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Strong Lifts 5 x 5

nazzysmith

nazzysmith

kuncesmith
Gidday all,

Looking at the SL 5 x5 routine....Anyone got any feed back from it????

Going to switch from current body split training front/back/legs once a week... To SL 5 x 5....

I note that Sl 5x5 looks very similar to something Fadi put up on another thread...

Going to eliminate all isolation movements and become a squat junkie!!!! And train for strength!!!!
 
It's a very good routine but I would suggest Starting Strength over Strong Lifts

Medhi: Fat guy that took 10 years to build a 480lb deadlift and created the routine from mish-mashing other routines he found on the internet

Rippetoe: 7 plate deadlifter, trained hundreds of successful powerlifters, created starting strength with help of bill starr, ron kilgore, glenn pendlay (700lb deadlifter, 600lb squatter) etc all successful lifters and trainers
 
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Thanks guys...

I do like Rippletoes you tube vids.... And he is definitely on my radar....

However for the moment going to try sl 5 x 5... Will give it 12 weeks....

Several weeks ago I saw something that Fadi put up many months ago and was intrigued .... Then I saw SL 5x5 and realised the potential...

The bit that intrigued me was Fadi's training schedule... ie training legs 3 times a week.... And if they got sore instead of reducing training they increased training.... ie added in a pump work out to pump nutrient rich blood through the affected area....

Im not to sure if I will be succesful in this program...

Unlike the rest of the guys who avoid squats I have a genuine reason...

Back in 2002 I licked it big time on the big air jump at Thredbo!!!! Landed on my head and broke my back!!!!!! (Compression wedge fracture to T2 and T3)

So racking a heavy squat bar on my back creates swelling in my T2/T3... Hence the reason I avoid squats.... Dont get me wrong... I love the squat movement....

So going to start with an empty bar and try adding 5lbs a workout to see if I can overcome this injury... Meanwhile if I can't I will simply swap the squats out for Dead lifts!

And chase a big deadlift!
 
inb4 SL vs SS...oh, too late. Well, since it's already been brought up, here's my take on things:

If you're already competent at the main lifts, do SS. If you want to do power cleans, do SS. If you're not very good at the lifts, do SL. You'll be starting lighter than in SS, progressing a little more gently (no adding 10lb per session onto your squats for the first 2 weeks), and getting more volume into each session. So long as you learn the lifts properly and emphasise form above all else from day 1, SL will give you a better foundation in setting up the right motor pathways for the lifts.

Whether you do SL or SS, I think the book SS is worth its weight in gold for the exercise instruction. SL is pretty brief on the instructional side of things, so without the information found in SS you probably won't benefit from SL quite as much as you could otherwise.
 
Tbh there is no reason why you can't swap rows for powercleans in SL or start with just the bar in SS

I don't see why a beginner needs to do BB rows when chins are a vastly superior exercise, even Medhi recommends that the beginner shouldn't do rows because not everyone can row 60kg for 5x5 when they first start out and recommends inverted rows instead which I think is silly when you can just do chin-ups

I'm rambling a bit but chins > rows for anyone, especially a beginner and therefor SS > SL (as that is the only real difference).
 
0ni said:
Tbh there is no reason why you can't swap rows for powercleans in SL or start with just the bar in SS

I don't see why a beginner needs to do BB rows when chins are a vastly superior exercise, even Medhi recommends that the beginner shouldn't do rows because not everyone can row 60kg for 5x5 when they first start out and recommends inverted rows instead which I think is silly when you can just do chin-ups

I'm rambling a bit but chins > rows for anyone, especially a beginner and therefor SS > SL (as that is the only real difference).
Click to expand...

It's only 30kg, not 60kg. Either way, I think his recommendation to add more weight so that the bar will be elevated properly off the ground is a bit silly, given that you can have the weight set to 20cm off the floor without putting weights on either side. I agree that chin ups and pull ups are better than barbell rows, too, but that's just cus my experience with barbell rows is that I feel it more in my hamstrings and lower back keeping my position than I do in the target muscles. Not sure if this is common or not. It's not that important, though.

The instruction with SS is that your starting weight for each exercise be either the point at which bar speed slows down during the lift, or the point at which technique is going to get iffy if you go any heavier. Arbitrarily starting with just the bar, though prudent, is not the program. And even if you did start everything with just the bar, it wouldn't make up for the extra 2 sets of practice. Total beginners will probably benefit more in the long run from getting those extra couple sets in, so long as they don't produce excessive fatigue (which they're more likely to do if you use the SS method to figure out starting weight).

It's really not a matter of one program being better than the other. Each has its pros and cons. I just think SL suits the complete beginner better, and SS suits the lifter who's coming back from layoff better.
 
Rowing is important. It targets the scapular retractors over the lats more than Pullups. Most people also perform shitty scapular retraction during Pullups at first especially when they have trouble doing them due to weakness. Therefore you should have both in a program. Cleans are not an adequate replacement for scapular retraction work even though they are a great exercise.

I don't prescribe BB rows for the same reason you have stated Ryan. Most people can't focus on the movement over holding the position. Once they have good control and strength on a cable row then I move them to DB rows then BB rows if they can be done properly.
 
Aye ^

I've always said the only 'machine' I would ever have in my gym is a lat pulldow/seated row combo (or some form of row machine).

Simply because from my own experience concentrating on getting popular retraction is hard enough, let alone when you're worrying about balancing with the weight etc.

Dave would you suggest using a wider grip on the rows as opposed to a closer grip? Or will retraction be largely the same in both?
 
dave said:
Rowing is important. It targets the scapular retractors over the lats more than Pullups. Most people also perform shitty scapular retraction during Pullups at first especially when they have trouble doing them due to weakness.
Click to expand...

This is me because I've been neglecting rows...

I'm going to try doing some of Dan John's Bat Wings to fix the issue...
 
Interesting exercise that ^

Kinda reminds me of the scapula control protocol from Diesel Crew that DeFranco also utilises (think he calls them 'Blackburns')
 
Most gyms don't have bumper plates and need 20kg plates to set the bar at the right height

Also imo beginners doesn't need to do rows. As Rippetoe said: fuck rows
 
Good discussion....

From my point of view...

The point of focus with this type of workout is the progressive loading and training of the same muscle group 1 to 3 days a week...

No forced reps... Compound movements... Repetitive movements...

Whether you choose chins over barbell rows... I don't think it matters... Provided you continually strengthen that particular excercise...

How did the body building split of working each muscle group to failure once a week become such a stable in every gym world wide...
 
0ni said:
Most gyms don't have bumper plates and need 20kg plates to set the bar at the right height

Also imo beginners doesn't need to do rows. As Rippetoe said: fuck rows
Click to expand...

Rippletoe says a lot of things.

Including squatting elbows up which is the ultimate face plant manoeuvre.
 
5x5 stronglifts (which is a ripoff of bill stars) works. As long as the assistance exercises target weak parts and u re-periodize your training after week 9 and your consistent in hitting the numbers set out.

2 of my members on a bastardized strong lifts 5x5 program have put over 100kg (total) after 8 weeks of this program. One member Sean went
90/90/130 to 130/125/180 after 9 weeks. He had weak hammies so alot of SLDL/GHD's/UDL's were thrown in. he also put on 5kg of bodyweight.
 
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