How long did you do Stronglifts 5x5?

fatguy_fitness
fatguy_fitness Posts: 195 Member
edited November 25 in Fitness and Exercise
How long did you do Stronglifts 5x5 before moving on to a more diverse lifting plan? I'm only 5 weeks in and plan on doing it quite a bit longer, but I'm just trying to plan for the future.

Replies

  • colors_fade
    colors_fade Posts: 464 Member
    Probably a year before I started to change my training. Great beginner routine.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    Probably just under a year but I did have to restart from the beginning after around 4 months after a hernia repair. Just started using the program again to master front squats while I'm having to go light and will probably continue with that while going back to juggernaut for my other lifts once I've got this marathon (and recovery) out of the way
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    About 14 months. I did have to buy fractional plates at one point to continue progressing.
  • robdowns1300
    robdowns1300 Posts: 152 Member
    I did it for about a year. Followed it to the letter, got surprisingly good results in strength & appearance. I'm in my late 50's & my legs started to really hurt after a year of 75 - 100 heavy squats a week, so I switched to another program. I got no results from that, however, I blame that on the app, not the program, it just didn't progress like Stronglifts. I recently switched back to 5x5, started light & it's getting heavy again. I'm intending to give it a year again if I can. Just my experience.
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
    edited March 2018
    You run a novice program like that until you can't any longer, and just when you think it's exhausted, take a week off and 10-15% off your current working weights and KEEP GOING. Exhaust the *kitten* until you are sure you've eeked out every gain you can -- because after you've wrung every single pound from any program -- gains only become more difficult to obtain.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    I varies but according to Rippetoe's books on Starting Strength (which is similar to Stronglifts) most people who follow the program "as designed" (and few do) should be done w/in 4-6 months.

    I was done w/both programs (w/a 3 year break in between) in 4 months. People who drag it out beyond 6 months are not making the most of the programs IMO but each person has to decide how much they are willing/able to push themselves.
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