Stronglifts 5x5 for a skinny guy bulking up?

Mike Trix

Is the stronglifts 5x5 workout a good workout for a skinny guy wanting to bulk up and gain muscle?

papu

Its ok , not the best. Do the program and eat lots of food and you'll make some good gains.

Maybe do it for 6-9 months and then move onto something else. Once you have a decent base, I'd recommend Canditos Linear Program

Mike Trix

papu wrote: »

Its ok , not the best. Do the program and eat lots of food and you'll make some good gains.

Maybe do it for 6-9 months and then move onto something else. Once you have a decent base, I'd recommend Canditos Linear Program

So its a good starting point? then move onto canditos linear program

Zombienosh

It's fine to start with for a few months, it essentially boils down to; eat loads - do compound movements.

Mike Trix

Zombienosh wrote: »

It's fine to start with for a few months, it essentially boils down to; eat loads - do compound movements.

Its a fairly easy workout with only 3 exercises per gym session should i add anymore or is that enough because i know eating is the most important part and i dont want to be burning too many calories off

MightyMandarin

Mike Trix wrote: »

Its a fairly easy workout with only 3 exercises per gym session should i add anymore or is that enough because i know eating is the most important part and i dont want to be burning too many calories off

If you feel you can do more, do more. Compounds should go at the start, but adding in isolation work (curls, lateral raises etc) will do no harm if you have the time.

Diet is the most important part; get enough calories and protein in and you'll make gains. Just make sure you don't neglect any body part (never, ever skip leg day) and see how you are in 6-9 months. It's a long, slow process so don't expect to be Mr.Olympia after 3 weeks of bulking.

Valmont

I think this program is a bit too advanced for beginners. I tried it when I joined a new gym a few months ago and after a few aches and pains I realised my squats, deadlifts, and rows were woeful and probably would have injured me had I kept it up. I started a hip stretching routine which allowed me to eventually squat properly and deeply but only with 30kg to begin with. Ditto for the deadlifts.

Absolute Zero

Hey,

Bit late to the thread. If you are deadset on doing a linear progression type program then I would reccomend Greyskull LP.

I did SS (same as stronglifts only 3x5) for a good length of time, it brought me some good gains especially in lower body power squat 20kg (bar) > 175kg 1x5, Deadlift to 200x2. Body weight to 93kg @ 5 "9.

However, I feel the downfall of these programs is their emphasis on lower body through 3x a week squatting. Greyskull LP puts more focus on upper body development, especially arms and neck.

The basic program is simple enough, you still do the A/B workout 3x a week.
Monday
Bench/ or Press (A/B) 2x 5, 1 x 5+
Curl 2x 10-15 (bench days)
Squat 2x 5, 1x 5+
Neck Harness

Wednesday
Bench/ or Press 2x5, 1x 5+
Weighted Chins 2 x 6-8 (press days, and only if you can do at least 6-8 BW chins)
Deadlift 1x 5+ (with or without power cleans as warmups)
Neck Harness

Friday
Bench/ or Press (A/B) 2x 5, 1 x 5+
Curl 2x 10-15 (bench days)
Squat 2x 5, 1x 5+
Neck Harness

Ok, most people dont have a neck harness but I swear by it. It has helped me develop very big traps with little to no shrugs done. Doing the bench first in the workout is also a nice change of pace, I found that my bench and OHP didnt progress as fast as I wanted on the SS program and my upper body lagged in comparison. the Amrap set at the end is nice for hypertrophy, yet make sure your form is good before doing 20 rep squat work sets.

the program also calls for frequency method chin ups/ Push ups throughout the day *IF* you have access to a pull up bar (I now train at home so no problem). Im now doing around 5 sets of 10 chins per day and the arm development I am seeing is crazy. This also helps push up your weighted chins and help progres them linearly aswell. THe program also calls for 2kg jumps on the squat and deadlift, and 1kg jumps on the bench and OHP which allows progress for a very long time. SS can get hard pretty damn quick I found, as my final few workouts involved me doing 1x5 with a new 5rm and then 2 back off sets of 90% 2x5 and It was getting hard as hell to drag my ass into the gym for it.

Greyskull LP also calls for RESETs as part of the program. You reset when you fail to hit 5 reps on the last set, by 10%. For example if you reset to 200lbs on the squat and on your previous set you got 6 reps at 200lbs, then you reset and hit 9 reps at 200lbs you have gotten stronger. Progress in the gym can occur through rep PRs rather than increasing weekly intensity. The higher rep set certainly breaks the monotony of 5s all the time

Also dont fall for the BS of "eat loads" or GOMAD, let your diet grow as you grow. A novice squatting 100lbs for 5 reps doesnt need to consume 5k calories a day and a gallon of milk on top. I found that out the hard way when I started training and ended up fat ****ing my self.

fungie

ICF 5x5 is the best novice program. There is a cutting version too. He recommends staying on it until a few reps of 100kg bench, 140kg squat and 180kg deadlift.

Alf Veedersane

Valmont wrote: »

I think this program is a bit too advanced for beginners. I tried it when I joined a new gym a few months ago and after a few aches and pains I realised my squats, deadlifts, and rows were woeful and probably would have injured me had I kept it up. I started a hip stretching routine which allowed me to eventually squat properly and deeply but only with 30kg to begin with. Ditto for the deadlifts.

Any program is too advanced if your form is terrible.

Mellor

Mike Trix wrote: »

Its a fairly easy workout with only 3 exercises per gym session should i add anymore or is that enough because i know eating is the most important part and i dont want to be burning too many calories off

Wait until you stall, make sure you've got the lifts down. Post videos in the form check thread here to confirm.
Then add in structured accessory work, not just random extra. Or move on to a more complete program like Ice-Cream 5x5, Greyskull, or similar

Valmont wrote: »

I think this program is a bit too advanced for beginners. I tried it when I joined a new gym a few months ago and after a few aches and pains I realised my squats, deadlifts, and rows were woeful and probably would have injured me had I kept it up. I started a hip stretching routine which allowed me to eventually squat properly and deeply but only with 30kg to begin with. Ditto for the deadlifts.

It's a very basic way to program the 5 main compounds lift only. It starts light and progresses linearly. It couldn't really be any more a beginner program.
In you case you either didn't know how to do the lifts, or some started too heavy. You are supposed to start the an empty 20kg bar where possible.

reelsmash

It shouldn't be easy if you are putting the right intensity on the workouts.. adding some iso isn't necessary if you are just starting or bulking up.. instead of adding iso movement then just drop set it..