StrongLifts 5x5

[Xaviernusum]

One other note…I tend to have a bit of pain in my left knee when squatting (front, toward the bottom of the patella), and I paid more attention to where my knees were going while squatting, and realized that I probably wasn’t pointing the knees outward far enough, and when I corrected that, the knee pain was much reduced.

Just figured I’d mention in case any other noobs like myself had similar issues.

Glad to hear you’re enjoying your new rack! As for the patella pain, also spend some time stretching your quads and calves. The “couch stretch” is pretty much the go to quad stretch. Strengthening your ABductors well help as well keeping your knees tracking over the toes and stopping valgus knee.

[dduque]

One thing I would say is that you need warm up sets before the 5x5, so you can enter into heavier weights. The heaviness of the weights is what brings you the gains.

[SkipSandwichDX]

I booked a week of sessions with a trainer at my gym to make sure I have the form down for all of these as I don’t work out much and have never really done barbell stuff. Looking forward to getting started; I exercised in college and felt really good, so I think this is a good direction to go after losing a good amount of weight through diet.

On the plus side when my trainer asked me what kind of stuff I ate I told him I was eating Keto and his response “Oh, great. That is the right stuff to eat.” So that was a great capstone to a good learning session.

[DJTaylor]

A bit of foam rolling on your ITB before you start squatting might relieve this pain too.

[Colcock]

Nice set up! What floor mats are you using? I have a concrete floor and plan to as Santa for mats for my garage.

[Colcock]

Are those horse stall mats on the floor? Would you recommend? I’ve read of smells being a problem at first. I’m asking Santa for some mats for my garage gym’s concrete floor, 8 ft x 10, or 10 x12.

[stratocatblue]

They are stall mats I found at the local tractor supply store. I’ll be honest, the smell was intense in the first couple of weeks after installation, very rubbery and organic solvent smelling. However, after a few weeks the smell did dissipate and now after a couple of years there is absolutely no smell. I would suggest if the smell is an issue, these be washed with heavy duty dish soap prior to putting into place. They are not only heavy mats, but super heavy duty as well and far superior to anything I found at Academy or Sports Authority. Cheaper too! Hope this helps.

[Colcock]

Thanks!

[devhammer]

Not this specific brand, but I have mats very similar to these:

https://www.amazon.com/BalanceFrom-Puzzle-Exercise-Interlocking-Tiles/dp/B013A4ATCQ/

(not an affiliate link)

I got mine from either Costco, or Home Depot, can’t recall which. I’ve been using them for years, and my only gripe is that for things like my rowing machine or Nordic Track, they tend to leave divots where the feet are/were.

What I like about them is that because they’re interlocking tiles, you can configure or move them to suit whatever space they’re used in. They work nicely with my power rack, and do a fine job of protecting my barbell plates and concrete floor from one another.

[Colcock]

Thanks!

[Stewartba]

Are you just trying to build strength or strength and lose weight? My weight is doing weird things. I’m in week 3. I think I’m build muscle and holding/releasing water. Did you experience any thing like this?

[devhammer]

Wanted to follow up on this thread. Have had the rack I mentioned earlier in the thread for over a year now, and it’s holding up great.

Bought two extra sets of barbell pins, and more recently some plate holders.

Also started working out with my teen son, so I’m actually considering picking up a second rack. Price went up, but still quite inexpensive compared to other options.

https://www.amazon.com/FITNESS-REALITY-810XLT-800lbs-Capacity/dp/B01N4I8FOY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488922067&sr=8-1&keywords=fitness+reality+810xlt+super+max+power+cage (not an affiliate link)

[GeMoose23]

Back on the stronglifts5x5 train… Relocated, bought a house, moved my family of five three hours south… finally have my power rack assembled in the basement…

Man the deload and start over makes me sad, but doing it right, slow is safe and process…

[LouiseReynolds]

I’ve just gotten back to my first workout after going to KetoFest. The 2 week break was enough for the app to de-load. And this morning, DOMS +++ ouch!