# Beginner StrongLifts 5x5 log



## November Ajax (Feb 12, 2019)

I'm going to be following the StrongLifts 5x5 program for about 12-16 weeks. I'm mostly interested in my strength gains so I'm not going to be taking pictures or making any measurements. I'm interested in doing this because there are lots of loonies out there claiming you can gain 40lbs in a few months, and I think this is insane, so I want to test it (I will admit that I won't be drinking a gallong of milk a day, so that's probably the reason ), maybe someone will find it later on and decide if they are happy with the gains.

For those not familiar with the program: https://stronglifts.com/5x5/


Age: 22
Initial weight: 163lbs (74kg) (weighed on 11-Feb-19 in the morning)
Body fat: ~15% (estimate)
Height: 5'11'' (180cm)
Calorie goal: 3100kcal / day
Protein goal: 135g-165g / day (0.8-1g / pound)
Fat goal: 85g / day (25% of total calories)
Carbs goal: 420g / day (the rest after substracting fat and protein)

I'll be posting if I achieved my diet goals every week along with my weight, and I'll try to post about my workouts 3x/week.

My diet will consist mostly of chicken, rice (brown or white), potatoes, vegetables (broccoli, kale or whatever I can get my hands on), fruits, oatmeal, nuts, milk, eggs, etc.

*Disclaimer: I'm not going to be doing 1x5 Deadlifts as recommended, but instead I'll be doing 3x5 until I feel I can't recover from it.*

*Disclaimer 2: I'll be doing high-bar squats instead of low-bar to avoid stressing my lower back too much.*


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## November Ajax (Feb 12, 2019)

_I started with workout B because I used last week to get back into my usual weights._

*12-Feb-19*

Workout 1 (B)

Squat: 132lbs (60kg) 5x5
OHP: 88lbs (40kg) 5x5
Deadlift: 176lbs (80kg) 3x5


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## ToolSteel (Feb 12, 2019)

I would advise you to still take pictures and measurements, even if only for your own records. 
Strength breeds size.


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## November Ajax (Feb 12, 2019)

ToolSteel said:


> I would advise you to still take pictures and measurements, even if only for your own records.
> Strength breeds size.


I'd say keeping track of my weight and body fat should be enough, right?


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## Metalhead1 (Feb 13, 2019)

November Ajax said:


> I'd say keeping track of my weight and body fat should be enough, right?



You can, but i agree with tool. You'd be surprised how much changes over time when you look back on pictures. Especially, your starting point.


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## Gadawg (Feb 13, 2019)

Yeah.  Take pics.  The beginner recomp phase is awesome.  Id kill to make gains like that for six months or so.  Have fun!


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## transcend2007 (Feb 13, 2019)

Congratulations for starting your program ... I'd recommend not worrying about what others have a achieved or not a achieved and concentrate on your situation ... the truth is you cannot improve what you do not measure ... weigh weekly and measure monthly ... pics are an excellent idea also ...


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## November Ajax (Feb 13, 2019)

transcend2007 said:


> Congratulations for starting your program ... I'd recommend not worrying about what others have a achieved or not a achieved and concentrate on your situation ... the truth is you cannot improve what you do not measure ... weigh weekly and measure monthly ... pics are an excellent idea also ...


I'll definitely do the weight thing. This guys have convinced me to take pictures so I'll do that as well. The only question that remains is: To flex, or not to flex.


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## DeltaWave (Feb 13, 2019)

Nice thorough post, Jax. 

It's entirely plausible to gain 40lbs in 2-3 months, although the majority would be water weight/fat. 

Would not be too strict on meal timing, although planning for your pre/intra/post workout can definitely have its upsides.

And personally, I find that squats and deadlifts on the same day can be pretty taxing, especially if its heavy load/low reps and you're just beginning. It's easy to forget about improving form, and just moving the weight. 

Take pictures every 2-3 months. Don't worry about short-term changes, look toward the long-term ones. Keep a daily log of your training sessions, create a couple goals you want to achieve, and keep that motivation sky-rocketing. 

Goodluck lad.


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## November Ajax (Feb 13, 2019)

DeltaWave said:


> Nice thorough post, Jax.
> 
> It's entirely plausible to gain 40lbs in 2-3 months, although the majority would be water weight/fat.
> 
> ...



I don't worry about form too much. I record myself all the time and I've never had any kind of discomfort. I've been improving my form for a while now and I think it looks pretty good.

I usually eat 1.5-3h (less than 1.5h and I'll feel bad) before the gym and 0.5-1h after. Don't take any supplements but will start if I feel I'm missing some macros, especially protein.

I honestly forgot to include goals. I already know what they are but forgot to include them in the OP. I'll post if I got to them at the end of the 12 weeks. And thanks!


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## DeltaWave (Feb 14, 2019)

November Ajax said:


> I don't worry about form too much. I record myself all the time and I've never had any kind of discomfort. I've been improving my form for a while now and I think it looks pretty good.
> 
> I usually eat 1.5-3h (less than 1.5h and I'll feel bad) before the gym and 0.5-1h after. Don't take any supplements but will start if I feel I'm missing some macros, especially protein.
> 
> I honestly forgot to include goals. I already know what they are but forgot to include them in the OP. I'll post if I got to them at the end of the 12 weeks. And thanks!



It may look good, but you also need to consider which muscles you're wanting to activate throughout the lift. There's numerous amounts of literature discussing the differences between a beginner/intermediate/elite lifter. The more you learn, the faster you progress (in my opinion).

Everyone has their own opinion on pre/intra/post workout meals/supps. I personally like mixing a spoonful (30-35g) of dextrose (basically carbs) with my pre workout (which is generally just citrulline malate, beta alanine, pinch of salt if I'm feeling a little extra). Then I sometimes add another half spoon of dextrose throughout/after my workout with 30-40g of protein. 
Again, everyone has their own opinion. This is just my preference, because I also don't like to have a heavy meal just before a workout. Otherwise I end up having to shit half-way into it.


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## November Ajax (Feb 14, 2019)

*Log 2*

*14-Feb-19*

Workout 2 (A)

Squat: 138lbs (62.5kg) 5x5
Bench press: 143lbs (65kg) 5x5
Bent-over row: 138lbs (62.5kg) 5x5
The squats felt a little tough but I managed to get to 5x5 with proper form. I also managed to increase the 5lbs on every lift, so I'm pleased with that. (I corrected the value in lbs of my previous squat numbers. I assumed 60kg were 135lbs but were in fact 132lbs.)
I'm wondering if I'll have to switch to 3x5 squats soon. Even now it's been hard to get to 5x5. I hope this is because I'm just getting back. Also my protein intake has been low this past two days, so that could be the reason as well.


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## November Ajax (Feb 16, 2019)

*Log 3*

*16-Feb-19*

Workout 3 (B)

Squat: 143lbs (65kg) 3x5
OHP: 93lbs (42.5kg) 5x5
Deadlift: 187lbs (85kg) 3x5
I felt it wouldn't be possible to reach 5x5 on the squats with good form so I bailed at 3x5. I thought it would be better to recover for next week and also to mantain good form today.
I'll probably be doing 3x5s on the 2nd workout of every week to be rested for the 3rd. There is an extra rest day between the last workout of the week and the first of the following week, so it shouldn't be necessary to do 3x5 on the 3rd one again next week.
Felt pretty hard to increase 5lbs on the OHP. Sadly my gym doesn't have plates smaller than 2.5lbs so I'll probably have to start increasing the weight every 2 workouts instead of 1 in this exercise.
My forearms are starting to feel the weight of the Deadlifts. I'll probably have to start using straps before reaching 220lbs. At least for the last set or so.
Despite the squat fail, I feel I've been keeping up pretty well so far. Considering my lifts started relatively high, I'm happy with the results for this week.


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## November Ajax (Feb 19, 2019)

*Log 4*

*19-Feb-19*
Workout 4 (A)

Squat: 149lbs (67.5kg) (Failed to get 3x5)
Bench press: 149lbs (67.5kg) 5x5
Bent over row: 143lbs (65kg) 5x5

I failed to get 3x5 on squats for some reason. I'm having a lot of trouble with this exercise. I don't know why this exercise is so hard for me. I think the next step is to drop the weight to about 110lbs (50kg) and work my way up from there. Seems like a big downgrade but I see no other way. Even during my warm-up sets I struggle to get the reps. 
The other lifts felt fine, especially the Pendlay Row.
I also forgot to weight myself today, so I'll do it tomorrow first thing.Diet update

Macros\DayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySundayFatn/a87104110121110132Carbsn/a366385304275339207Proteinn/a106119174181162154Caloriesn/a269629242882294029892664
First two days had pretty bad ratios but in the following days protein intake went up. At first I though my protein intake was the cause of my slow recovery but now I don't think so, which is also why I think dropping the weight is the way to go.


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## DeltaWave (Feb 20, 2019)

November Ajax said:


> I failed to get 3x5 on squats for some reason. I'm having a lot of trouble with this exercise. I don't know why this exercise is so hard for me. I think the next step is to drop the weight to about 110lbs (50kg) and work my way up from there. Seems like a big downgrade but I see no other way. Even during my warm-up sets I struggle to get the reps.



Some people have trouble with squats (me included), some don't. Same as any other exercise. Lots of things can affect it, but **** going into that. 

No harm in dropping the weight and going for higher reps. It's a common technique used to get past plateaus. 

There's likely a plethora of threads discussing how to improve your squat on here, just search "improve squat" or something. Also Grizzly just posted this a couple days ago - [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]https://www.ugbodybuilding.com/threads/29305-Update-on-the-Bulgarian-Split-Squats

You can also look at alternatives to squats, or even other variations of the squat, but on machines instead. V squat, hack squat, leg press. All good alternatives/variations.
[/FONT]


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## November Ajax (Feb 20, 2019)

DeltaWave said:


> Some people have trouble with squats (me included), some don't. Same as any other exercise. Lots of things can affect it, but **** going into that.
> 
> No harm in dropping the weight and going for higher reps. It's a common technique used to get past plateaus.
> 
> ...



I have read that split squats can drive up your squat. I've also seen some people recommend leg press as a decent alternative. However, I'm not ready to give up on the exercise just yet. I mean, it's only been a week 

I'm not sure if I'm garbage at squats or this is just a product of skipping leg day for years. Back when I was into bodyweight stuff I'd skip leg day almost every time, mostly because you look dumb AF doing squats in a park like some 45 year old woman while her personal trainer is cruising Instagram.

The guy recommends dropping the weight about 10% when hitting plateaus, but I think I'll benefit from going a little below that. I gotta get used to the movement and work on my mobility. I noticed I started half-repping as well, so I'll try some lighter ATG squats and see how that goes.

I'm going to keep going for a few more weeks and drop the weight as many times as necessary. If I still suck at it I'll probably work on some alternative movement, maybe try low-bar or front squats as well.

Thanks for the input, Cheetah.


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## DeltaWave (Feb 20, 2019)

November Ajax said:


> I have read that split squats can drive up your squat. I've also seen some people recommend leg press as a decent alternative. However, I'm not ready to give up on the exercise just yet. I mean, it's only been a week
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm garbage at squats or this is just a product of skipping leg day for years. Back when I was into bodyweight stuff I'd skip leg day almost every time, mostly because you look dumb AF doing squats in a park like some 45 year old woman while her personal trainer is cruising Instagram.
> 
> ...



I'd recommend recording yourself doing squats and upload it on the forum and ask for feedback. People that have years of experience will instantly know what's wrong. Generally its just little things that you don't even realise you're doing.

@10% dropping, depends on where you're at/what training style you want to incorporate. Could do pyramid sets, high rep with 50-60% of your 1rm, or low rep with 70-80% of your 1rm. Loads of other variations. Even 1-2 sets to failure, then moving onto the next exercise. Shit's insane but impressive af too.

@movement, I stopped doing squats for a good 3-4 months. Hated it. Couldn't get the movement down. So I swapped over to other exercises, then switched back. I still hate them, but once I came back it kinda just clicked for some reason. 

No worries brotha, goodluck with the next workout.


​


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## Jin (Feb 20, 2019)

You aren’t good at squatting because you haven’t squatted much. 

Squat until you are good at it. 

I was dogshit when I started about 4 years ago. Couldn’t get a single clean rep of 225. Now I can get 40 and squat over 500 pounds. How did I do it? Squatting!

Its not just strength. It’s mobility. The more you squat the better your body dynamics will be. My ankles were not flexible enough to squat without a heal when I first started. Now I am much more comfortable in a flat soles shoe. 

Sure, play around with low vs high bar. Record yourself Nd analyze your form. 

Forget about front squats for now. 

If you want to get better at squatting then squat. Period. 

Drop the weight and nail the form. 

The strength will come.


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## snake (Feb 20, 2019)

ToolSteel said:


> I would advise you to still take pictures and measurements, even if only for your own records.
> Strength breeds size.



Haven't I always harped on this?


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## November Ajax (Feb 22, 2019)

*Log 5*

*21-Feb-19*
Workout 5 (B)

Squat: 110lbs (50kg) 5x5
OHP: 93lbs (42.5kg) 5x5
Deadlift: 198lbs (90kg) 1x5
Squats went well. *Switched to low-bar to follow the program as it was intended.* Went well, and I'm almost certain that the problem is lack of strength, since I have the mobility part down. Did all of the reps ATG and I didn't struggle with the movement at all.
The OHP still feels hard. I don't think I can increase the weight next workout either. *It's worth mentioning that since I started I've been doing chin-ups and dips on workouts A and B, respectively.* Maybe this is hurting my OHP. I won't stop doing them because I don't want to end up looking like a damn T-rex.
I did two relatively heavy warm-up sets for the deadlifts, mostly because the weight is starting to look scary. I feel confident I could have gotten to 3x5 without much trouble. This is also probably because the squats got easier. Also, I want to start following the program more closely.
I forgot to add the weight last time so here it is.
*Weight update:* 166.6lbs (75.6kg) (weighed on 19-Feb-19)
Seems like I gained too much weight but the weight on the first post wasn't precise. I must have gained 1-1.5lbs.


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## November Ajax (Feb 23, 2019)

*Log 6*

*23-Feb-19*
Workout 6 (A)

Squat: 115lbs (52.5kg) 5x5
Bench press: 155lbs (70kg) 5x5
Bent over row: 150lbs (67.5kg) 5x5
Everything felt fine. Bench is getting harder and I'm feeling the impact of the rows a little more on my biceps now. I was able to keep all my rests to under 3 minutes and still able to get to 5x5 without a lot of struggle.
I decided to lower the calories a few days ago because of the recommendation I got from Scooby's website. The previous 2900 calories I obtained from putting my information into MFP but I was eating a bit much and I'm worried I gained too much weight. I'm consuming a little over 2400 now. I'm gonna see how it goes. Protein still at around 150-200g/day.


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## Trump (Feb 23, 2019)

Why the calorie cut buddy if you want strength you got too eat and you only gained 3lb or so from the start. That’s not too much weight to gain in that space of time


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## November Ajax (Feb 23, 2019)

Trump said:


> Why the calorie cut buddy if you want strength you got too eat and you only gained 3lb or so from the start. That’s not too much weight to gain in that space of time



I did gain a over 2lbs in just one week. I think that's a lot, and I'm worried too much of it is fat. I mean some is fine, but that seems a lot. Even though I want strength, I don't want to end up looking like Lasha Talakhadze.

If the records I have are accurate, initial weight was 74.4kg, and one week later it was 75.6kg. That would make it 2.6lbs in just one week. Seems like a lot. And also I don't think that 2900 was a good number, since I got it from the app. I don't think that's the smartest way to calculate the calories you need. Scooby's calculator is highly recommended by everyone, so I figured it was a better idea.


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## Trump (Feb 23, 2019)

I understand where your coming from with the fat gain as I have the same kind of thinking. But honestly 2lb in a week is not massive that could fluctuate a lot during a day too. Do you actually feel fatter or look fatter in the mirror??



November Ajax said:


> I did gain a over 2lbs in just one week. I think that's a lot, and I'm worried too much of it is fat. I mean some is fine, but that seems a lot. Even though I want strength, I don't want to end up looking like Lasha Talakhadze.
> 
> If the records I have are accurate, initial weight was 74.4kg, and one week later it was 75.6kg. That would make it 2.6lbs in just one week. Seems like a lot. And also I don't think that 2900 was a good number, since I got it from the app. I don't think that's the smartest way to calculate the calories you need. Scooby's calculator is highly recommended by everyone, so I figured it was a better idea.


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## CJ (Feb 23, 2019)

Was your bodyweight a weekly average, or just comparing one day to another?

Bodyweight can fluctuate that much day to day, I've found it MUCH more accurate to weigh myself daily in the morning, no clothes, after using the bathroom, and taking the average of those 7 days.


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## November Ajax (Feb 23, 2019)

Trump said:


> I understand where your coming from with the fat gain as I have the same kind of thinking. But honestly 2lb in a week is not massive that could fluctuate a lot during a day too. Do you actually feel fatter or look fatter in the mirror??





CJ275 said:


> Was your bodyweight a weekly average, or just comparing one day to another?
> 
> Bodyweight can fluctuate that much day to day, I've found it MUCH more accurate to weigh myself daily in the morning, no clothes, after using the bathroom, and taking the average of those 7 days.


I agree with both of you on the fact that my measurements have been pretty crappy and weight does fluctuate during the day. However, my caloric intake was based on a random app (not even MFP) that I didn't even know. Most TDEE calculators will place mine at about 2100/day, so I figured that a 500 caloric surplus is better than 800-900.


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## CJ (Feb 23, 2019)

You're right, calculators aren't accurate, they're just a logical starting point. While I personally think that you might be undereating, you'll know soon enough.


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## DeltaWave (Feb 25, 2019)

Wouldn't even worry about being worried by a hectic surplus of calories atm, man. Just eat like a cannibal who's just realized cemeteries are a thing.

The best way to grow is to eat. I honestly wish I had never even dieted, because I lost a shit-tonne of muscle in the process. It is necessary to diet, but not when you're trying to increase your lifts and become more muscular. Even if you gotta' eat dirty every once in awhile, at least you're getting those calories. 

Also you'll fluctuate a few kilos constantly throughout the day. Pointless to get obsessed over getting too fat this early in the game.


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## November Ajax (Feb 26, 2019)

*Log 7*

*26-Feb-19*
Workout 7 (B)

Squat: 121lbs (55kg) 5x5
OHP: 99lbs (45kg) 5x5
Deadlift: 209lbs (95kg) 1x5
Surprisingly I was able to increase the weight on the OHP, so pretty happy about that.
Deadlifts are starting to feel pretty tough, but squats felt fine.
*Weight update: 167.8lbs (76.1kg)*Diet update (18-Feb through 24-Feb)

Macros\DayMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySundayFat1329291818964n/aCarbs207260268179328256n/aProtein154206159205153149n/aCalories266429922569232427372241n/a


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## Jin (Mar 7, 2019)

How’s this coming along?


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## DeltaWave (Mar 7, 2019)

Somewhat certain he won't be active anymore.


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## Jin (Mar 7, 2019)

DeltaWave said:


> Somewhat certain he won't be active anymore.



Did he say something to you?


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## DeltaWave (Mar 7, 2019)

Nah but he hasn't seemed very active with his posts since his last one unfortunately.

Oi Jax, how's your lifts going?


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## November Ajax (Mar 8, 2019)

*Log 8-9-10-11*

*28-Feb-19*
Workout 8 (A)

Squat: 126lbs (57.5kg) 5x5 (easy)
Bench: 154lbs (70kg) 5x5 (since I lost my notes I forgot to increase 5lbs here)
Row: 154lbs (70kg) 5x5

*2-Mar-19*
Workout 9 (B)

Squat: 132lbs (60kg) 5x5 (easy)
OHP: 99lbs (45kg) 5x5 (hard)
Deadlift: 220lbs (100kg) 1x5

*5-Mar-19*
Workout 10 (A)

Squat: 137lbs (62.5kg) 5x5 (easy)
Bench: 159lbs (72.5kg) 5x5 (easy)
Row: 159lbs (72.5kg) 5x5 (not so easy)

*7-Mar-19*
Workout 11 (B)

Squat: 143lbs (65kg) 5x5 (easy)
OHP: 99lbs (45kg) 5x5 (still hard, will probably start doing 3x5)
Deadlift: 231lbs (105kg) 1x5 (surprisingly easy)
So, since I've accumulated a few workouts I decided to do the notes next to the exercises for clarity.
When I said "easy" or "surprisingly easy" it doesn't mean I was able to curl the weight after concluding the exercise, it means I wasn't close to failure and that I expected it to be harder, so I was surprised when it wasn't so. I'm glad dropping the weight helped with the squats. I was afraid I was gonna plateau again at ~140lbs.
However, I had to use a mixed grip for the DLs because the pronated grip was impossible to mantain, so I'll just use straps next time.
Sorry I was not too active for a while. It was a busy time at school and I lost my notes so I was a bit unmotivated to fill the log. This is also why there is so much information missing on my diet table. I still ate about the same as every other day so the numbers should be similar.
*Weight update:* 168.8lbs (76.6kg) (weighed on 8-Mar-19)Diet update (25-Feb through Mar-3)

Macros\DayMondayTuesdayWedndesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySundayFatn/a85109n/an/a123n/aCarbsn/a359371n/an/a307n/aProteinn/a168171n/an/a177n/aCaloriesn/a29393174n/an/a3069n/a


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