Strong Lifts 5x5 question

In the beginning, probably. If warn that if you're not used to lifting, it may hurt for the first week or so more than you're anticipating.

I'm by no means experienced... started this program 2 months ago and i love it. It's 3 days per week so i think it can fit in your current routine perfectly. make sure you learn proper forms!

wutaday1 wrote: »

I have done Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer in past and Labrada's Lean Body trainer. Thanks for the tip. I will probably stick with my group fitness training until my lifting gets heavier.

I didn't mean to discourage you, you can start with any weight. It's just different to do a free weight squat or deadlift, and when you hit parts you've not hit before the next few days can hurt. It just depends which you'd like to dedicate more to as SL is a 3 day a week program. If you do the circuit on the rest days it might be rough for both workouts.

i say do both, but in your group class just go easier and make it more of a cardio workout. Most group fitness classes i've been in are just a fancy cardio / general fitness class anyways, Even if they call them selves a strength class, the strength portion is only as much as you make it. its just a lot of jumping around and having fun. and you are only going 2 days a week, i say do both. If in a few weeks you think its too much you can cut back.

For a little over a year I have been doing a group class sort of like you describe - Knockout Fitness - which has circuits and boxing 2 X per week for an hour, and I do Stronglifts 3 X per week - but not on the same days. I could not lift heavy when I started. I improvised the moves with dumbbells and the smaller weighted barbells at my gym until I got strong enough to use the barbell, then I started adding weight to the barbell.

Edited to add I was 50 years old when I started lifting and had only been doing the fitness class for a couple of months. I was not extremely active before that and had never lifted weights. Haven't hurt myself yet

This is going to depend on your ability to recover and how you are fueling your body as well. 5x5 is a great program, and it's going to be about everything you need to help with your body composition during weight loss, and even in maintenance (though some added assistance work in maintenance would be beneficial as well). I personally would NOT run the other class.

im 49, and provided you dont have any major physical limitations, i think 5x5 is great for any age. you just modify the weight to what is appropriate for your strength level, even if its just a lightweight bar.

@donjtomasco I don't run 5x5, I run All Pro which is also a progressive compound programme. It increases reps before weight so suites my age size and ability.

I am a 62yo female and weigh between 100-104 lbs. I lift what is heavy for me not what is heavy for someone half my age and twice my weight.

The day I can use the 45lbs bar for all lifts is far away, just the dead lift at the moment, but that does not negate that I am progressing and improving my muscle strength and bone density. Just wish I could actually build some muscle.

I either swim or use the rowing machines on 2 of the off days and rest at the weekend just doing a yoga class for flexibility.

I am maintaining my weight and make sure my protein levels are quite high (1g per lbs bodyweight), and if I am feeling tired will drop a cardio for a week and up my calories.
Just listen to your body and make sure you get enough food and recovery time.

Cheers, h.

I'm 48 YO man who has lifted off and on for years without much success (and without knowing what I was doing) . My pattern previously was that I would get up to the same (low) weights that I could lift in college and plateau. I could keep lifting at those weights, but if I tried to increase, I would get injured. Usually, I was also running 5-6 days per week (sometimes up to 50 miles per week).

At this point I'm the least active I've ever been and only doing SL (and playing a little basketball on off days). Been doing SL for about a month. I am already stronger than I have ever been on on one lift, doing squats with better form than I ever did previously, and the shoulder that I injured years ago is not tweaking in the way it always has before when I lifted.

I really think that the off day built into SL is key for me, as is the higher weight, lower reps and higher number of sets. So, OP if it were me, I would be careful doing any resistance training on off days. You may be younger, fitter and better at recovering than me, so YMMV.

trjjoy wrote: »

The Olympic barbell might be too heavy in the beginning. I know it was for me. I started off with a smaller, lighter bar. It only weighs 5kg or 6kg.

yep, me too. I started off lifting a mere 15lb bar to focus on my form and just get used to the movements before pushing myself too hard.

I am nearly 40 year old female and I have been stronglifts and group circuit training class for a few months so it is possible to do both. It depends entirely on your goals, I want to increase strength and improve body composition but I'm not focused on competitively getting the weights up and up - if you are going ridiculously heavy then you won't be able to do your circuits on in between days because you will be sore and need recovery but if you go steady you can do both and increase your strength. My week looks like this:

Mon - ballet class
Tues - spinning class and circuit training class
Weds - Stronglifts +/- spinning
Thurs - circuit training class
Fri - Stronglifts
Sat - Spinning class x 2
Sunday - Stronglifts plus circuit training class

I was not fit when I started this program and I find it fine - occasionally if I'm feeling a bit tired I'll drop a spin class. I have also made progress on the lifts even with all the other classes. For example, I started SL squatting about 30kg and I'm now at 95kg (my body weight is near 60kg), my OHP has gone from the empty bar (20kg) to 35kg, bench from empty bar to 40kg, row from 25kg to 60kg and deadlift from 40kg to 100kg.

I love lifting and would encourage all women to try it - if you don't enjoy it then go back to the circuit training and look for something else you enjoy! I also enjoy circuit training class because I have pushed myself to do all sorts of things I never thought I could and met some great people. I love ballet because it makes me feel amazing! I enjoy spinning because it's short, sharp and to the point - fun but high calorie burn!

I didn't want to give up the other things I enjoy just to fit in stronglifts but I did want to try lifting heavier and see if I could increase my strength. Progress may be a bit slower than if I just did SL 3x per week and rested on the other days but I'm not trying to be a competitive weight lifter so it doesn't matter to me!

Good luck with your goals.

quiksylver296 wrote: »

I love it. If you are new to lifting, I would focus just on 5X5s with some light cardio on your off days until you get used to it. Have you checked out the website at stronglifts.com? You can download the app there to track your progress at the gym, as well.

Yes, I use the app and love it. It gives you rest times between sets and tells me what I will lift during the week and when. The basic app is free. I pay for the upgraded version, which for me is worth it. The upgraded app has accessory lifts for each day for you and calculates what plates to put on the bar because I failed college algebra. lol

I have done four or five rounds of 5x5 and with deloads it has served me well for over a year. I just moved onto smolov and icecream fitness and would always recognize 5x5 for newbies.