Stronglifts 5x5 for women?

Yes, it's a good program and I don't see why it wouldn't work for women as long as you make smaller increments in weight. What is the lightest plate you have? I'd say 1.25 lb (so you can jump up by 2.5 lb every workout) would be best if you want to make linear gains.
As oaker said, technique is very important. Not only will you prevent injuries, you will get stronger because you're working the right muscles with correct leverage. That's why when you start, you start very light so you have a few weeks to improve your technique before you're really pushing yourself. If you ever feel like your technique is falling apart, do that weight again next time or deload if it's becoming a problem.

I've been doing this program for 10 weeks now...i'm really surprised to say it works. Although I still do isolation exercises...I teach classes, so it's unavoidable. I'm still seeing really great results. Whatever workout a man can a woman can do it too. I squat heavier then any man in my gym, and my bench is getting stronger as well.

I'm now onto DC training.. think this will be much more effective to get me to where I want to be.

5x5 is great for women, if you already have basic squat, dead-lift, and bench strength i wouldn't start back at zero though, you will lose some of your gains. If anything start around 40%

While i like the program New Rules, i do NOT like that its called New Rules, the rules have never changed, woman just got distracted with lame programs and "toning" over the last few decades.

I just started this plan last night and I really think I'm going to like it. I've been doing the NROLFW since September and made it to Stage 5, but found myself dreading the workouts and wishing I could just to squats and deadlifts instead. Well, with Stonglifts, that's about all I'll be doing, so that seems perfect. I'm looking forward to seeing how much I can lift by the end of 12 weeks. I doubt I'll be able to a 5 pound increase on every exercise every time, but I will do my best to try! When I added it up, I could be squatting 240 pounds by April. That would be awesome. I especially like that it was quick and simple - no alternating sets, no remembering how to do what I wanted to do.

Oh, good for you Yeah, I've been reading NROL4W, SS and SL... just figured that SL might present a problem with the 5 lb increase. Not sure it would be 5x5 anymore if it gets to the point where I'd be constantly deloading and stalling. So, I've decided to go with Starting Strength. Just setting up my bench/rack and stuff today in the spare bedroom. Will be lifting with the 45 lb bar tonight if everything gets set up as planned. We only have two 45 lb plates, so I'm shopping around Craigslist for more plates.

I did SL 5x5 for about 5 weeks. I only did it Mondays and Fridays (and modified the start weight) as I had speed goals I was also trying to reach, and it got to a point where one goal was interfering with the other. I will go back and start again (probably not from the beginning) in a few weeks. I really enjoyed it, got my squat up to 170lbs, and I noticed a lot more definition in my arms while continuing to lose weight. Definitely recommend trying it, even if you adapt it a bit to meet your needs.

I've been doing Stronglifts for about 15 weeks now. I dieted a ton last summer before hand and the 5x5 program basically allowed me to drop the diet.

I think it will work great for women. The volume of squats is going to make your stomach and oblique muscles transform quickly. My only regret is that I didn't start at the bottom weight and work up. As a result I got to a mx weight too quickly on bench and overhead presses and stalled a bit. Now my strengths are pretty good and I'm mostly doing 3x5.

Squat is the best way to drive total body fitness so I'm a big believer. You just have to be willing to get under the weight every other day with very heavy weight. Once you get to your squat limits this program is exhausting, but so worth it.

In July I was 230 lbs. now I'm 180. About 15 lbs of that fat loss came due to SL.

Chicklidell are you really squatting more than any man in the gym? You're either a freak of nature or are working out at a women only gym.

Hi, just found this thread and wanted to know if any of the ladies stuck with Stronglifts 5x5 ? I'm starting it and was hoping for some feedback. Anyone do the whole 12 weeks?

I am reading New Rules of Lifting for Women and I also became interested in stronglifts. I have already started at home with my free weights and have decided that until I join a gym, which will hopefully be soon, I will just make some minor adjustments to my routine to build strength until I can get to a place that has a power rack. No way I could do the squats with anyting over 50 lbs just because I would have to lift it over my head to get it on my shoulders. So I will just focus on doing the 50 lbs with the squats for now...The bench press is another issue. I gave mine away last year after I simply had zero room in my apartment. So I have been using barbells and just pressing from the floor, which isn't quite the same range of motion, but it's a start. This is really just temporary. But honestly, the last time I was into lifting I only did a few compound exercises like deadlifts and goblet squats a few times a week and felt fantastic and looked really good too. No one could believe that I was as heavy as I was because I looked much slimmer. The key with this program is simple: Lift heavy, use compound exercises. If you do those things, you can start from home and move to a gym when you get bored...like I always inevitably do. But that's why I will be joining the gym soon. I have never belonged to a gym in my life. But this is for a permanent change so I gotta do it.