ngaliyin Member

I read her whole thread. She was on a deficit the whole year, she designed her own weight lifting program as a newbie doing it at her home (she has a picture of her really modest set up) and she started out with 5lb dumbells and increased as she went.

This is quite interesting to me in an exciting way. My understanding was that muscles couldn't really be on display until goal weight, at which time only through bulk/cut cycles or maintenance while lifting (longer) that muscles can be built for display. But, what you're saying is that lifting while on a deficit eventually…

If I'm understanding correctly, muscles don't grow when on deficit, but lifting on deficit preserves them while lbs drop which allows them to show once a big chunk of fat is gone? Question: I came across a thread in the success stories section here called " I went from size 20 to size 8 in one year with weight lifting".…

I see...so keep doing what I'm doing with eating at deficit and lifting, but instead of letting the scale tell me how I'm doing, take pictures to see the difference. Thank you :smiley:

BF % you say? I thought that only came into play at or close to my goal weight. How does it work exactly when I'm focused on bf% instead of scale weight? Is there a different format this? Please elaborate. Thank you!

For now, my goals are to drop fat while firming up and getting stronger. I see myself building muscle after I reach my goal weight or close. I want my muscles on display as much as possible :smiley:

You're right about this - Now that I'm incorporating the rest days I'll give the recommended 5lb increase every other session a good go while keeping a focused eye on proper form. I'm so grateful for all your support. I can only get better by implementing them. Thank you!!!!!

Oh, this sounds like so much fun!!!! I'm so looking forward to when I can lift such high numbers safely and efficiently. ICF 5x5 is increase of 5lbs every other session (there are 2 workouts A and B) but I only increase 3lbs and am really focused on getting my form right before any increase. cool stuff!

I increase 1.5/3 and back track if my form is even slightly incorrect or can't finish the set. I read in many posts in the forum that for a newbie (me), form is more important than increasing weight. I follow this to prevent injuries. Also remember I've only been doing ICF 5x5 @ 5/6 days per week for only 2.5 weeks and…

That was just an example, please for me to make sure i got what Yopeeps what talking about.

Easy? heck no! Love - oh yes! I don't think it's easy, I just LOVE it!!!!! I go by what's heavy for me and back track when I can't lift with good form or finish the set at the increased weight.

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Move up from 60lb squat to 64lbs (example) and keep at 5x5. That's what you mean, right?

Thank you, Yopeeps! I like solution # 1 :smiley:

I felt sore the first 2 days but after that not. I increased my protein intake and increased my sleep hours. That's a good idea about upping the weights instead of frequency. I like it. Thank you!!!

Thank you. I've been told that it's not muscle gain but water retention since I'm on a deficit. I'm certainly gaining strength since I'm upping my weight lifts, getting toned and losing cellulite - YAY!!!!!!! I'd like to see a drop in scale weight which should come when my body acclimates to the water retention, etc. I…

Got it. Thank you!

Yes, thank you. I like this idea because I'm at a place where my body is loving working out and I want to keep the momentum in a safe way :smiley:

I'm not sure what accessory workouts are and I tried to get a definition on Google. If you mean triceps extensions, curls, crunches etc, they're already part of ICF 5x5. I understand what you mean about doing other workouts those days. I might ride my bike or swim or use the treadmill or elliptical. My body wants to do…

I didn't say I have experience, just that my body wanted more. I could've done other workouts on my off days but I enjoyed the ICF 5x5 so much I chose to do it 5 or 6 days instead of 3. Again, thanks to the wise responses here, I decided to cut back. Thank you :smiley:

Only about 4 months (counting the 2 months before my surgery) - so not long at all. I have been doing it 5 or 6 days a week for the past 2.5 weeks only and feeling excellent, but I have received advice here to stop doing it so many days a week and go back to 3x per week. Because of all the wonderful responses here, I have…

In addition, I didn't make up the program. Jason Blaha came up with it. The only thing I changed was to work out with the program 5 or 6 days a week instead of the 3 days Jason recommends. But with all the advice about giving my muscles time to rest with full days in between I have decided to scale back.

Please I already answered this question and Rushfive posted my reply to it for you to see. Hope you got it. Thank you.

The reason I decided to do 5 or 6 days instead of 3 was because my body just felt like it could use more. I have been feeling quite good actually except for the water retention getting my scale weight up. Anyway, by asking the question about the scale weight, I've been told here that I should follow the program as…

Thank you VERY much. I appreciate you and wish you many blessings :smiley:

I'm working on it. Not sure if i got it. Oh yay, it's working. Thanks.

After some maneuvering, I have discovered the quote function, I think. Thank you for being the catalyst and help me out if I got it wrong.

There is an actual ED where people "compensate" for eating bad by spending hours in the gym. There is a natural "high" from working out, and sometimes it's a fine line between pushing yourself and becoming obsessive. Keep an eye on how you feel about the gym; if you do start feeling obsessed about going or missing a…

Seriously OP if you love strength training you need to stop overtraining before you damage yourself and end up off weights for months and having to build up again I most certainly do LOVE strength training and want to keep going so I shall heed your advice and take those rest days in between. Thank you trillions :smiley:

If you're working every muscle every day (heck, if you're _able_ to work every muscle every day) you're doing something wrong. You should lift 2-3 days per week, with at least 1 day in between, if you're working all muscles in every workout. Your body recovers, repairs, and grows (increased muscle, increased strength)…

OP, its water retention due to the exercise. If after a couple of weeks you're not seeing that scale go down, drop the calories back down to 1500. Thank you. I do actually eat between 1200 and 1550 just because I feel satisfied.