Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

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Can I do more weight training after I finish an SL workout?

pinkita
pinkita Posts: 779 Member
edited December 2024 in Social Groups
Hi all,

I started SL on Sunday, and just finished today's workout. I finished today's workout in ~32 minutes. Did I mess something up, because I thought it was supposed to take longer? Per my HRM, I only burned about 70 cals.

Also, I don't physically feel like I've gotten a "workout," and am tempted to do my 35-min kettlebell workout (what I was doing before starting SL5x5). Is that a no-no?

Thank you!

Replies

  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    It went pretty quickly for me the first couple of weeks b/c the weight was lighter, and I didn't need as much rest. Now that the weight is really heavy, we bring a timer with us to time our rests. 90 seconds for if it's easy, 3 minutes if I struggled, and 5 mins if I failed. With a quick 5 min warmup, stretching before and after, it usually takes us about 70-80 mins. And I'm just beat after. I couldn't imagine doing more.

    I don't think it's awful to do something else on these days. Just so long as YOU don't feel too overworked.
  • XFitMojoMom
    XFitMojoMom Posts: 3,255 Member
    my crossfit trainer said that it's counterproductive to the program.
    I feel the same as you - I basically am starting from no weight (except my deadlift which I started at 50% of my 1RM). I suppose I'll feel like I'm getting more out of it when my weights get higher. I know when we are working on 1 RM's, I'm drained for days after.

    As Qarol suggested, bring the timer or your phone's timer and do your 90 seconds rest. The iPhone Stronglifts app is great and keeps track of your time and your weight/workouts.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    It's pretty easy at first, but now when every single lift is super duper hard, there's no way I could do anything else. Hell, I usually don't want to do the 3rd move.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I've been doing the program for one month now and it takes me about 70 minutes, including 5 minute warmup. Starting out, it was barely 20 minutes. I'm exhausted by the end.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    It's pretty easy at first, but now when every single lift is super duper hard, there's no way I could do anything else. Hell, I usually don't want to do the 3rd move.
    ha! Sometimes we'll say to each other, "are you SURE it's not the last set yet?"
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
    Thanks, this is reassuring. I was just getting a little freaked out, especially since I've reluctantly increased my calories recently! :tongue:
  • Doreen_Murray
    Doreen_Murray Posts: 396 Member
    Also a cardio warmup is great to get your heart rate going (you mentioned HRM). I usually do 5-10 minutes on the row machine so my workouts are around 45 minutes. I am working on taking longer breaks between each set now that I'm starting to up my weight. A heavy weight burn differs from a cardio burn with your HRM so it's great to have on during your workout for your cals, but remember you're aiming for inches lost (decreased body fat) and increased strength so you may not see crazy high numbers from your HRM post SL workouts. It definitely doesn't mean you're not making progress so no worries there! :)
  • Just_Dot
    Just_Dot Posts: 2,283 Member
    I also do a quick warmup (sometimes I just run from my car to the gym) do my SL workout and then I do 15 minutes of HIIT on the arc trainer or a bike. Yesterday I burned 430 cals in an hour. :happy:
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    its normal that its short in the beginning. - I usually just do some easy cardio afterwards if its short or I have al ot of time.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    Oh I missed that point. HRM are not really accurate for weight lifting. Having a high heart rate alone doesn't burn calories. Moving a large portion of your body quickly and a lot does. When you are doing cardio the movement increases your heart rate in a known way so the calories burned can be inferred from your heart rate. When you are lifting your heart rate increases basically too high for the movement being done so your calories burned cannot be calculated using heart rate. A half hour of lifting burns about the same calories as a leisurely walk, not the hard run your HRM might indicate.
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