Beginner 5×5 with the Buff Dudes

[Gnomer]

figured someone might like this.. also if you haven't seen these guys channel before they are pretty awesome and hilarioushttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npsDClNTrKc

[Andrew Kalocai]

I'm reading Mehdi's Strong Lift's 5 x 5 ebook now.  My concern is Mehdi is pretty insistent that you start with a 45lb empty bar.  My concern is that until I get up to a more challenging weight will I lose muscle and not push my muscles to failure and CBL won't work properly. 

[MetalMuscleMayhem]

I'm reading Mehdi's Strong Lift's 5 x 5 ebook now. My concern is Mehdi is pretty insistent that you start with a 45lb empty bar.  My concern is that until I get up to a more challenging weight will I lose muscle and not push my muscles to failure and CBL won't work properly. 

I am concerned with this also. I have been using StrongLifts for 6 weeks, starting with the empty bar. I switched from CBL to CNS to offset the lack of effort required during the beginning stages of StrongLifts. The weights still aren't challenging, and I'd like to get back to eating carbs. Anyone with experience with this have advice or opinions? At the rate of progression, I don't see myself encountering tough workouts for another 6-8 weeks, and I'm dying for my rice and potatoes.  ::)

[Gnomer]

why would you start with an empty bar unless you were brand new to lifting and really needed to get the movements down..

[Brandon D Christ]

I'm reading Mehdi's Strong Lift's 5 x 5 ebook now. My concern is Mehdi is pretty insistent that you start with a 45lb empty bar.  My concern is that until I get up to a more challenging weight will I lose muscle and not push my muscles to failure and CBL won't work properly. 

I am concerned with this also. I have been using StrongLifts for 6 weeks, starting with the empty bar. I switched from CBL to CNS to offset the lack of effort required during the beginning stages of StrongLifts. The weights still aren't challenging, and I'd like to get back to eating carbs. Anyone with experience with this have advice or opinions? At the rate of progression, I don't see myself encountering tough workouts for another 6-8 weeks, and I'm dying for my rice and potatoes.  ::)

Put some weight on the bar and lift.  I wouldn't let some guy who wrote an ebook tell me how much weight I can use.  That being said, don't use crappy form and don't train to failure in the lifts you actually want to be strong at.  If you know your 1 RM, generally 75-80% works best with 5x5 training.  Maybe a bit higher on bench and military press.

[mr a j dickinson]

There is no benefit to starting with an empty bar, unless like stated you are knew to the movements. If you are warming up then just do some bodyweight squats before you even get to the rack.5x5 is a good program for achieving bigger lifts, but the best alround beginner program I came across was the Allpro beginner program on the bodybuilding.com forums.It has a very long cycle and usage life where as 5x5 strong lifts will only take you so far and then you are swapping in 3x3 and so on.

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