Stronglifts 5x5

[jfs82]

5x5 routines are great for non advanced lifters. The thing that stalls people's progress a lot of the time is they don't EAT. You want to make big gains with this? You'll need to give your body the building blocks it needs to do so. I used to help do some training and coaching for lifters and fighters, easiest start was 2 extra shakes a day with oats and protein (extra 800 cal or so). It'll also help your recovery a ton.

 

[Keedman]

I enjoy 5x5 as my tune up workout like when i have gone a year wo working out. I tend to only do 2 months or to get the cobwebs out and get the callus going and tough the skin on my neck for the bar.
I think it excels on getting you used to being in the gym and slowly work you way to ok weight. From there i tend to go into a workout program tailored more for what im doing.

 

[brettdunn7]

I enjoy 5x5 as my tune up workout like when i have gone a year wo working out. I tend to only do 2 months or to get the cobwebs out and get the callus going and tough the skin on my neck for the bar.
I think it excels on getting you used to being in the gym and slowly work you way to ok weight. From there i tend to go into a workout program tailored more for what im doing.

I sometimes do it for this reason also. Another time I will use it is when I need a break from my normal routine and need to shock my body with something new during the middle of my normal plan. I will do it for a few weeks and it really does help, I feel good and when I get back to my normal workout I see a difference


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[Tranger03]

There’s plenty of time to add volume down the road and in fact you will most likely have to at some point if you plan to continue adding weight to the bar. Enjoy the lower rep scheme and shorter workouts while you can. Reasonably you should only do starting strength or 5x5 type progression for a short period of time and then usually a four day split type arrangement is necessary to keep workouts manageable timewise.

 

[brentr9]

So what would you guys recommend for a flatland 27 year old who hasn’t seen a gym since college?

 

[Poser]

So what would you guys recommend for a flatland 27 year old who hasn’t seen a gym since college?

I unconditionally recommend Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression for as long as you can run it. You don’t need to up the volume to 5x5 until you have exhausted progress on 3x5. There are also a lot of more resources available for executing this program vs Stronglifts.

 

[Felix1776]

I unconditionally recommend Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression for as long as you can run it. You don’t need to up the volume to 5x5 until you have exhausted progress on 3x5. There are also a lot of more resources available for executing this program vs Stronglifts.

I second this as well. I've studied all of the Starting Strength materials and have run the Starting Strength novice linear progression numerous times over the years. If you're following the program, which includes eating the right foods in the right amounts, it flat out works.

I've experimented with damn near all of the major strength programs out there: Wendler 5/3/1, Stronglifts, Madcow, DUP, Texas method, HLM, Westside Conjugate...I've even tried a number of "powerbuilding" programs. Nothing gets me strong faster than Starting Strength. If you're doing it right, your numbers ramp up with a quickness.

The only problem with Starting Strength is it's a pretty temporary fix. I can usually only run it for about three months or so before stalling out. Then it's time to switch it up. If your eating and recovery isn't on point, you'll stall out even faster.

Everything Poser wrote in his previous posts is dead-on. There's absolutely no reason to do 5x5 if you're able to make progress on 3x5.

 

[brentr9]

I unconditionally recommend Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression for as long as you can run it. You don’t need to up the volume to 5x5 until you have exhausted progress on 3x5. There are also a lot of more resources available for executing this program vs Stronglifts.

Thanks for the recommendations guys. I’ll give it a go and check back when/if I need further assistance.

 

[LostArra]

I unconditionally recommend Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression for as long as you can run it. You don’t need to up the volume to 5x5 until you have exhausted progress on 3x5. There are also a lot of more resources available for executing this program vs Stronglifts.

And don't take the term "Novice" personally. It simply refers to Starting the program at low poundage and actually training in a manner where weight increases at each workout, not how many years you have been doing something in a gym.

A note to seniors: if you are old enough for the Denny's Senior Discount you may need an extra day of recovery between workouts for adaptation (get stronger) to occur. Us old guys (and gals) are more volume sensitive. Also buying a set of fractional plates is very helpful for maintaining your progression whether you are doing Starting Strength or Stronglifts. Best purchase I've made for weight training.

 

[mtwarden]

also look at Wendler's 5/3/1 (a little bit of misnomer as the #'s change throughout the cycle)- I think it's great for someone just getting started, his tenants are

start light
workup gradually
concentrate on good form
stresses a good recovery
he's not much on BS

 

[Felix1776]

also look at Wendler's 5/3/1 (a little bit of misnomer as the #'s change throughout the cycle)- I think it's great for someone just getting started, his tenants are

start light
workup gradually
concentrate on good form
stresses a good recovery
he's not much on BS

5/3/1 is a really good program. I've ran it a number of times. I think it's really good for guys that are getting a little older as it heavily emphasizes recovery and you're never really pushing maximum poundages so the chances of injuries are reduced quite a bit.

 

[Poser]

5/3/1 is a really good program. I've ran it a number of times. I think it's really good for guys that are getting a little older as it heavily emphasizes recovery and you're never really pushing maximum poundages so the chances of injuries are reduced quite a bit.

I also think it is a great intermediate program. Can also work well with training in co Junction with sports. That being said, for a novice who can add weight to the bar every workout, the advanced novice who can add weight to the bar 2/3 weekly workouts or the early intermediate who can add weight of the Bar on a weekly basis, there is no need to jump straight into a program that adds weight to the bar on a 3 week cycle because you’ll be adapting much faster than that. That progress Weill slow down eventually and you’ll have to do something like 5/3/1, but take advantage of that expedited progress while you can.

 

[Felix1776]

I also think it is a great intermediate program. Can also work well with training in co Junction with sports. That being said, for a novice who can add weight to the bar every workout, the advanced novice who can add weight to the bar 2/3 weekly workouts or the early intermediate who can add weight of the Bar on a weekly basis, there is no need to jump straight into a program that adds weight to the bar on a 3 week cycle because you’ll be adapting much faster than that. That progress Weill slow down eventually and you’ll have to do something like 5/3/1, but take advantage of that expedited progress while you can.

I agree 100%. If you start with 5/3/1 before having ran out something like Starting Strength, it will take you forever to actually start moving any real weight. It always goes back to Starting Strength for me. I honestly feel like everyone should run SS for 3 months or so before trying any of the other common strength programs.

I'm coming off a layoff of about a month due to illness and a couple of nagging minor injuries and I think I'm going to run SS again for 4-6 weeks to get my numbers back up.

 

[Poser]

I agree 100%. If you start with 5/3/1 before having ran out something like Starting Strength, it will take you forever to actually start moving any real weight. It always goes back to Starting Strength for me. I honestly feel like everyone should run SS for 3 months or so before trying any of the other common strength programs.

I'm coming off a layoff of about a month due to illness and a couple of nagging minor injuries and I think I'm going to run SS again for 4-6 weeks to get my numbers back up.

I’m coming off a torn meniscus. I’ll be running NLP for a couple of weeks to jumpstart my squat and deadlift. I’ll probably start squatting 185# and take 10# jumps to 275#, and 5# jumps to around 315# or so. On that math, I can get my squat back up to 275# in 10 sessions and then back up to 6 plates in another 6 sessions. 16 sessions is 5 weeks. In a 5 week period, I’ll go from basically no squat/torn knee to 6 plates.

 

[brentr9]

I’m coming off a torn meniscus. I’ll be running NLP for a couple of weeks to jumpstart my squat and deadlift. I’ll probably start squatting 185# and take 10# jumps to 275#, and 5# jumps to around 315# or so. On that math, I can get my squat back up to 275# in 10 sessions and then back up to 6 plates in another 6 sessions. 16 sessions is 5 weeks. In a 5 week period, I’ll go from basically no squat/torn knee to 6 plates.

So I read Mark’s book on Starting Strength. He recommends 3500-6000 calories with a gallon of milk/day for his program. Is that necessary? I understand a goal of ~180grams protein/ day but that’s only ~720 calories. is there a better macro goal I should be shooting for? The last thing I want to do is gain 25 pounds to tote up the mountain. I’m 6’0” 181 pounds. I can’t imagine being limber and agile at 205. Am I missing something here?

 

[Poser]

So I read Mark’s book on Starting Strength. He recommends 3500-6000 calories with a gallon of milk/day for his program. Is that necessary? I understand a goal of ~180grams protein/ day but that’s only ~720 calories. is there a better macro goal I should be shooting for? The last thing I want to do is gain 25 pounds to tote up the mountain. I’m 6’0” 181 pounds. I can’t imagine being limber and agile at 205. Am I missing something here?

The gallon of milk a day is for males who are under 30, usually well under 30 and only for a short period of time. You should expect to gain some weight, though, probably 10 lbs.
I’m 205-215 lbs at 6 foot, depending on the time of year. My body feels and performs much better than It did at 175# or, worse, 155#. Both of which are bodyweight a I maintained for several years each as well as a few between. I’d also add that I am an athlete and snowboard and mountain bike quite seriously and quite extensively. I ain’t going to claim to be the best in the world or anything like that, but I’d certainly consider myself to be “limber and agile”, even though I’m often 25-50 lbs heavier than my partner pool in those same sports.

 

[brentr9]

The gallon of milk a day is for males who are under 30, usually well under 30 and only for a short period of time. You should expect to gain some weight, though, probably 10 lbs.
I’m 205-215 lbs at 6 foot, depending on the time of year. My body feels and performs much better than It did at 175# or, worse, 155#. Both of which are bodyweight a I maintained for several years each as well as a few between.

Thanks for the help

 

[Hot_Rod51]

I second the thoughts on Wendler 5/3/1. I've been using this program since last summer and it really does work. IF you follow it correctly. I do several other accessory lifts in supersets to get some cardio advantage as well.

I'm stronger now at 40 than I've been in nearly 15+ years.

 

[East2West]

also look at Wendler's 5/3/1 (a little bit of misnomer as the #'s change throughout the cycle)- I think it's great for someone just getting started, his tenants are

start light
workup gradually
concentrate on good form
stresses a good recovery
he's not much on BS

5x5 is great but I’ve seen really good results on using 5/3/1. I’ve used a lot of Jim’s various rep schemes to keep thing fresh. If you are doing it correctly there are built in deloads .

No matter what program you follow weightlifting is a marathon not a sprint. Just keep plugging away some days the weights will feel like paper and other days your warmups will feel heavy. The thing is to push through on those shitty days and do the best you can on THAT day. Others would pack it in and say I don’t have it today. This is where your gains will come from!!

 

[Hot_Rod51]

The thing is to push through on those shitty days and do the best you can on THAT day. Others would pack it in and say I don’t have it today. This is where your gains will come from!!

Bingo. No pain, no gain. Literally.

I've struggled... I mean STRUGGLED to drag my ass downstairs to do something... anything. After working all day, young kids at home, yada yada..... There's days that after that all I want to do is workout. Then there's days where working out is the last thing on my mind. It's those days you have to push yourself to get it done. I've never regretted it and have always felt better afterward. Just gotta kick that lazy ****** in your head in the ass.