Just started SL 5x5 - advice please

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Replies

  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    wwkwag wrote: »
    @cqbkaju and @leajas1 I bought the Thinner Leaner Stronger book last night and love it already! Thanks so much for the recommendation!

    Awesome!
  • curlsintherack
    curlsintherack Posts: 465 Member
    the author of that book has a podcast I believe its called muscle for life. He came across a bit to arrogantbut if you can get past that and him trying to sell you on his super clean line of supplements then there is some good info in the couple episides that I made it through.
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited November 2016
    wwkwag wrote: »
    @cqbkaju and @leajas1 I bought the Thinner Leaner Stronger book last night and love it already! Thanks so much for the recommendation!
    You are most welcome. Good luck with your training!

    As others have mentioned, Mike Matthews has a podcast, videos, etc. and a lot of free stuff on his sites:
    http://www.muscleforlife.com
    https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
    https://www.muscleforlife.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/

    I ignore the supplements he is trying to sell but follow the nutritional advice as best I can.
    It is well-reasoned and effective for me.
    Ironically, his advice about most supplements being worthless is spot on even though he tries to sell his own...

    40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat as a starting point will serve you well.

    If you have the protein around 1 gram per pound of body weight then you will probably be in the ballpark.
    I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Strawberry Banana and/or Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate pretty much every day.
    I add some fiber powder (generic "Benefiber") and creatine (Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored) to mine.
    Sometimes I add "PB2" to the chocolate shake.

    Carbs are your friend when you are lifting.
    Properly rinsed and cooked white rice and sweet potatoes are a good, inexpensive choice.
    I use a fuzzy-logic Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer and I always have hot, fluffy rice ready when I want it.

    Brown rice is not substantially more nutritious than white rice but it is almost always higher in arsenic (check with the FDA) and slower to cook.
    Saying something like brown rice has 35% more fiber compared to white rice sounds cool, but 35% of 2 grams is actually less than 1 gram extra fiber, right?
    Many people need to be more math literate.

    Drink at least 6-8 cups of fluids and take a multi-vitamin each day.
    Cheap insurance.
  • wwkwag
    wwkwag Posts: 60 Member
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    wwkwag wrote: »
    @cqbkaju and @leajas1 I bought the Thinner Leaner Stronger book last night and love it already! Thanks so much for the recommendation!
    You are most welcome. Good luck with your training!

    As others have mentioned, Mike Matthews has a podcast, videos, etc. and a lot of free stuff on his sites:
    http://www.muscleforlife.com
    https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/
    https://www.muscleforlife.com/brown-rice-vs-white-rice/

    I ignore the supplements he is trying to sell but follow the nutritional advice as best I can.
    It is well-reasoned and effective for me.
    Ironically, his advice about most supplements being worthless is spot on even though he tries to sell his own...

    40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat as a starting point will serve you well.

    If you have the protein around 1 gram per pound of body weight then you will probably be in the ballpark.
    I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Strawberry Banana and/or Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate pretty much every day.
    I add some fiber powder (generic "Benefiber") and creatine (Optimum Nutrition Creatine Powder, Unflavored) to mine.
    Sometimes I add "PB2" to the chocolate shake.

    Carbs are your friend when you are lifting.
    Properly rinsed and cooked white rice and sweet potatoes are a good, inexpensive choice.
    I use a fuzzy-logic Zojirushi NS-TSC10 Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer and I always have hot, fluffy rice ready when I want it.

    Brown rice is not substantially more nutritious than white rice but it is almost always higher in arsenic (check with the FDA) and slower to cook.
    Saying something like brown rice has 35% more fiber compared to white rice sounds cool, but 35% of 2 grams is actually less than 1 gram extra fiber, right?
    Many people need to be more math literate.

    Drink at least 6-8 cups of fluids and take a multi-vitamin each day.
    Cheap insurance.

    Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?


    And @Isutton484 - yeah, I did come across one of his videos. Yes, I agree about the arrogance but I will look beyond that and take the good info. Thanks!
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited November 2016
    wwkwag wrote: »
    Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?

    Good question. Sorry, I forgot you were "cutting" and I was not clear.

    Technically it is based on LBM and/or what your goals are but none of this is an exact science yet.
    Even if I knew your your body fat percentage it is impossible to have exact numbers.
    For the sake of example, I am going to presume you are at 35% body fat.

    Presuming that, we can check what the 40% protein number would be for a 20% calorie deficit and get some values:
    Estimates come to about 1,568 calories per day with 1-3 hours of exercise per week at 198 lbs and 35% body fat.
    This means ~ 157 grams of protein, 157 grams of carbs and 35 grams of fat per day - at a 20% deficit.
    Source: https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/

    Plug these values straight into MFP and track daily.

    We could also use the commonly-cited "0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight" when overweight which comes to about 158 grams of protein.
    When you get to 158 lbs, then this number *is* your body weight and you could just use 1 gram per pound of body weight from then on.

    For now the difference between the two methods is about 1 gram of protein; statistically irrelevant.
    Targeting the range of 150 - 160 grams of protein per day should be fine.

    Track it and see if you are getting results you want. Adjust as needed every two or three months.
  • wwkwag
    wwkwag Posts: 60 Member
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    wwkwag wrote: »
    Great info!! Thanks so much! Is the 1 gram per pound of body weight actual body weight or LBM? I am confused on that. I'm barely 5' tall and currently obese at 198. So, am I to eat 198 grams of protein and then as my weight goes down, so does the protein? Or should I be eating 1 gram of protein based on what my body weight should be?

    Good question. Sorry, I forgot you were "cutting" and I was not clear.

    Technically it is based on LBM and/or what it "should be" but none of this is an exact science yet.
    Even if I knew your your body fat percentage it is impossible to have exact numbers.
    For the sake of example, I am going to presume you are at 35% body fat.

    Presuming that, we can check what the 40% protein number would be for a 20% calorie deficit and get some values:
    Estimates come to about 1,568 calories per day with 1-3 hours of exercise per week at 198 lbs and 35% body fat.
    This means ~ 157 grams of protein, 157 grams of carbs and 35 grams of fat per day - at a 20% deficit.
    Source: https://legionathletics.com/macronutrient-calculator/

    You can plug these values straight into MFP and track daily.

    We could also use the commonly-cited "0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight" when overweight -until you drop to 150 lbs or so- which comes to about 158 grams of protein...

    The difference is about 1 gram of protein. Targeting the range of 150 - 160 grams of protein per day should be fine.

    Perfect!! That works out where I am with the calories. When I first started, I was doing the 1200 calories a day for the 2 lbs per week but once I got down under 200 and started the lifting program, I changed it to 1 lb per week so with exercise, I'm usually eating around 1500 calories per day so it works out great!

    Thanks again for the great info! I really appreciate it!
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited November 2016
    wwkwag wrote: »
    Thanks again for the great info! I really appreciate it!
    Pleased to help.

    You have to do the real work. I just did the math. The math is easy once you understand it. ;)

  • thisonetimeatthegym
    thisonetimeatthegym Posts: 1,977 Member
    You can lift and eat at deficit. You will lose inches and weight, while building muscle. When you lose enough weight / get lean enough, you will be able to see your gains.

    Lifting at a deficit will not result in significant muscle gain especially in a woman.

    But she can see significant strength gains. Better to start now. All the people in the success forums say they wished they started earlier.
  • shellyld2016
    shellyld2016 Posts: 288 Member
    cqbkaju wrote: »
    At 45, I would usually recommend Wendler's 5/3/1 or maybe Matthew's Thinner Leaner Stronger, for a woman.

    But since you are carrying some extra calories, if you eat properly and work hard enough you should get great results with SL5x5 in the next 6 or 8 months.

    Regardless, consider something closer to 40% carbs, 40% protein & 20% fat if you are going to be lifting.
    The protein will probably help with the cravings and definitely help with recovery, sparing muscle mass.

    Maybe look into one of the other programs after you have cycled through SL5x5.

    Going to have to look into those programs myself.
    I lift weights and am losing weight. It's always good to build more lean muscle and get stronger. It will help burn more calories too. Win win!
  • buffalogal42
    buffalogal42 Posts: 374 Member
    Question about Stronglifts - how long are you supposed to take between sets and then between exercise changes? Does it matter?
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited November 2016
    Question about Stronglifts - how long are you supposed to take between sets and then between exercise changes? Does it matter?

    not saying i'm right about this, but my heuristic i tell myself is about depleting the atp/whatever in my muscles, and then having to wait for my body to do the refill. in my head i try to set a picture of filling a cup under a tap that's only turned on to a trickle.

    for squat/deadlift and maybe rows too, i just go by 'until i feel ready for the next set', and it's usually more related to my heart and respiration rates. for bench and press i go more by the trickle theory since i don't get out of breath. my trainer's trying to get me to rest a little longer on those ones than i'm used to. but i do band pulls and broomsticks in between sets for those anyway.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited November 2016
    Question about Stronglifts - how long are you supposed to take between sets and then between exercise changes? Does it matter?

    Medhi use to tell people to take minimal rest -- as little as 90 secs, regardless of the weight.

    Not sure what he says now but you should take as long as YOU need to recover your strength.

    If you don't, it will negatively affect your form and increase the possibility of injury, especially when you start to lift heavy.

    I don't do SL or any 5x5 program anymore but I lift heavy (at least 80-85% of my prior 1RM max and I normally rest 3-5 mins between sets and up to 10 mins between lifts.

    People will tell you not to rest more than 10-15 mins because of the risk cooling down & tightening up but I always do a warm up routine b4 starting each new lift. So, that has never been an issue for me.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    The Stronglifts app now tells you 90secs if it was easy, 3 mins if it was hard and 5 mins if you failed.

    I generally follow that guide.

    As for switching from squat to bench to row, it is generally about three minutes for me.
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