Monthly recap later than usual. Busy month, traveled to Paris 2 week ago, then to Amsterdam last week for Queen's Day. Shorter work weeks than usual, but I'm all set now. No more travelling for a while.

Before I start. May 1st 2010 was StrongLifts.com 3rd anniversary. Traffic keeps increasing, 30% growth during the past months, reaching 700k visitors. Forum members tripled during the past 12 months, +10.000 members since April. You can say that things are going great.

And although all of this didn't happen by chance, I didn't expect things to get this huge when I started 3y ago. As you can guess, I learnt a lot with all the feedback that you gave me. Big updates are coming soon. You'll see.

Many readers have told me that this site changed life. Awesome, that's my goal with StrongLifts.com. Just realize that this site changed my life even more, and I have to thank you for it. So thanks for your ongoing support.

StrongLifts 5x5 Success Stories. This month's StrongLifts 5x5 success stories to prove you that I'm not bullshitting you and so you get motivation to train by reading the results others are getting.

You can find all the StrongLifts 5x5 success stories here. Every time a forum member shares his results, the mods & I update the list. Here are the success stories from April 2010.

• Everyone Loves a Success Story - Here's Mine (PICS) by bigkev1983. "I paid £200 for 10 sessions with a personal trainer once, which did nothing for me so think about what this is worth to you when you start to see some results from the info on here."
• Living Stronglifts Advertisement - review of SL5x5 by Quiver. "I've gained at least 7kg (16lbs) of raw muscle within 3 months. [..] Stronglifts makes me feel like a man. A beast would be an even better statement."
• After 9 months of SL, resting heart rate goes way down! by Earthshaker. "My heart went from 70 bpm to 60 bpm, i think this is extraordinary. not only have i gained strength but also improved my cardiovascular fitness, and it's not like i was out of shape before i started."
• I gained over 15 kilos in a month (PICS) by GDA9. "I initially weighed about 55kg, at a height of 1.73m. Now I weigh over 74kg, after hard work, a good diet, and GOMAD. [..] I even increased 1.5 inches in jeans size so I have nothing that fits anymore."
• Finished Up Stronglifts 5x5, the results are in... by Anthony. "Did 1RM test today as last stage of stronglifts. Weight: 103kg. Body fat: 12-15%. Squat: 170kg. Dead lift: 200kg. Bench Press: 100kg. I feel like an animal right now, just back from gym. I feel like I've mastered myself."

I'm obviously paying people to post these success stories... or worse, I'm writing them myself... right...

Please share your success story in the forum. Post your before/after stats and pictures. The best stories I might use with your permission for a blog post like I did with Exodus' story.

Best of Forum April 2010. The StrongLifts.com forum counts 242k posts and 10k members. Many members say the forum is key to keeping them motivated. Here are my favorite discussions this month:

• Top 3 Foods?
• The 100 kilo bench club
• What IS weightlifting to you?
• What do you consider strong?
• Use Gloves If Chalk Is An Absolute No?
• Did Anyone Get Big and ‘Ripped’ From 5x5?
• You know when you're Squatting right when...
• Muscle confusion : Muscle memory, is there such a thing?
• John Berardi, author of Precision Nutrition says NO MILK
• Debate: What If I Just Stopped Everything?

You can keep a training log for free in the forum. Record the weights you lifted and how you felt. Get advice from other members and compete with them. The training logs are great motivators. I highly recommend you to start one.

You can discuss blog posts in the article section. I’m committed to answer your questions, even if they’re controversial. I’m open minded and don’t pretend to know everything. Please join the convo with the same mindset.

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Next update: soon. Remember you can get that article and all the next ones delivered for free in your mailbox by subscribing for free.