r/Stronglifts5x5

Update 1: consensus seems to be to little bracing and bracing technique. I'm going to work on that with lower weight and find some excersises to help me practice proper bracing.

Update 2: several people mentioned wearing a belt might help for cues, will also try this out. My assumption was that this was only necessary when doing heavier weight.

Tldr; read all text for proper context;-) Video shows a set from the side and then one from the back. I deliberately waited a bit longer at the bottom then normal for clarity.

I have never had low back pain in my life before starting 5x5. The pain is where my pelvis bone meets my lower back both sides next to my spine (called the Iliac Crest). No pain in my spine itself or the SI joint.

It's not regular sourness. If I want the pain to be fully gone I have to rest at least 5 days after squatting...

I have been doing 5x5 since December last year. Had to stop for 2 months due to severe

ankle sprain, not related to 5x5.

In the first period of my 5x5 journey I already had low back pain problems with my squat, but it thought it was normal. I also had a hipshift which is improved very well by now. I cut back on weight multiple times, build up again, cut back again... But the pain kept compounding since my low back never fully recovered.

Once I had to stop due too my ankle sprain, it took almost 2 weeks for my low back pain to be entirely gone. Then I knew it wasn't normal.

When I got back to the program 5 weeks ago I started with an empty bar again. But when I progressed the pain started coming back and started compounding again after every workout. Now I'm back at square 1.

So I'm clearly doing something wrong, albeit form or weak muscles or both, but I really don't know. I can't continue like this because that will screw my back long term, but I also don't want to give up. I really like the program.

In the video you can see a slight butwink maybe, and a slight anterior arch. Or should I bent over more, or move up in a different way? Am I going to deep?

I feel the weight isn't the main problem, at least not for my legs and glutes. But maybe it is for my core. So I'll be cutting back again to 30kg. But when is it safe to move up again, I really don't know.

Also as a side note, the pain after deadlift days is even worse. I cut them out the last 2 weeks to see if it wasn't just the deadlifts. It's definitely my squat causing the pain. But probably my deadlift form needs fixing to.

Thanks I'm advance!

|Age|37|

|:-|:-|

|Gender|M|

|Current Weight|81kg,178,5lbs|

|How long in the program|7 months (with a 2 month break due to ankle injury from another activity|

|Squat|40kg,88lbs|

|Bench Press|55kg,121.5lbs|

|Back Row|50kg,110lbs|

|Over Head Press|30kg,77lbs|

|Deadlift|85,187.5lbs|

|Notes: | before my 2 month hiatus the weights were (in order): 57.5kg, 60kg, 60kg, 35kg, 97.5 kg|

Another week, more squats. Depth better than I thought. Final set of the day and pretty pleased to see its not that far off despite maybe being a bit beyond me just now.

Hey lifters! I built a 5x5 tracker for iOS. Bit of background – I came back to 5x5 last fall, and like many of you, found out the app is a $59/yr subscription. No shade on the Stronglifts app, but I didn't want an expensive subscription just to log set and reps. I'm a developer, so I built my own tracker for myself, and it worked really well for me. Figured people here might want it too. It's called Stone.

You've seen a few alternatives lately, so here's what makes Stone different:

• One-time $9.99. No subscription.
• No account, no sign-up, everything lives on your device.
• The basics you'd expect: progression and deloads, plate visualizer, warmup sets, adaptive rest timer, history and progress charts.
• Color themes and light/dark mode.

And I may be a tad biased, but I focused on making Stone better looking. Subjective, but I believe a better user experience matters.

If you're like me, paying to access your own workout data seems silly. I built import from Stronglifts as a free feature. Exporting from Stone is also free. Viewing your history and charts in the app is free. The only thing you need to pay for is tracking new workouts in Stone.

There's a 14-day free trial that only starts when you log your first workout in Stone (meaning if you import previous data, your old workouts don't trigger the trial).

Right now, Stone has standard 5x5, 5x5 Lite, and Madcow programs. You can also add accessories, change a lot of defaults, and change weights or exercises on the fly. Program depth is at the top of my roadmap, you'll see more programs and exercises in the next month.

I'm a solo dev and a lifter, I'm not looking to build a subscription empire, I want to build something useful for others like me. There's a feedback/request form in the app that goes directly to me, and I'll read everything. You can check out the app here, I'd genuinely love your feedback and hope you find Stone useful!

I’m trying to get to 405 on squat at some point and want to make sure my form is right with heavier (for me!) weight. This is 310 and I’m aiming to hit 315 this week.

I tried to do a 3-step walkout and set my feet, but I admit I struggle with this. Please let me know any thoughts, tips, and feedback on my form! Thank you!

Depth still not perfect but a damn sight better than it used to be

So I’m now 6 months in into the program and I’m really loving it so far, but I have hit some plateaus I think. The overhead press, bent over row and bench are really staying behind. Last 2 workouts I couldn’t finish all the 5 sets.

Some info about me, I’m a male 183cm and went from 130 to 101 in a timespan of 1.5 year. I’m still trying to get to my goal weight which is 90kg.

I’m aware that this program is mainly focused on eating in a calorie surplus but I’ve kept loosing weight so why change? I also know that my recovery will be slower because of the calorie deficit. I’m tracking my food and I eat around 2100 calories and try to aim for 190 - 200 grams of protein per day.

But now I was wondering if it’s a good idea now to change to 3x5 if so, will this slow down my muscle gains or strength? The reason I want to switch is because I think that my body can recover a bit better.

Any tips are welcome! Thanks!

​

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to share some slow but very satisfying progress.

For context: I’m 48, around 95–105 kg bodyweight, 185 cm tall, and I train mainly for strength — not aesthetics. Anything that happens visually is a nice bonus, but the main goal is feeling stronger and more capable.

My back is… let’s call it a complicated feature. I have spondylolisthesis, an L5-S1 fusion, and a very unhappy L4-L5 disc that has given me multiple herniations over the years. Chronic pain has been part of the background noise for a long time, and one of the biggest challenges has been fear: fear of damaging myself further, fear of loading too much, fear of doing one stupid rep and paying for it.

Because of that, my progress has been slow. Very slow. But lately, with some help around the fear side of things, I’m starting to trust my body a bit more.

Before following 5x5, I trained quite a lot, but honestly it was mostly “messing around with weights.” Now that I’m following a simple, steady program, I can actually see progress.

Current numbers from my app:

Squat: 70 kg / 154 lb

Bench press: 52.5 kg / 116 lb

Started at 35 kg / 77 lb

Overhead press: 45 kg / 99 lb

Deadlift: 70 kg / 154 lb

Row: 52.5 kg / 116 lb

Bench progress is currently from 35 kg to 52.5 kg, so roughly 77 lb to 116 lb.

I know these numbers are not insane, and I’m definitely not 18 anymore, but for me this feels big. Especially because my left leg can be unreliable at times due to my back history.

A big change has been nutrition. When I started training seriously, I was still fasting in the morning. That no longer works for me. I train in the morning, so now I eat a decent amount of carbs before lifting and take creatine. That has made a huge difference.

I try to train 2–3 times per week and also do a lot of cycling on my trike. I’m now thinking about adding some machine work on non-5x5 days, mostly for conditioning and some more local/isolation strength without beating up my spine too much.

My main rule is still: no ego lifting. Form over weight. Though I also realize that sometimes my perfectionism around form can become a way to avoid going heavier. So I’m learning to find that balance.

Anyway, just wanted to share. Slow progress is still progress. Especially when your lower back has the personality of an angry old printer.

Curious if anyone else here combines 5x5 with lighter machine/isolation days for extra conditioning and support work.

1 set