I just feel it does not hit certain body parts (e.g. I do cardio 3 x a week of moderate intensity. My long term goal personally is strength + big muscles. So I could definitely say my strength has gone up, My question is what he claims to say is building strength is the best way to build muscle.

Overhead press 20 to 40kg (This is probably the worst one, and one of the hardest)ĭeadlifts from 40 to 60kg ( Only 1 set of 5 reps per week)

Squats have gone from 20 to 60kg (Though I used to squat around 45 for 3 x 10 prior to starting this)īench press again from 20 to 65 kg (I used to bench 50 for 3 x 10 prior to this) I've started it out about 4 weeks ago - I've started from the bar (20 kg) on Squats and Bench Press. The guy who made it - Mehdi, claims it's the best workout out there regardless of your goal - it's good for fat loss, and muscle building. So i started the Stronglifts 5 x5 which just focuses on about 5 exercises which are compound movements.

My compounds lifts were generally quite weak. Keep in mind good form and proper depth and so forth, but first and foremost YOU MUST LIFT THE BAR.Hi, as i'm a beginner at gym, and been going on and off for almost 2 years. But you must push yourself, not just physically but mentally. This is actually the stage when the program becomes most effective. It will never get easier if you keep lifting 190 or less. You're in the transition from the weight feeling doable to the weight feeling heavy. It's where most people go from 'oh this is hard I suppose, there it goes' to 'WHAT IS THIS ON MY BACK I'LL NEVER STAND UP GARRRHAGGAGGGAGHHHH'. That's a big transition right around 200 pounds-190 for someone your size, 210 or 220 for someone my size. The weight you're at is never going to feel light. Most of the time, it still means you should add weight to the bar the next time. Barely finishing your last set is normal. The workout program has not become ineffective. If your beginner program isn't working anymore after 3 months, it's time to switch things up. You can add muscle mass, or just try to make the most of your body weight. The bottom line is you are 160 lbs and you are squatting more than your body weight. The heavy day you are going for a higher weight than you used on the volume day. The bottom line is that for squats you'll be doing one volume day, one light recovery day, and one heavy day. Take 10% off the bar and switch to a weekly progression for a while until you hit the same barrier (which will be higher)Ī common weekly progression would be Texas Method, or something similar.It's inevitable that you will reach that point on a beginner 5x5 program. What's happening is that you are increasing the weight faster than your body can recover. So please understand that beginner programs are designed for just one thing: to take advantage of your beginner gains. The fact you've been pushing a beginner's 5x5 program for just over a year attests to your fortitude. If you hit the wall 3x like this, switch to 3x5 and work your way up.After the 3rd time, take 10% off the bar and work back up.One of the more common ones, StrongLifts 5x5, suggests the following protocol for when you stall: Each 5x5 (or 3x5) program has its own protocol for when you start stalling like you are doing.

Weight lifing 5x5 program