Saying that, my legs ballooned in size, so much so that I still struggle to buy shorts. I decided to cut squats down to twice per week which managed to solve the problem. Now I love squats, I really do, but consistently doing them three times a week for 12 weeks without any proper deload will take its toll whether you’re healthy or not.Īfter seven weeks I started experiencing some knee joint discomfort and groin pain. Indeed, some of the PRs I achieved during the course of Stronglifts I’ve still not beaten some 18 months on. It becomes a state of mind when all you’re doing is lifting strong. I followed this programme for 12 weeks and I gained a lot of strength. The site itself used to look about as dull as Kate Moss’ weekly shopping list but it has since been jazzed up to look a bit more interesting. If you subscribe to the website you get regular tips and updates which are useful… for a while. There’s an online community of over 30,000 members (and growing) who all swear by the programme. Not only is Stronglifts 5×5 a workout, it’s almost a lifestyle. If his story is true then he’s really taken a lot of time to create something different. He also tells you to never use a spotter – if you can’t lift the weight for five reps, you’re going too heavy.įor more tips, check out Stronglift’s regularly updated YouTube channel. Just get used to the make-up of the sessions during this initial period.Įach session you’ll add 2.5kg (5lbs) to the bar, so, again, don’t start too heavy or you will plateau quickly and lose motivation Mehdi urges people to try this programme for a minimum of 12 weeks, and not to go too heavy in the first few weeks. Mehdi backs this up with the fact that the best bodybuilders ever all had a background in strength: Schwarzenegger, Park, Coleman, by way of definitive argument. The principle is that to an extent strength=size, but size doesn’t necessarily=strength. Stronglifts is designed for the hard-working bodybuilder who wants to lift like Mariuz Pudzianowski but can only spend 45 minutes a session in the gym. So, if you’re going for a pro-card then this obviously isn’t the programme for you. You can try to do 5×5 on deadlift, but you’re likely to injure yourself, so a single balls-out heavy set of 5 reps is advised.Īlso, your lower back is gonna be pretty wrecked from squats and to an extent the military press. You alternate workouts every other day, or, if you can’t be arsed, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks for sharing – it’s much appreciated! Stronglifts plays out like the plot of a Shakespearean tragi-comedy: Workout A Exercise Now pay attention here because this is going to get complicated. On the about me section of the Stronglifts website, Mehdi shows us his PR squat (5 x 374lb at 176lb body weight) and a 451lb deadlift. The programme itself is based on the 5×5 workout pioneered by everyone’s favourite bodybuilder Reg Park, and also the similar regime devised by legendary American strength coach Glenn Pendlay. Stronglifts is the antidote to a series of embarrassing events in Mehdi’s life which include losing an arm wrestle to a woman and constantly hitting plateaus when trying out the latest fad workout. Now Mehdi is not the biggest guy ever, but then you don’t need to be built like Lou Ferrigno to know what you’re talking about (except Ian McCarthy, he literally knows sod all). Stronglifts 5×5 is the brainchild of one Mehdi Hadim, ‘The New Muscles from Brussels’. I’ve used that phrase for dramatic effect – sadly I haven’t gone on to be an international standard powerlifter. So the next day I Googled “strength training” and clicked on the top result. This happened to me around 18 months ago. There comes a point in every bodybuilder’s training regime, usually about the time you’re doing a triple drop set of lat raises and you struggle to finish a set with 5kg dumbbells, when you think, “Oh fuck this, I want to be strong!”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |