Speaking as a soon-to-be 49-yr old I feel your pain. I move a lot slower in the morning the next day but by the time I get to work the kinks have been worked out..

In your case, sounds like you need to eat more carbs. We all worry about packing on pounds but it doesn't hurt to play around with your calories and macros to see if that makes a difference.

And get lots of sleep.

Dont forget guys that this whole program is aimed at losing body fat and building muscle without doing cardio. If your 5x5 starts to suffer because of your cardio, my advice would be to stop doing the cardio and let your body recover properly before your next workout.

Also, to help with the soreness try to eat as much protein as possible every day to help with muscle repair, also a vitamin C and omega-3 supplement taken every day will help with soreness - they are a must when doing regular heavy lifting.

The heavier your workouts become the more intense they are and the more calories and fat you will burn, and if you eat regular meals your metabolism will sky rocket. which can last for days after - thus eradicating the need for cardio.

Dont forget guys that this whole program is aimed at losing body fat and building muscle without doing cardio. If your 5x5 starts to suffer because of your cardio, my advice would be to stop doing the cardio and let your body recover properly before your next workout.
...

This is the question that I had. I'm almost 45, and am switching from P90-X over to SL5x5 (and could there be any two programs that are more different?) This is my first week on 5x5, and on P90-X, I'm used to pretty intense cardio 3 days a week, and burning about 700 calories doing it. Now, I'm just resting, and I feel like I'm slacking. But it sounds like I should just deal with the guilt in favor of making sure I fully recover.

I will say this, the program really does feel fantastic, even tho I'm still using really light weights. I just got my squat rack on Friday, and I'd forgotten how much I missed doing deep squats!

Everybody is different. I am doing 5x5 and training for a marathon. I run T W Th St and lift M W F. Wednesdays I lift in the early AM and run in the late PM. The only time I notice inordinate fatigue is when I don't have a protein shake (1 scoop whey mixed with chocolate milk) after I lift or after my long run on Saturday. I get about 40% of my calories from protein.

Also, I get 8 hours of sleep a night, every night, or I'm worthless.

That's great but, you know, at 29 I could do that too! Talk to me if you can still do that on the plus side of 60!! LOL

That's great but, you know, at 29 I could do that too! Talk to me if you can still do that on the plus side of 60!! LOL

:flowerforyou: Yes, but you see, at 28, I couldn't train for a marathon, I could barely run a half. And at 27, I could barely run a 10k. And at 26 I couldn't run a block, and if you slide back to when I was 21, I smoked 2 packs a day and got out of breath thinking about running. The OP is 33 years old, close to my age, nowhere near 60. I think, in his case, the issue is not age.

You are correct about the OP of course. I'm just totally projecting my own issues. LOL Great job on the changing your life in such a positive way! :flowerforyou:

It's not recommended to do cardio on your off days. Especially when you start the program, you need plenty of rest time for your body to recover.

I hardly think your age is an issue, you're only in your 30's.

--P

This. Knock off all the cardio.

Dont forget guys that this whole program is aimed at losing body fat and building muscle without doing cardio. If your 5x5 starts to suffer because of your cardio, my advice would be to stop doing the cardio and let your body recover properly before your next workout.
...

This is the question that I had. I'm almost 45, and am switching from P90-X over to SL5x5 (and could there be any two programs that are more different?) This is my first week on 5x5, and on P90-X, I'm used to pretty intense cardio 3 days a week, and burning about 700 calories doing it. Now, I'm just resting, and I feel like I'm slacking. But it sounds like I should just deal with the guilt in favor of making sure I fully recover.

I will say this, the program really does feel fantastic, even tho I'm still using really light weights. I just got my squat rack on Friday, and I'd forgotten how much I missed doing deep squats!

I'm in the same boat. 51yo, I did a round of P90X and finished in June. I started a 5x5 program July 1st, and I feel great. I do some cardio and yoga on my off days....but only if I feel energetic and have gotten some good sleep. I think sleep is the most underrated factor in fitness, especially once you get older.

I still run a couple times a week. Either the evening of a 5x5 workout or an off day. Not real far and not real fast. Usually a little over 5k at about an 8:30 to 9:00 pace. It's not for the purpose of "cardio" but because I enjoy it and it keeps me in running mode for the obstacle races that I run in. I'm not trying to be a competitive powerlifter. I just want to be well-rounded in my fitness.

I'm 42. This week I'm in week 11 and yesterday my sets were 195lb squats, 105lb presses, and 240lb deadlifts. I ran 3.3 miles the same evening and if I felt slower it was more likely because I stuffed myself with pizza a couple hours earlier rather than because of my Stronglifts workout. So far my first missed sets have been on presses, and I have a feeling I'll probably miss sets on rows in the next workout because my form is losing strictness. So far my minimal running hasn't seemed to interfere with my Stronglifts. I don't feel particularly sore after either pursuit.