*** The 2017 Gym Rats Thread ***

Started 5x5 last night after doing my housemates routine for about a month. Had to up the suggested starting weights but this is what we did:

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Kinda feeling it today I must admit, doms will kick in later on/tomorrow. I enjoyed it but we had to throw in some core/abs exercises as we found we were done in under half an hour.
 
ChrisD. said:
Started 5x5 last night after doing my housemates routine for about a month. Had to up the suggested starting weights but this is what we did:

KpFBMRh.png


Kinda feeling it today I must admit, doms will kick in later on/tomorrow. I enjoyed it but we had to throw in some core/abs exercises as we found we were done in under half an hour.
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Nice one, did that set today :)
you did it pretty fast, did you do any warm up reps?
I find I can take 5 mins just racking weights and setting up the next exercise haha
 
30kg squat 47.5kg bench, RIP. Joking aside, something tells me you decided to jump way ahead on the bench and left the other weights behind. While squats will catch up, you probably should set the bench weight a little lighter and make sure you are really nailing the technique which is one of the main focus's of this routine, hammer home the form while weights are light and by the time things become challenging you should be at least consistent with the technique.

Look to throw in 1-2 assistance exercises per workout to help fill the time out. Dips 3x8 on Row day, Pull ups 3x8 on deadlift day, then some core work, Leg raises 3x10-15 (when you really start to feel it), cable twist 3x10-15.

Stronglifts at the beginning is very sub optimal in terms of weight shifted and overall training benefit, which is why you can fit in assistance work.
 
GiraffePencils said:
Nice one, did that set today :)
you did it pretty fast, did you do any warm up reps?
I find I can take 5 mins just racking weights and setting up the next exercise haha
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No warm up, just cracked on. The first sets were done at the suggested weights, but it was way too easy so put extra weights onto it. Housemate and I are ex Army so we tend to be as quick as we can, kind of drilled into us I guess!

Unfortunately I'm out tonight and tomorrow, he's away this weekend so probably can't go till he's back. May go out on the bike on Friday.
 
Syla5 said:
30kg squat 47.5kg bench, RIP. Joking aside, something tells me you decided to jump way ahead on the bench and left the other weights behind. While squats will catch up, you probably should set the bench weight a little lighter and make sure you are really nailing the technique which is one of the main focus's of this routine, hammer home the form while weights are light and by the time things become challenging you should be at least consistent with the technique.

Look to throw in 1-2 assistance exercises per workout to help fill the time out. Dips 3x8 on Row day, Pull ups 3x8 on deadlift day, then some core work, Leg raises 3x10-15 (when you really start to feel it), cable twist 3x10-15.

Stronglifts at the beginning is very sub optimal in terms of weight shifted and overall training benefit, which is why you can fit in assistance work.
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Cheers, I'll look at the assistance and get some things written down in the app. Bench started at 30kg but then went to 50kg when I started being more of a challenge. Benching I am fine at but my squat form needs work so I don't want to push the weight at the expense of my knees not coming in and I found especially at 30kg that my back was twisting a little so may drop to 25kg. I have scoliosis which doesn't help matters!
 
ChrisD. said:
No warm up, just cracked on. The first sets were done at the suggested weights, but it was way too easy so put extra weights onto it. Housemate and I are ex Army so we tend to be as quick as we can, kind of drilled into us I guess!

Unfortunately I'm out tonight and tomorrow, he's away this weekend so probably can't go till he's back. May go out on the bike on Friday.
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I found that when the weights got heavier, I could get a really good warm up as I added weight building to the working weight.
I'd say it helped my technique a lot being able to focus on things with a lighter weight and it getting heavier.
I follow the guide, adding 10kg's each time, so I get a nice couple of sets warm up with weight (I'm not topping particularly heavy.....yet :D )
 
There is always room for warm ups. Even if its just a couple of sets of 10-15 reps with just the bar to help get things moving. As the weight goes up, Stronglifts actually prescribes warm ups on your way to your working set. For example once you get up to squatting 60kg plus you wont want to just smash on 60kg and go in cold. You will likely want to go for Bar x10 for a couple of sets, then 40kg x 5 reps then to 60. When working to 100kg its something like Bar x 10 for a couple, 60x5 80x3 100x5x5 etc.
 
Syla5 said:
This is also the core format only, there are many very good assistance exercises you can add in, 2-3 per day max. Also 1x5 deadlift is widely accepted to be completely insufficient. Carry over the 5x5 format on deads until they become tasking then drop to 3x5 at the working weight when they do become taxing.
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Hmm, I started doing Deadlifts 1x5,
Then MoNkeE talked me into upping that to 3x5.
Should I do 5x5? as I'm still towards the start of the routine (60Kg)
 
You have to gauge it on how you feel after 3 sets really. If after 3 sets you still feel like you could do 2-3 more sets and still feel "ok" then do the full 5x5, especially if your form is still looking tight on the final set. Stop at 3 once you get the feeling that 1 or 2 more sets might just be your max and things would start to look/feel ugly during those 1-2 more sets.

Also a key thing to point out is make sure to use full sized plates, as if you don't use full sized plates, the bar is not going to be in the correct starting position and this is not conducive of learning good form. 20-25kg plates should be 450mm diameter meaning the centre of the bar should be 225mm off the floor. If you have to use smaller plates then use other weights/blocks to lift the bar off the floor to roughly the correct height. Learning to deadlift from a deficit isn't ideal.
 
Cheers. Problem was that on the starting weights I felt as if I could do 10 sets and not 5, so upped weights. May back them off a little and go by myself this weekend. Training partner is naturally stronger than me.
 
Syla5 said:
You have to gauge it on how you feel after 3 sets really. If after 3 sets you still feel like you could do 2-3 more sets and still feel "ok" then do the full 5x5, especially if your form is still looking tight on the final set. Stop at 3 once you get the feeling that 1 or 2 more sets might just be your max and things would start to look/feel ugly during those 1-2 more sets.

Also a key thing to point out is make sure to use full sized plates, as if you don't use full sized plates, the bar is not going to be in the correct starting position and this is not conducive of learning good form. 20-25kg plates should be 450mm diameter meaning the centre of the bar should be 225mm off the floor. If you have to use smaller plates then use other weights/blocks to lift the bar off the floor to roughly the correct height. Learning to deadlift from a deficit isn't ideal.
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Alright, I'm Deadlifting again on Friday, so I'll have a go.
I'll film it and make sure my forms still sound.

I've got the correct sized plates yeah, I had to change gym to get them but it's a nicer gym :p
 
I'm a huge fan of Stronglift program but even complete newbies I recommend it to seem to do too much too soon. I know people who've tried it but not quite grasped the concept of it being progressive. "Oh I can bench 70kg I dont need to start at 40kg". Admittedly I personally wouldn't start too light (because I've been lifting for years now) but I definitely wouldn't start anywhere near what I'm currently capable of. The best part of the program is the motivation you get from upping your weight each session. If you start too near your limit you will top out too soon and lose that feeling of accomplishment.

I always found 1x5 on deadlifts a bit low but if you do a lot of warmups before a working set it's not so bad. Also jumping 5kg a time on deadlifts helps it move along a bit better.

Deadlifts are an exercise I find more difficult when light. If youre anything like me your form will improve as the weights come up. I feel can deadlift 160kg better than I can lift 60kg. Just make sure you have the fundamentals. Watch some Mark Rippedtoe videos on youtube for form.
 
Wow, thanks for that suggestion!

Watched a couple of videos, I totally drop my hips too low (according to the videos)
trying to make my back flat, having now watched why that's specifically a bad thing, I'm going to focus better on my setup.
 
I'm not a massive fan of watching deadlift form videos as everyone will have a different setup depending your body. Youtube Brian Shaw doing deadlifts and see how low he goes for a very big guy.
 
Well done for taking so much care over form at these weights - it will pay off! I agree that lower weights can be harder to do the right form though - I certainly have to work quite hard to deadlift lighter weights correctly. A flat back is a good cue to think about when DLing, I also think about hips down and keeping the bar really close to my shins. Drawing blood often means I've done it right :)
 
Somnambulist said:
After watching the European championships last week I was playing around doing the snatch drill from this (amazingly helpful) video the other day and had delusions of grandeur. I did manage to propel the bar properly up once or twice and grinned like a goon.

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I want to start flinging bars around too but I can't front rack at all, not even close. I think my wrists and upper back are the problem children. Damn desk based lifestyle and cycling so much I guess
 
Think I'm back to snap city, not a dramatic injury this time and I can't even pinpoint it to any event in particular. The tendon in my forearm/inside of my elbow just seems pretty shot at this point and it's been getting worse over last 4 weeks even with me taking a week off.

Affects just about everything though from pulling to push action, things like flies or any kind of dumbell curl action are just murder and feel like something is going to go. Pretty gutted as been making good progress but frankly expected seeing how I've been stuck training with someone with a routine that is not suited for me, nor do I enjoy. Should probably look at taking a break and getting the diet part down to a T.

That or this is just my body's way of saying I need to squat three times a week now ;)
 
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