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Can you do Stronglifts forever? [Article]

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Oct 24, 2018 10:25:17 AM

Cab you do Stronglifts forever

Can you do Stronglifts forever?

 

You can do Stronglifts 5x5 for a year, maybe two. After this amount of time, you will need to change from a mental or physical point of view. Otherwise, you will make suboptimal gains or get mentally exhausted. This article shows you alternatives and you can always contact me via pascal@marathon-crossfit.com for questions.

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Why do you won't do Stronglifts forever

 

You probably asked yourself whether you can run Stronglifts 5x5 forever because it is so simple. The best thing about Stronglifts is its simplicity. At the same time, this simplicity is also its greatest flaw. When you progress your training usually gets more complex to still make gains. Here are the most likely reasons why you will not run Stronglifts forever: 

 

  • Mental
  • Physical
  • Lifespan

 

First of all, you will most likely see mental challenges. This is what you see most often with very advanced lifters. After a certain amount of time you just get fed up with doing the same things over and over for years. You will want to try new things like working with bands and chains. Maybe you want to put more muscle on your frame and switch to a cycle of German Volume Training. Some might even want to do an extreme program like Smolov. Whatever it is, after 1 - 2 years you will yearn for a change in training.

 

The second limiting factor for doing Stronglifts to infinity is your body. At a certain stage, your body will take longer than one day to recover from training. This will show itself in missed lifts and/or injuries if you take it too far. INcreasing the weight each workout is extreme once you have passed a certain stage. You will then move on to adjust weights on a weekly, monthly or even quarterly basis. It all depends on your style. As a rule of thumb, the more advanced you get the less often you will establish a new 5 repetition maximum. With Stronglifts that is the goal of each session in the gym.

 

The last point is your lifespan. You can not do Stronglifts forever simply because you do not live forever. At a certain point in time, you will pass away. Probably before that point, you will have stopped lifting. That is just how it is and then the cycle repeats itself. Or not... all depends on what you believe in.

 

When I finished Stronglifts

 

I finished Stronglifts a year into the program. I started failing my lifts left, right and center. I also got a tennis elbow from all the bench pressing I did. In the end, it was a combination of mental and physical fatigue. The next program I did was Wendler 531. Here is an overview of programs you can do as an alternative to Stronglifts or after

  • Beginner
    • Stronglifts 5x5
    • Starting Strength
  • Intermediates
  • Advanced
    • Bulgarian method
    • Smolov
    • Sheiko

 

The most commonly used beginner programs are Stronglifts and Starting Strength. Stronglifts will be easing you more into powerlifting. Starting Strength has a bias towards weightlifting. This is based on the clean being programmed into Starting Strength while you find the barbell row in Stronglifts. These differences are little. Stronglifts is more popular generally while Starting Strength is well known for football strength coaches.


In the intermediate section, we have a multitude of programs. The Texas method is the follow up of Starting Strength while Madcow is the follow to Stronglifts. Wendler 531 works with a weekly progression and uses AMRAP sets (as many reps as possible). The Juggernaut method lets you progress over a month. The Texas method and Madcow stay closer to linear progression, while the Juggernaut and Wendler take your current performance into account. 

 

The Bulgarian method, Smolov, and Sheiko are programs from eastern Europe. Most eastern European are advanced in my opinion as they are extreme. The programming has so much volume that you feel like the coach did not even care whether you come out in one piece or not. They are very effective programs. You just have to know your body to avoid injury.

 

You can get stronger for a very long time, but not forever

 

In the end, you can get stronger for a long time, but not forever. Most programs find its end after a year of training. Then you will switch to something else depending on your needs. Monitor how you feel and whether the weight on the bar is increasing. Increased frequency of pain, sluggishness, and lack of progress are signs to change. I like to try two more cycles when I start to notice a drop-off. If I still did not improve, I switch programs. 

Further reading

 

 

 

 

Topics: Lift stronger, Stronglifts 5x5, Fitness, Strength