StrongLifts 5x5 for WOMEN?!?!

Options
puggleperson
puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
How do I modify the program and make it work for me (a girl)

Am I totally dense? I don't really get it but I want to :/
«1

Replies

  • _hi_hat3r_
    _hi_hat3r_ Posts: 423 Member
    Options
    Lift like a man, look like a goddess. No modification needed. LIFT HEAVY using the compound lifts the program suggests.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    Options
    Yup, you don't need to modify. Same exercises for women.
  • DaveRCF
    DaveRCF Posts: 266
    Options
    How do I modify the program and make it work for me (a girl)

    Am I totally dense? I don't really get it but I want to :/

    Beside possibly needing to start with a bar lighter than an Olympic bar (45 lbs), you should be fine. Lots of women, my wife included, are doing it.

    Just be careful not to overextend your lower back, as women tend to be more flexible than men in this regard.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Options
    No mods needed.
    See also http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
  • pyororon
    pyororon Posts: 22
    Options
    I do it, and I'm a ballet dancer (very petite frame and my muscles are not at all bulky).

    No modification needed for us girls, and don't let anyone tell you you're going to turn into some Arnie looking thing if you lift heavy; you won't, and even better, your bum will be a thing of glory.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
    Options
    Musculoskeletal system = same for male or female (minus testosterone levels). Lift heavy = look awesome.

    p.s. I-am-a-female-Fe-Iron-Male-Man-therefore-I-am-iron-man.jpg
  • TheAncientMariner
    TheAncientMariner Posts: 444 Member
    Options
    Well said guys. I started my wife off with the BAR ONLY on everything. Some of the more taxing lifts I had her repeat with the bar for a couple weeks before adding weight, that's about the only modifications we made.
  • wyze
    wyze Posts: 248
    Options
    While your at it, observe good form to avoid injury. Start lighter and progress slowly :-).
  • hennyben
    hennyben Posts: 317
    Options
    Yeah, if they have some free time when they're done cooking.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    I'm strongly thinking of doing this (Stronglifts, not cooking :p). I've just finished stage 1 of NROL4W and looking at stage 2, some of the exercises are a bit :huh: If they annoy me too much I'm just gonna change to stronglifts. I'm kinda sorry I didn't look into this before I got New Rules as it's a lot more straight forward.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
    Options
    Yeah, if they have some free time when they're done cooking.

    :laugh: :laugh:

    I'm strongly thinking of doing this (Stronglifts, not cooking :p). I've just finished stage 1 of NROL4W and looking at stage 2, some of the exercises are a bit :huh: If they annoy me too much I'm just gonna change to stronglifts. I'm kinda sorry I didn't look into this before I got New Rules as it's a lot more straight forward.

    That's what my husband and I did... we did NROLFW for Stages 1, 2, and a week of 3 and said "screw it".... switched to a home brew 5x5 program with the big lifts.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    Options
    You could wear pink chucks, like I do...they're very girly...
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    Options
    oh okay.. great.. thanks for the advice. I guess I just assumed I would need lighter weights... I am such a weakling :/ I hope I can change that :)

    Zombie- Love the picture you posted!
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    Options
    Don't change anything.
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    Options
    You could wear pink chucks, like I do...they're very girly...

    Girl, you know I already do :laugh:
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    Options
    How do I modify the program and make it work for me (a girl)

    Am I totally dense? I don't really get it but I want to :/

    Beside possibly needing to start with a bar lighter than an Olympic bar (45 lbs), you should be fine. Lots of women, my wife included, are doing it.

    Just be careful not to overextend your lower back, as women tend to be more flexible than men in this regard.

    What weight bar should I look for? Any suggestions? Thanks

    I am seriously new to this, I don't even have any equipment. I will need to go out and make a purchase..
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
    Options
    How do I modify the program and make it work for me (a girl)

    Am I totally dense? I don't really get it but I want to :/

    Beside possibly needing to start with a bar lighter than an Olympic bar (45 lbs), you should be fine. Lots of women, my wife included, are doing it.

    Just be careful not to overextend your lower back, as women tend to be more flexible than men in this regard.

    What weight bar should I look for? Any suggestions? Thanks

    I am seriously new to this, I don't even have any equipment. I will need to go out and make a purchase..

    What can you lift now?

    1 pound = a Guinea Pig
    1.5 pounds = a dozen Krispy Kreme glazed donuts
    2 pounds = a rack of baby back ribs
    3 pounds = an average human brain
    4 pounds = an ostrich egg
    5 pounds = a Chihuahua
    6 pounds = a human's skin
    7.5 pounds = an average newborn
    8 pounds = a human head or a gallon of milk
    11 pounds = an average housecat
    12 pounds = a Bald Eagle
    15 pounds = 10 dozen large eggs
    16 pounds = a sperm whale's brain
    20 pounds = an automobile tire
    24 pounds = a 3-gallon tub of super premium ice cream
    25 pounds = an average 2 year old
    33 pounds = a cinder block
    36 pounds = a mid-size microwave
    40 pounds = a 5-gallon bottle of water or an average human leg
    44 pounds = an elephant's heart
    50 pounds = a small bale of hay or 10 reams of paper
    55 pounds = a 5000 BTU air conditioner
    60 pounds = an elephant's penis (yep, weights more than his heart!)
    70 pounds = an Irish Setter
    77 pounds = a gold brick
    80 pounds = the World's Largest Ball of Tape
    90 pounds = a newborn calf
    100 pounds = a 2 month old horse
    118 pounds = the complete Encyclopedia Britannica
    130 pounds = a newborn giraffe
    150 pounds = the complete Oxford English Dictionary
    200 pounds = 2 Bloodhounds
    235 pounds = Arnold Schwarzenegger
    300 pounds = an average football lineman
    400 pounds = a Welsh pony
  • docktorfokse
    docktorfokse Posts: 473 Member
    Options
    Do we really have to slap "for women" at the end of everything to get women to do it?
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
    Options
    Do we really have to slap "for women" at the end of everything to get women to do it?

    Or dowse it in pink. :grumble: :grumble:
  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
    Options
    On overhead presses and bent over rows, I started with a 30? 35? lb bar. By week 3 I was using the 45 lb bar. Started with the 45 lb bar on all the other lifts. I'm progressing faster on some lifts than the others, mostly because my legs are stronger than my upper body, but that's common.
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
    Options
    uh no you don't.. do you have to be rude to get your point across? Apprently :)

    I only asked because I naturally assumed those weights would be too heavy for me... which they probably are... I will have to modify it at first and thats basically what I was asking....

    Girl power!!!!! Like oh my god

Categories