Feedback for 2 year beginner

[Strive]

Hello,

I've been lifting consistently for almost 2 years now, seeing moderate progress using various splits (upper/lower, push/pull/leg). I'm ready to try a full body split, and Stronglift's 5x5 seems like the best. I'm extremely impressed by all of the support and details on the website, and the atmosphere here seems healthier than some other fitness forums, so here I am.

I'm still a beginner because my squat is just 1.33% of my body weight, but I'm past the point where I can add weights every workout for my upper body. I can't even add weight to my bench every month anymore. So while I'm not ready for an intermediate routine, I'm not sure how to approach the beginner's either.

I have a few questions before I start 5x5 (my stats are in my sig)...


1) My bench is frozen. The more I bench press, it seems lately, the weaker I get. I've tried deloading twice in the last year, and I always freeze around 195-200lbs. I narrowed my grip slightly to prevent my elbows from flaring out, I've switched to incline bench, I've added dumbbell presses afterwards. Nothing works. My diet seems fine, my deadlift and squat keep going up. My body looks better. I can even do weighted dips with more weight than I can bench. I'm not sure what weight I should start with for this 5x5 program. Any advice?


2) I've been doing Good Mornings for the past 6 months. I squat once a week ("leg day"), and adding GM's after back squat was great for my lower back and hamstrings. The FAQ says that adding lifts is a bad idea for beginners, so should I ditch GMs completely when I start 5x5?


3) I usually work my forearms (standing wrist curls and reverse wrist curls) after deadlifts. Is it okay to throw these at the end of Workout B, or does it have any adverse effect?


4) I would like to try front squats and especially overhead squats to work my core. Reading about them on the website, they seem like great lifts, but it doesn't really explain the best place to add them in the routine. Thoughts?


Thanks,
Strive

[ajqattan]

For your bench I recommend some sort of periodization. The guys at Westside are Bench-masters, so there's a wealth of information on their website that'd be good for you.

[Young Athlete]

You could blast your bench, with the blast your bench program it's used as a shock to the body and is used to maximize progress i have read athletes getting 20lbs in 3 weeks.

[Strive]

Thanks for the replies.

I should probably clarify. I don't care about my bench as much as my deadlift, squat, and press. As long as I'm getting bigger and stronger, I'm fine. I don't want to try any routines centered around increasing bench press, because I feel like I've already found a good one centered around squats. I just want to know the best way to approach/improve benching within the Stronglift 5x5 routine.

If my bench has to stall for my squat to reach 1.5, that's fine. I just don't think it should.

[Mehdi]

1) Start at about 160lbs for 5x5 on bench, and build from there. It will be easy during the first weeks, focus on speed & technique. Gives your physical & mental break from benching. You'll get to 200lbs without much problem by adding weight each workout, but stick with 5lbs and focus on technique/speed.
2) don't add lifts.
3) don't add lifts.
4) don't add lifts.

[Strive]

1) Start at about 160lbs for 5x5 on bench, and build from there. It will be easy during the first weeks, focus on speed & technique. Gives your physical & mental break from benching. You'll get to 200lbs without much problem by adding weight each workout, but stick with 5lbs and focus on technique/speed.
2) don't add lifts.
3) don't add lifts.
4) don't add lifts.

1) Thanks, I'll give it a try

2) lol okay

3) Fine

4) I don't want to "add" front or overhead squats. I just thought since I'm squatting 3 times a week, some of those would be lighter, in which cause I would substitute. So I'm really squatting my max for 5 sets, every other day?

[RJK]

I too was stuck at 195lbs. I went to the 5x5 three day a week plan and got rid of the various incline, decline, fly, cable cross over and other exercises that targeted my chest once or twice a week. I started 5x5 at 195lbs b/c my form was good. Within in two weeks I went from 5x5 @195 to 210lbs. I credit the success to 5x5 focusing on the big picture, bench, squat, press. The home gym made those other exercises impossible b/c all I have is a rack, barbell, and 255lbs in plate weight.

Whatever you want to get stronger in your routine do it first. Proven fact that you will do the best in form and strength performance. I like rotating bench and OH press from first and third exercises while keeping squats/deadlift second and fourth.

[Strive]

that seems like good advice. I deloaded the bench to 165 for this routine. if my bench stalls before my squat, I may move it first.

One of my main goals is to deadlift 400lbs, and I feel like I could reach it quicker if I deadlift before squatting. But I'm trying really hard to not modify Mehdi's routine. I don't want to try some bootleg version and not see results.

I took his advice and took out the forearm work. I noticed I still had some DOMS in my forearms from doing pull-ups and deadlifting the same day. So I'll trust his judgment on the exercise order for now.

[Strive]

Update

After a few months of adding 5 pounds a workout, I was squatting beyond 1.5x my bodyweight and concluded the Stronglift Beginner routine.

My goal was to squat 275 (5x5) by the end of the year. As of this morning, November 16th, I just squatted 315lbs (4x5) I squatted 305 (5x5) last Tuesday and it was relatively easy, so I decided to go up 10lbs and did it.

I've gained 14 lbs in 11 weeks, and I'm stronger in all of my lifts, including a bench of 210 ( 5 sets of 4, 4, 4, 3, 3 last Friday)

The only problem now is, I can't stop gaining weight! It was fun at first, but now I'd like to actually shed some fat to expose the new muscle. But I can't figure out how. I thought it was scientifically impossible to gain weight without consuming more calories, but I've been eating the same exact thing for the past month, and I continue to gain 2-3 pounds a week. I even cut out the carb-heavy veggies (tomatoes, carrots and rice), limiting my veggies to spinach and broccoli. I'm still gaining weight. This week I started doing HITT every couple days. I'm STILL gaining weight. My body has the same basic fat/muscle composition, but I'm bigger. I look a lot more solid in my clothes, but I look exactly the same with my shirt off. Now that I've put on some size, how do I get that cut/lean look? Any ideas, short of starving myself?

[Sven]

Keep lifting heavy weights and throw some cardio in at the end of your workout? The only way you can burn fat is to expend more calories than you are consuming. If you haven't increased your food intake you are in somewhat of a maintenance state, just because you are still gaining weight may indicate you are some kind of genetic freak.

I would think tracking EVERYTHING you are eating via some kind of online calorie calculator and adding in some cardio at the end of your workouts should cut you down a bit, but don't forget to keep lifting and my suggestion would be doing the cardio after you've done the weights not the other way around.

[Strive]

What kind of cardio do you recommend after lifting? I'm usually pretty spent.

And I'm definitely not a genetic freak. It took two years of lifting to get a very average body. I gain and lose weight pretty easily, but it's always the same fat/muscle ratio. I've never been able to burn fat and keep muscle or vice versa. If I jog for 30 minutes after lifting for example, I will go back to how I looked before SL 5x5. Not "cut," just smaller.