as far as how many and what muscles are worked each day. You're comparing apples and oranges.0 -
mystgrl1604 wrote: »That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
It used to work for me last year. I did it like that (substitute stronglift with just normal weightlifting session focused on a different body area per session), plus cardio, and i lost weight before i fell off the wagon when i went for a month long holiday. Lol. So i thought i'd get back into it in the new year. I actually enjoy those classes and cant get enough of them! Plus im too exhausted on a work day to actually go to the gym afterwards. I get up at 5.30 and don't get home until 22.00.
Then it didn't work for you last year. Full body programs and body part splits are very different as far as how many and what muscles are worked each day. You're comparing apples and oranges.
I'm sure if you ask, someone can suggest a body part split program that will meet your scheduling needs.0 -
I don't think you should do strong lifts and body pump in the same day but I am not an expert0
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I don't think you should do strong lifts and body pump in the same day but I am not an expert0
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Find a different program. Consider a program that exercises certain body parts once a day. E.g. Day 1: Legs Day 2: Chest/Arms/Abs Day 3: Shoulders & Back
Stronglifts, Starting Strength, etc. are all great programs... if they are done as recommended. Since you cannot, you'd be better off doing something else.0 -
I'd pick a different program. I do an upper/lower split with 4 workouts per week, which allows for back-to-back workouts. Stronglifts isn't the only effective program under the sun. If you want to workout more often you can, but you need to choose a program that's designed that way.0
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marissafit06 wrote: »mystgrl1604 wrote: »That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
It used to work for me last year. I did it like that (substitute stronglift with just normal weightlifting session focused on a different body area per session), plus cardio, and i lost weight before i fell off the wagon when i went for a month long holiday. Lol. So i thought i'd get back into it in the new year. I actually enjoy those classes and cant get enough of them! Plus im too exhausted on a work day to actually go to the gym afterwards. I get up at 5.30 and don't get home until 22.00.
Then it didn't work for you last year. Full body programs and body part splits are very different as far as how many and what muscles are worked each day. You're comparing apples and oranges.
I'm sure if you ask, someone can suggest a body part split program that will meet your scheduling needs.
A body part split would likely have her working each muscle group no more and possibly less than 2 days of SL each week.
I'd stick with either two full body days (not in a row) or one FB day, skip a day, upper day, lower day.0 -
If you are actually lifting heavy and progressively (like 5x5 program is designed for) I don't see how it would be possible to complete a body pump class afterwards. I don't think you would actually be able to give 100% effort to any of those workouts. One each day, and not lifting multiple days in a row (unless doing splits, not stronglifts) would seem like a better idea, even if you didn't get in a workout on your long shift days. Or, perhaps you could squeeze in 15-20 minutes of HIIT on those days instead. However, rest days are important as well.0
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marissafit06 wrote: »mystgrl1604 wrote: »That schedule sounds like a great way to injure yourself and a great way to burn yourself out. Lift on two non-consecutive days. If you can do it on one working day too that's fine. I'd probably lift Tues/Thurs/Sat. I'd do 2-3 cardio sessions max total the rest of the week.
It used to work for me last year. I did it like that (substitute stronglift with just normal weightlifting session focused on a different body area per session), plus cardio, and i lost weight before i fell off the wagon when i went for a month long holiday. Lol. So i thought i'd get back into it in the new year. I actually enjoy those classes and cant get enough of them! Plus im too exhausted on a work day to actually go to the gym afterwards. I get up at 5.30 and don't get home until 22.00.
Then it didn't work for you last year. Full body programs and body part splits are very different as far as how many and what muscles are worked each day. You're comparing apples and oranges.
I'm sure if you ask, someone can suggest a body part split program that will meet your scheduling needs.
A body part split would likely have her working each muscle group no more and possibly less than 2 days of SL each week.
I'd stick with either two full body days (not in a row) or one FB day, skip a day, upper day, lower day.
I know what a split body program is. I meant perhaps if she started a new thread someone could give her a specific program that would meet her needs.
OP for example for the current 12 week period, I'm doing the following.
I do 4 days with ab work each day. 2 warm up sets and 2 working sets. At 6 weeks, I will change the variation of some of the exercise ex squats from front to back.
Legs: Squats (front/back), Good mornings, lunges (barbell or dumbbell)
Chest: incline bench, flat dumbbell press, incline dumbbell chest fly
Back: barbell row, seated cable row,kneeling dumbbell row
Shoulders: overhead press, dumbbell lateral raise, low cable front raise
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I'll second the comment that the workout schedule you outlined sounds like WAY too much.
That's something that a professional athlete might do,
or contestants on that horrid weight-loss competition show (which is very bad for their health).
If you haven't been exercising, start gradually. Pick any 3 or 4 of those exercises you listed & do one
a day, taking days off in between. Work up to longer periods, or more strenuous workouts.
When I started this process, 2 years ago, I went to the gym & walked 5 minutes on a flat treadmill,
probably at about 2.5 mph. Felt really stupid, but knew I had to go gradually. The next day, I did
6 min, then 7. When I was up to maybe 20, I sped up a little. Then added hills.0 -
Haha ok i get all your points. Might have to do splits again then for it to work with my schedule. Just thought i'd try something new with the stronglifts. Coz i cant sacrifice my classes as i desperately need some cardio to increase my cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Saying that, are there any suggestions on programd that do body part splits? I'll resume my programme from last year where i had separate days for chest, back and legs, but would like to try something new
Regarding the length and number of the classes, i have been doing it like that since last year and i like it. I have no problem attending 2 classes consecutively in a day.
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mystgrl1604 wrote: »girlinahat wrote: »What's the rush?
I want to lose weight! Hahahahaha. I have over 100lbs to lose!
Anyway...y'all saying I take rests in between, but can I do cardio during my rest days? I go to classes and can do anything from pilates to zumba to crossfit as cardio.
As a sample, this is how this current week looks like:- Monday-day shift
- Tuesday-stronglift day 1 + 30min boxercise + 30min body pump with night shift after
- Wednesday-sleep after night shift, then stronglift day 2 (which will probably be cancelled now) + 1hr energy pump + 1hr pilates
- Thursday-stronglift day 3 (now day 2) + 1hr zumba + 1hr body blast
- Friday-stronglift day 4 (now cancelled) + 1hr pilates
- Saturday-day shift
- Sunday-day shift
Anyway, as I figure it, I'm not doing any exercise on the days I'm working except hitting anything between 10-20k steps running around the ward (I'm a nurse), so i tend to treat those as my rest days.
No, this will not work.
Why do you want to try stronglifts? Either something else needs to go, or you need to forget about it.
For example, right now, you are doing pilates, which is strength training. So, if you feel it is not challenging and not helping you get to your goals regarding strength, look for a new more advanced class (or a new instructor). Or replace the pilates with a lifting program.
However, again this is not going to work without changing what you do on each day. The average person cannot really do one hour high intensity cardio and then spend 1 hour on either lifting or bodyweight exercises. Unless both the cardio and the strength training routine are just half-hearted attempts, which kind of defeats the purpose of doing the classes. Or if the pilates class is some pilates-stretching type of program?
I can see a lower or shorter intensity cardio session followed by strength training working, assuming you are already doing it for a while and are used to it. Also the opposite, first the strength training, then the cardio - it is something I have done in the past, when I was already in very good shape, and by the end of the cardio I usually wanted to just crawl back home and die.
As a side note, since you say you have been doing these classes for a while, and that you have a lot of weight to lose, perhaps it is time to take a step back and reexamine the whole thing, if weight loss is the basic goal. If the result of an intense exercise program is losing control over diet (I know it has happened to me, and I cannot be the only person to whom this happens), then lower intensity exercise might be worth a try.
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