Newbie to lifting--a few questions

Congratulations on taking these steps to improve yourself!

As to the bar, lighter might be best now as it will allow you to start at a lower weight. You may outgrow these sets, but you can always upgrade then.

It is not unreasonable for your husband to spot you on the squat, with one caveat, can he get the weight up to you and take it from you without injuring himself. Eventually, he may not. But again, that's a future bridge to cross.

That said, I'd start with bodyweight squats until you get very, very comfortable with your form. You can then use dumbbells and eventually get under a bar. So, start with zero and work up from there.

Stronglifts is a good program for a beginner to intermediate trainee. It will help you get stronger. But don't get into a hurry to get to lifting your bodyweight. Use a reasonable progression and you'll see good results.

Allan Misner
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast

I started lifting using Stronglifts in May 2016. I've moved on from the program since then, but I really enjoyed it and would recommend it for any beginner.

I don't have any input about those particular sets and I don't really see the lighter bar being a problem until you've reached higher weights. That's a lot of plates to be loading onto the bar - will it be durable enough? For example, if you're squatting 100lbs using an Olympic barbell set, you've got the 45lb barbell, two 25lb plates, and two smaller 2.5lb plates. If you are using a 15lb barbell, you've got 85lbs of plates on there and it may be difficult to get up to the proper position to squat.

How did you plan on getting the barbell on your shoulders for the squat without a rack/stands? Was your husband going to lift up the barbell and place it on your shoulders? That might be an option at the beginning but you may find that it may soon become aproblem.

I started with just the empty Olympic bar when I began and progressed pretty steadily for a few months. I peeled back slightly due to taking time off for a holiday and then I went slower than the app's suggestions for progress as I wanted to get the correct form right.

I still can't bench my bodyweight but I can squat and deadlift my bodyweight. That took about six months of to reach.

Honestly just skip the 160lb set. You are 5'6, 136lbs which means you'll be deadlifting 135lbs soon if you follow the program.

The standard deadlift is 137lbs for a novice 132lb woman:



Also the plates in the 160lb set are small.

Not only will you be nearing the limits of your set by the time you're at a 135 deadlift (which won't take very long at all), but then you have to deal with the hassle of putting something under your small plates to bring them up to the standard height to deadlift. Trust me - total pain in the *kitten*.


A 300lb olympic weight set isn't that much more expensive. They are anywhere from $160-$180 new when on sale. You can get them at Sears, Dicks, or other sporting goods stores. Dicks has a set for sale right now for $180 once you add it to cart. The only problem I have with their set is the 45lb plates are smaller diameter than the standard olympic plate. I don't know why.


Another positive about having a full size olympic bar is that you can buy 5lb training plates. These plates are the same diameter as a standard olympic plate (17.7'), but being only 5lbs they let you work on your form. I have a pair and they are excellent for teaching beginners. These are the ones that I bought: http://www.performbetter.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product2_10151_10751_1004388_-1_2018520_1000239_1000239_ProductDisplayErrorView Highly recommended if you can spare the $


I would recommend a rack. It's not very practical squatting without one. If you're going to be benching you will certainly need it.

First, be aware of your ceiling height. You don't want to buy a rack that's too tall. Also be aware of ceiling height when overhead pressing. You don't want your plates to hit the ceiling.

I'd check Craigslist for a rack and bench. You might be able to find a great deal on something heavy duty.

Otherwise you can probably get a cheap and more lightweight bench and rack online from Walmart or Amazon for about $120.


And finally if you don't want to lift anymore, you can just sell everything on Craigslist. You can probably even break even on selling the 300lb olympic set.. doubtful you'd get much back if you bought and sold the 160lb set.

While the Stronglifts program is designed around an Olympic barbell set, it is possible to do alternate versions of each exercise with dumbells and using pushups as a sub for the bench press. Maybe consider doing that for a couple of months and see how you feel and you might be ready to try something else or full of **** and vinegar and ready to go out and buy an Olympic barbell set and a squat rack + bench.