Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Autumnfilly2005
Autumnfilly2005 Posts: 232 Member
in Social Groups
Just curious, what weights were your first lifts, how much are you lifting now, and how long did it take you to get there? And how much do you generally increase at a time?

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  • dcresider
    dcresider Posts: 1,272 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Autumnfilly20 - Did you get a chance to read up on the SL 5x5 ( http://stronglifts.com/5x5/) because it tells you all the information you need to know especially if are new to lifting?

    With that, I started out on a 45 lb. weight lifting bar and gradually increased weights every workout. There were some days when I couldn't finish all sets so I'd have to re-do the next time. It depends on how fit your are too and results vary for everyone.
  • Autumnfilly2005
    Autumnfilly2005 Posts: 232 Member
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    Yeah, I know what sl5x5 is, but I know that people will alter the program to fit them, so I was wondering if anyone had started with less weights, or chosen a different progression.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i don't remember my starting weights for bench and oph when i began working with trainer dude and re-set everything for that purpose. it was somewhere higher than his 20lb bar but lower than 45. and yes, it's been said several times that many of us go with fractional plates and do smaller increases when we start to find 5 pounds too heavy at every workout.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    I started with 45lb bar for most except OHP. I used a 30lb fixed barbell for that. For Deadlift I think I started with 95lbs but can't remember.
  • DawnEmbers
    DawnEmbers Posts: 2,451 Member
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    I started pretty low. Just under 45, think the 30 fixed weight bar at the old gym for OHP. 45 for squats and bench. Rows and deadlift took a little more time figuring out and were lightish, as the 135 is still too heavy on pendlay for me now.

    I don't increase very much on any of them now and depends on what my program recommends. I'm in-between programs now. So far the heaviest I've done for good reps is 115 bench, 85 OHP, 200 squat and 248 deadlift(at the meet so the kg conversion there) but working weights are lighter than that for more reps.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,086 Member
    edited May 2016
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    I had previously been doing other workouts with weights prior to stronglifts. Sets were 5x5 obviously.

    Bench started at 45 bar + 40lbs, ended at bar plus 110
    Squat Bar + 90, ended bar plus 180 or so I forget 1RM was 300
    OHP just Bar, ended bar plus 40
    Deadlift - just bar and never progressed due to prior injury
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    I forgot to mention where I am now-doh! My form hasn't been stellar so I deload a lot. I'm doing PHUL now, too. Compound lifts just like SL but with accessories.
    Squat-4x5@110 (because of deloading)
    Deadlift 4x5@155 & singles at 185lb
    Rows-(started st 45) 4x3@100lb
    OHP-60lbs (not much progression with this)
    Bench-(started at 45)-4x3@100 lbs
  • Fittreelol
    Fittreelol Posts: 2,535 Member
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    I did the program as advertised to start. I think I might be the only one. :lol: I started with 45 bench and ohp, and 65 row and deadlift 65 or 95 maybe? Added 5lbs to everything but deadlift which was 10 lbs. I eventually got some fractionals and moved to 3x5 and then 3x5 with front squats on deadlift days. I run different programming now 3.5 years later, and have pretty decentish lifts :blush:
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
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    ^^^"decentish", I'll say!
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,933 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Looking back at my spreadsheet... the first time I started SL (because I randomly stopped doing it after 2 months...)
    50 lbs on squat
    45 on bench
    40 on barbell row
    25 lb on overhead press
    and 65 on deadlift

    I took about a year off doing anything since.. I dunno, guess I gave up - wasn't committed.
    I restarted at...
    squat 45
    bench 45
    row 50
    ohp 30
    dl 75

    I noticed I went up much faster the second time. I also really focused on my squat form for a while. I wouldn't increase more than 5 pounds over 7 days till it felt/looked better.

    Now, I go up on squats by 5 lb every other session (I have been doing the first session at a new weight with 3 minute rests and the second at 90 second rests, then increasing)

    Bench I went up by 5 lb for the first very few and then bought fractional plates so I go up by 2.5 lb each session now
    Same with OHP.

    Row I go up by 5 lb when it feels right - I can feel it around my elbow sometimes and I don't like that, so I stay at that weight until I don't feel that. I figure it's a stabilizing muscle that needs more strengthening (non-dominant arm).

    DL I went up by 10 lbs until just recently.

    I started Feb 20 and the last sessions I did May 7 and 9:
    110 lb squat
    62.5 lb bench
    75 row
    52.5 OHP
    150 lb deadlift

    So they are all going up, but at different rates. I'm in no rush though. Better to not hurt myself. I missed approximately 2 weeks of exercises somewhere in there that made me de-load a little.
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
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    I'm new to lifting. I started with what SL said to start with, 3 weeks ago. I didn't even think I would be able to squat 20kg, but after thinking about it too much I finally had the courage to try and was pleasantly surprised. I got through 5x5! So I figured if I could squat what SL said I should start with, I'd start with the recommended weights for every other lift.

    Start wherever is comfortable. Don't overthink it.

    I don't increase weight until I feel ready though. A 'ready' feels like when I can get through 5x5 and my form feels good. My rows have been wobbly so I haven't increased much, but I feel ready to increase in my next workout. Other lifts have felt better, i.e bench, so far I have increased each workout.

    Started 20th April:
    Squat: Start 20kg, now 27.5kg (7 workouts)
    OH Press: Start 20kg, now 22.5kg (4 workouts)
    Deadlift: Start 40kg, now 55kg (4 workouts)
    Bench: Start 20kg, now 25kg (3 workouts)
    Row: Start 30kg, now 32.5kg (3 workouts)
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    I don't follow SLs anymore. I'm doing my own thing now-a-days. I worked with a personal trainer and did NROLFW before I started SLs, so I had a history of lifting.

    When I started:
    Squat: 95#
    OHP: 55#
    Deadlift: 145#
    Bench: 85#
    Row: 65#

    When I stopped following SLs:
    Squat: 165# (190#)
    OHP: 80# (95#)
    Deadlift: 200# (225#)
    Bench: 105# (120#)
    Row:100# (115#)

    I had several deloads in there because my form was crap on some of the lifts. All of my lifts were deloaded at some point. The numbers in parentheses are the max numbers I got to during my SLs time.

    For the most part, I added 5# each time except when I really struggled. In cases like that, I would stick with the weight for 2-3 workouts before adding the weight, even if I successfully got the weight the first time.
  • lwhayes820
    lwhayes820 Posts: 145 Member
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    I started about 3-4 weeks ago. And, I started with the program recommendations. And, I'm pretty well following the program. Last week, I started adding HIIT two days a week, otherwise I'm following it and seeing decent results. I'll take measurements again in about 2 weeks.

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