Stronglifts 5x5 for rugby

ColmH81 · 04-11-2013 9:34pm #1

Greetings folks...

Not sure this is the right place, but I'm contemplating starting the StrongLift 5x5 and I was wondering if anyone has tried it? I'm doing for rugby(thinking of moving from back row to Loose head)....

arse..biscuits · 04-11-2013 10:04pm

I did it and my strength increased considerably. My friend did it with me, he was playing Aussie rules at the time, he said he was going into tackles like a freight train and sending people flying.

ColmH81 · 04-11-2013 10:12pm

arse..biscuits wrote: »

I did it and my strength increased considerably. My friend did it with me, he was playing Aussie rules at the time, he said he was going into tackles like a freight train and sending people flying.

Quality.. Just what I wanted to hear.. Did you you throw anything extra in or just stick to that?

arse..biscuits · 04-11-2013 10:24pm

ColmH81 wrote: »

Quality.. Just what I wanted to hear.. Did you you throw anything extra in or just stick to that?

Extra? As in extra lifting?

No , just stuck to the program. At the start you may think the workouts are too easy, but they get very hard as the weight goes up. I never slept like I did after those hard workouts.

My mate said his team-mates were asking him after the match "What the f*ck is up with you? You're like a mad man out there"

ColmH81 · 04-11-2013 10:26pm

arse..biscuits wrote: »

Extra? As in extra lifting?

No , just stuck to the program. At the start you may think the workouts are too easy, but they get very hard as the weight goes up. I never slept like I did after those hard workouts.

My mate said his team-mates were asking him after the match "What the f*ck is up with you? You're like a mad man out there"

Legend... Thanks a mill..

arse..biscuits · 04-11-2013 10:28pm

ColmH81 wrote: »

Legend... Thanks a mill..

No worries, just stick to the programme as prescribed. Don't rush up through the weight as some impatient people do (you will hit a wall too quick).

ColmH81 · 04-11-2013 10:30pm

arse..biscuits wrote: »

No worries, just stick to the programme as prescribed. Don't rush up through the weight as some impatient people do (you will hit a wall too quick).

Yeah, I'm an impatient f@cker.. But I'll stick it out and take your advice.. Thanks a mill..

arse..biscuits · 04-11-2013 10:47pm

Actually I did a bit extra, just remembered.

I did 5 sets of deadlifts. I dropped this to 3 when they it got very difficult. And eventually to 1 set.

ColmH81 · 04-11-2013 11:26pm

arse..biscuits wrote: »

Actually I did a bit extra, just remembered.

I did 5 sets of deadlifts. I dropped this to 3 when they it got very difficult. And eventually to 1 set.

Oh, did you add that into workout A or B? (assuming you split them)

arse..biscuits · 04-11-2013 11:42pm

ColmH81 wrote: »

Oh, did you add that into workout A or B? (assuming you split them)

Workout B.
Instead of the prescribed 1 set, I did 5. (Until that got too difficult)

siochain · 05-11-2013 3:23am

Have someone coach you on the lifts right from the start. Aim for form over weight.

ColmH81 · 05-11-2013 8:30am

siochain wrote: »

Have someone coach you on the lifts right from the start. Aim for form over weight.

Ah yeah, I'd be perfectly happy with my form..

.ak · 14-01-2014 11:33am

Sorry to bump this but didn't think it needed a new thread of it own.

Also a rugby player looking to take weights a bit more seriously so starting this program in feb. My question is this; the program asks you to do the lifting on every 2nd day, but I play/train rugby every 2nd day so it clashes, would it be allright if I did the following routine:

Day | Activity
Mon:| Rugby
Tue: |5x5 (session 1)
Wed: |Rugby
Thur: |5x5 (session 2)
Fri: |Rest
Sat: |Rugby (Match)
Sun: |5x5 (session 3)

So basically there's 3 days between session 2 and 3, but only 2 days between session 3 and 1. Is that ok? Or should I look at moving session 1 to the Sunday? Or does it even matter?

ColmH81 · 14-01-2014 11:39am

.ak wrote: »

Sorry to bump this but didn't think it needed a new thread of it own.

Also a rugby player looking to take weights a bit more seriously so starting this program in feb. My question is this; the program asks you to do the lifting on every 2nd day, but I play/train rugby every 2nd day so it clashes, would it be allright if I did the following routine:

Day | Activity
Mon:| Rugby
Tue: |5x5 (session 1)
Wed: |Rugby
Thur: |5x5 (session 2)
Fri: |Rest
Sat: |Rugby (Match)
Sun: |5x5 (session 3)

So basically there's 3 days between session 2 and 3, but only 2 days between session 3 and 1. Is that ok? Or should I look at moving session 1 to the Sunday? Or does it even matter?

I'd leave Sunday out of it.. You need a day of rest.. Or else you'll burn yourself out..

.ak · 14-01-2014 11:58am

ColmH81 wrote: »

I'd leave Sunday out of it.. You need a day of rest.. Or else you'll burn yourself out..

I'm just swapping Sunday for Friday though? Same amount of rest days no?

EDIT: By the way have you started doing this yet Colm? How have you found it?

ColmH81 · 14-01-2014 12:09pm

Sorry, didn't see the Friday rest.. If you have the energy on the Sunday, go for it.. ha

Mellor · 14-01-2014 12:12pm

.ak wrote: »

I'm just swapping Sunday for Friday though? Same amount of rest days no?

If you were just doing SS then adjusting the days is fine. With 3 days a week you have to take 2 rest days in a row somewhere. Between sessions 2 and 3 or 3 and 1 doesn't matter.

But you don't have the same rest days though as you are playing of 3 of them. 1 days a week rest isn't enough. Drop one of the lifting sessions (Sunday) and run SS over a week and a half cycle.
Tues, thurs, tues
Thurs, tues, thurs,
Etc

.ak · 14-01-2014 12:20pm

Mellor wrote: »

If you were just doing SS then adjusting the days is fine. With 3 days a week you have to take 2 rest days in a row somewhere. Between sessions 2 and 3 or 3 and 1 doesn't matter.

But you don't have the same rest days though as you are playing of 3 of them. 1 days a week rest isn't enough. Drop one of the lifting sessions (Sunday) and run SS over a week and a half cycle.
Tues, thurs, tues
Thurs, tues, thurs,
Etc

Ah I see, so other than making the program longer it shouldn't make too much of a difference? That sounds a bit more appealing, my missus thinks I spend too much time training as it is! and I do like my Sundays as rest days...

ColmH81 · 14-01-2014 12:27pm

.ak wrote: »

Ah I see, so other than making the program longer it shouldn't make too much of a difference? That sounds a bit more appealing, my missus thinks I spend too much time training as it is! and I do like my Sundays as rest days...

Join the club... hahaha

jaytuom · 16-01-2014 4:32pm

I'm 8 weeks into stronglifts now, and while it was slow and quite frustrating at first I'm finding it challenging now. I'm lifting heavier weights than I ever did before, particularly on the squat. I don't play rugby any more but I do a bit of heavy farm work and it definitely helps with that. I imagine it would be a good programme for a rugby player, the focus is on power and the lifts are all compound movements.

My advice is to start really low with the weights. I think I started with just the bar for overhead press, 40ish for squats, 60 for deadlift and 35ish for bench and rows. It drove me mad and I felt that I was wasting my time but I reckon if I'd started heavier I would've hit a wall weeks ago.

I've added in pull ups at the end of Workout A and dips at the end of Workout B, add weight to them once you can do 10 or more in a set.

DipStick McSwindler · 16-01-2014 4:51pm

This post has been deleted.

ColmH81 · 16-01-2014 5:42pm

jaytuom wrote: »

I'm 8 weeks into stronglifts now, and while it was slow and quite frustrating at first I'm finding it challenging now. I'm lifting heavier weights than I ever did before, particularly on the squat. I don't play rugby any more but I do a bit of heavy farm work and it definitely helps with that. I imagine it would be a good programme for a rugby player, the focus is on power and the lifts are all compound movements.

My advice is to start really low with the weights. I think I started with just the bar for overhead press, 40ish for squats, 60 for deadlift and 35ish for bench and rows. It drove me mad and I felt that I was wasting my time but I reckon if I'd started heavier I would've hit a wall weeks ago.

I've added in pull ups at the end of Workout A and dips at the end of Workout B, add weight to them once you can do 10 or more in a set.

Fully agree.. My squat has gone from non-existant to 40Kg starting off.. Now on 95Kg after only a few weeks.. All others have gone up too

runawaybishop · 17-01-2014 11:13am

jaytuom wrote: »

I'm 8 weeks into stronglifts now, and while it was slow and quite frustrating at first I'm finding it challenging now. I'm lifting heavier weights than I ever did before, particularly on the squat. I don't play rugby any more but I do a bit of heavy farm work and it definitely helps with that. I imagine it would be a good programme for a rugby player, the focus is on power and the lifts are all compound movements.

My advice is to start really low with the weights. I think I started with just the bar for overhead press, 40ish for squats, 60 for deadlift and 35ish for bench and rows. It drove me mad and I felt that I was wasting my time but I reckon if I'd started heavier I would've hit a wall weeks ago.

I've added in pull ups at the end of Workout A and dips at the end of Workout B, add weight to them once you can do 10 or more in a set.

Agree with all of this. It will seem light enough at the start and you'll think you can progress faster. Don't rush ahead - you'll need to take your time and get accustomed to moving the weight properly. Do it slowly to increase the intensity if you want but don't skip ahead. You'll end up lifting more weight badly which will cost you time in the long run due to injury or stalling because your technique is fecked.

.ak · 20-01-2014 3:16pm

Yeah, I used the calculator in the 5x5 spreadsheet and it basically has me starting off with just the 20kg bar. That seems too light! But I guess it's all about training the body into it, and form is key. Looking forward to starting it next week.

.ak · 20-01-2014 3:17pm

IrishFeeney92 wrote: »

You may injure yourself from the amount of training you will do. Im not saying you will because we are all different, I can speak from my own personal experience when I was doing the same as above expect training with GAA.

The sharp turns and sprints can take a toll on the legs after the heavy squatting and dead lifting sessions. Recovery time for heavy leg sessions induced by 5x5 should probably be more than 24 hours. I was unable to recover properly and as a result hurt the ligaments in my knew while doing agility work.

As I said above thats just my experience, and it could be down to me not eating properly etc. and while the 5x5 program is Excellent I would be careful of overdoing it and not leaving enough rest. Especially if you are lifting heavy. Just a word of advice from somebody who did what you propose above

Yeah think I'm gonna do what Mellor suggested and just do it every tuesday and thursday, so one 'week' is actually Tuesday-Thursday-Tuesday, then week two is Thursday-Tuesday-Thursday etc., etc.

Stronglifts 5x5 for rugby

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