Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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I feel like a total weakling

Ruatine
Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
edited December 2024 in Social Groups
I started SL this week. First workout A went fine - no issues, finished all my sets and kept my form. Tonight was my first workout B. ... overhead press was a total failure. Did one set of 5 and then it went downhill from there - 2,3,3,1. :disappointed:

I know OH is supposedly the most difficult, but I never expected to fail so early on. Any suggestions? Anything I can do to help me build up some additional strength in those muscles?

Replies

  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,198 Member
    edited July 2016
    ohp is a struggle, but it really pays off to work at the level you can actually work at, because some of the muscles involved in this lift are tiny - not because they're weak but because they're tiny. imo it takes a while just to develop the connective tissue to support good geometry around those upper-body bones and joints. and the tiniest deviation in your bar path can kill the rep too :p not a lot of margin for error in i:pensive:

    first time i did workout a i thought i had permanently injured myself. i used the regular bar and i was terrified when i woke up the next day with doms in even the little muscles that lie under your collarbone. in actual practice, it took me months to get up to 45 pounds and i'd probably started at least 20 pounds too heavy with that big bar.

    the 'daily checkin' thread for june just had a conversation about things that seem to support/help with ohp. other ideas:


    - if your gym has a 'womens' bar, it should weigh only 30 pounds.
    - if that's too much too, i think i used their 20lb ez-curl bar (with the kinks) for a while.
    - i go up and down with ohp, and sometimes when i'm feeling fragile about it i'll do a bunch of warmup sets with just the broomstick. it's a lift where you're working against gravity all the way, so i figure that even just putting a stick over my head is doing something.
    - today i just started doing a thing called a 'waiter's carry' in between my bench press sets. i'm using it as a 'support' lift to help me keep my upper back engaged for the benching, but i rrrreeeaaallly like it, so you might want to google that one. if ohp is a serious shock to your shoulders, i could see doing that for a while also being really helpful.

    hang in with it. progress is totally possible and it will come for sure. it's just a matter of finding a level of challenge that's good for you right now, i.e. in that sweet spot that will let you progress as well as 'making' you progress.
  • kimiuzzell
    kimiuzzell Posts: 611 Member
    I've been lifting since October and still can't get 5x5 @30kgs with good form. Sometimes my 25 kgs sets suck too. When I see my other lifts. Squats etc increasing so much, it gets frustrating. But I stick with it and even at that weight I am noticing a difference in the strength of my shoulders for everyday activities and also the way they look.

    So, yes we feel your pain. But you are on the right path. Stick with it and don't fret!
  • Expatmommy79
    Expatmommy79 Posts: 940 Member
    I started this week also and used a 10kg bar for OHP. It was quite light, but 20kg was impossible.

    I'm going to use the 10kg and try and build on that one before I move to the 20 kg one.
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
    I'm starting SL tomorrow. Super nervous. Did you have someone working with you? I had asked the trainers at my gym to work with me for the first few sessions and the cost was too much ($260/ 4 sessions). So, I'm going it alone. Well, me and my SL videos. Lol
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    Thanks everyone! I'm glad I'm not alone in finding the OH so difficult.

    @canadianlbs Thanks for all the suggestions! My gym has those curl bars too, so I might try one of those if I just can't handle the Olympic bar next time.

    @sbl1881 I am lucky enough to have a brother in law who is a personal trainer. He went through all the lifts with me before I started. I've also been referencing the SL website and app for form tips during my workouts just to make sure I'm being super careful about form.
  • Expatmommy79
    Expatmommy79 Posts: 940 Member
    sbl1881 wrote: »
    I'm starting SL tomorrow. Super nervous. Did you have someone working with you? I had asked the trainers at my gym to work with me for the first few sessions and the cost was too much ($260/ 4 sessions). So, I'm going it alone. Well, me and my SL videos. Lol

    I didn't pay for a trainer but I did use the trainer at the beginning of each lift and ask him to check my form and if I was doing it right.

    Most gyms should have a trainer on the floor to keep people safe... I use that guy
  • lwhayes820
    lwhayes820 Posts: 145 Member
    I've been doing SL about 12 weeks and I workout at home. Alan Thrall You Tube videos were very helpful to me.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,198 Member
    Alan Thrall

    this one makes me want to grow my own beard.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH9SAm1FkP8

    way more heavy than i even want to think about, of course. but ignoring the numbers, i like this video just for the way i get to see his form over an entire workout. including/especially the reps where you can see he's fighting just as hard as i ever have. in a way the numbers are irrelevant.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    canadianlbs wrote: »
    Alan Thrall

    this one makes me want to grow my own beard.

    [...]

    way more heavy than i even want to think about, of course. but ignoring the numbers, i like this video just for the way i get to see his form over an entire workout. including/especially the reps where you can see he's fighting just as hard as i ever have. in a way the numbers are irrelevant.

    Oh man, this guy is a beast. Thanks for sharing.
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