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Cutting, no weight loss in 3 weeks. Stick with it or adjust?
I started logging and eating at a deficit about 3 weeks ago. My plan was to lose 15-20 pounds from 205 to about 185-190. I also had not been lifting for about a month because of a crazy work schedule, so I started lifting again right as I started the deficit. In the 3 weeks I've been at it, I've done OK but not great with…
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Bench - moving from 531 to 5x10
I’ve done StrongLifts and recently 531, but my bench hasn’t really improved in like 12 months. Whenever I bench more than about 200 pounds, my shoulders hurt a lot. I’ve deloaded and sought form help, but I seem to be doing something fundamentally wrong that I can’t figure out. Recently, in order to let my shoulders heal…
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16 year old balancing off season lifting with club/AAU basketball
My son is a 16 year old basketball player who just finished his season yesterday. As he was leaving his last game, the coach said to him "I need you in the weight room A LOT during the off season." He is 6'4" and about 160#. Despite not having strong legs, he has a good vertical, and playing at/above the rim is becoming a…
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When to do next DEXA scan?
My plan is to slowly cut down to about 12% BF, maintain for a while and then bulk. Last DEXA scan was about two months ago, and I was 16.4% body fat. Since then my weight hasn't changed a ton (like 4 lbs) but I've lost some fat and my waist is smaller (I'm down a belt notch). I'm wondering when I should do next DEXA scan…
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Migrating from SL 5x5 to 5/3/1
Hi all. I'm male, 50 years old, 6'3" and 192#. My body fat (based on caliper measurements at the gym) is 19%. My goal is first to be stronger and second to add mass. I'm eating at a slight deficit and losing about a 0.75 pounds a week. I plan to lose at least 7-10 more pounds, then slowly bulk. I never lifted seriously…
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Plan for getting back to the gym
I'm a 50 year old male, about 6'3" and 200 pounds. I am currently about 20% body fat. I've been out of the gym since about January. I'm looking to start lifting again and to lose some weight. My primary goal is to be stronger, and I guess I'd also like to look stronger. Based on advice I've gotten previously about when…
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De-loading deadlifts on SL 5x5
I've been doing SL for quite a while, and my DL are at about 340 for 1x5. I want to de-load and really work on nailing the form. My question is the best weight and number of reps to move to. 340 for 5 reps is not super hard, but I think I sometimes raise my hips too quickly and lift with my back too much at that weight.…
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Does anyone eat this much protein?
In the course of discussing a coach's recommendation that my son consider eating more protein, I came across a position statement from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition that suggests athletes get between 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day (3.08 to 4.4 grams per pound of bodyweight per day).…
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20 squat program
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/irontamer5.htm I'm doing the squat portion of this instead of StrongLifts squats to build endurance after 7 months of heavy, low rep squats. So far (2 weeks in) I'm finding that the sets of 20 squats have not gotten too hard yet, but My legs are surprisingly wiped out afterward and I'm sore…
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Deadlift form
Hi all, So I have been doing deadlifts as part of StrongLifts since about May, but other than watching one or two videos I have not really paid attention to them since until recently they were easy. Once I got up above about 280 pounds, they started to be a bit harder and my recent 300 pound reps felt pretty hard. I took a…
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Plyometrics with weak legs?
I'd like to develop my vertical jump to get a bit higher when playing basketball. Plyometrics are what everyone recommends for increasing vertical, but... I've heard that you should focus on strength before speed in leg development and that if you can't, for example, back squat at least 1.5 times your body weight, you are…
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When to fail at deadlifts
I've been doing Stronglifts since May. Before I started I had never done deadlifts. During that time, my lifts have gone from 100 pounds to 260, and I have never failed or had a problem completing a set, and I increase weight every time. So this may sound like a dumb question, but --- how do I know when to bail on…
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Cramps while lifting
The last two times I've lifted I've experienced muscle cramps. This has never happened before. Been lifting for about 3 months. Thursday my legs cramped while I was benching and today it was my abs while doing ab exercises (I did abs right after deadlifting, which may have been dumb). I take multivitamins, if that matters.…
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Bench press form
I've always done bench press with the bar touching my chest at the bottom of reps. I recently read advice to not go below a 90 degree arm bend if you have shoulder issues. Lately as I have been progressing with Stronglifts to weights where I miss a rep occasionally, the front of my chest right where my arm meets my body…
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Helping my son with healthy eating
My son is 14 and still growing pretty fast (1/2" last month). He's about 6' and around 135 lbs. He is extremely active --- he has at least 2 basketball practices a week that run 2 hours, lifts weights 2-3 times a week and trains on his own or plays ball with friends for at least 30 minutes every day, often more like 2…
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How much more to lose before I start to bulk?
In April I started to eat at a (very) slight deficit and do Stronglifts. I'm 6'3". I was at 201# and I planned to get down to 178 or so because that was a good weight for me when I used to run a lot. Now, 2 months later, I've only lost 5#, but my waist is down 2" and my abs are starting to look more or less like I remember…
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Help me learn to squat
I'm a 49 year old, 200lb 6'2" guy and I started doing stronglifts 5x5 about a month ago. I recently videoed myself and realized my squat form was terrible and that I was not going as low as I thought. This is a clip from today of my 4th set at 135 lbs. This is better than the set I videoed last week, but the problem I have…
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Building strength with bodyweight/dumbells?
Hi all, I'd like some advice on building strength with bodyweight exercises and dumbells. I'm not what folks here would consider serious about lifting --- there are some constraints on what I'm willing to do that probably limit what's possible, but I'd like to get a little stronger. My constraints: - Don't much want to…
