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Stronglifts vs bodyweight

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jan 23, 2019 9:30:00 AM

Stronglifts vs bodyweight

Stronglifts vs bodyweight

 
If you are an outdoorsy person who lacks to be in a group go with bodyweight exercises. If you like dungeons and the feel of metal on your body go with Stronglifts. The results will not be that much different if you are interested in general health. 
 
Get the free 80 page Stronglifts 5x5 ebook
 

What is your goal

 
Why are you comparing Stronglifts with bodyweight exercises? Want to get stronger and look cool while doing it? Afraid of the barbell and that it might ruin your hands? Not sure whether bodyweight training is enough to make you grow? Whatever your reasons it is important to know what your goal is. The clearer your goal set the easier it will become for you to make decisions regarding programming. The main goals I see in fitness are
 
  • Looks 
  • Performance 
  • Health 
 
Looks are more often than not defined by the ideals we see on television, social media and magazines. If you are striving for these impeccable looks exercise alone won’t get you there. You probably will be hungry on top of that for most of the time. Unless you are especially genetically gifted you will have a hard time to achieve under 10% body fat. If you don’t earn money by looking good this is no fun. If this is your goal focus on diet first and exercise second. 
 
If your main goal is performance things change. You have to practice for the relevant area you want to be strong in. You also need the energy to match the high demand. Here you might be a bit more lenient about your diet in terms of sugars and carbohydrates as long as you get the work done. For performance goals, it is important to break them down into increments and improve bit by bit. 
 
If you are all about health you can live a better life by just giving up smoking or alcohol. Some yoga and meditation in the morning before you go to work and your set. No need to put a metal bar on your back or starve yourself. 
 
Whatever your goals are clear on them to avoid wasting time. The less clear your goal is the more time in the gym will be spent with no gains. Time is the only commodity you can not buy back. 
 

Stronglifts

 
Stronglifts is one of the most popular beginner lifting programs out there. You will train for three days a week and have four days off. The sessions reach from half an hour to one and a half hours depending on your level. 
 
Stronglifts uses linear progressive overload to make you stronger. This means that you add the same amount of weight to each exercise from workout to workout. You have to complete all sets with all repetitions to qualify for the increase. On Stronglifts you will do the following exercises:
 
 
All exercises are done for five sets by five repetitions except the deadlift. The deadlift is programmed in with 1x5 a week. You will squat each workout. All other exercises will be rotated from workout to workout. If you fail a weight for three sessions in a row on an exercise you deload by 10%. You can use the free Stronglifts 5x5 App to track your progress. 
 
The biggest advantages of Stronglifts are its simplicity and low entry point. You will always know whether you are progressing. It will also be clear whether you are having a good or bad day. It also helps that you do not have to do a  one repetition maximum test to start Stronglifts. This protects beginners from harm. 
 
The biggest disadvantages of Stronglift are its lack of specificity and marketing. When you keep things simple they are not very specific. Same goes for Stronglifts. The further you are away from the median the more trouble you will have with Stronglifts. The program does not account for the extraordinary. The other challenge is the wrong set of expectations set by the program. You will get mediocre results for looks and strength with this piggy in the middle approach. This is not bad as long as you expect something solid, but not outrageous. Here the hype on the website could be turned down a notch. 
 
If you want to get more details on Stronglifts you can read my 10-month review of the program.
 
Bodyweight
 
Bodyweight exercises have gotten a new surge since Calisthenics and breakletics have taken hold. Bodyweight exercises can be anything only using your body
 
 
The options are limitless. Whatever you fancy and makes you feel better.
 
The biggest advantages of bodyweight exercises are that you can do it anywhere and in a group. Especially when you like to socialize and want to be outside bodyweight exercises are a great option. The main factor for success in fitness is that you stick with something. If bodyweight exercises are more motivating for you, use that to your advantage.
 
The biggest disadvantages of bodyweight exercises are their lack of clear progression and intensity. It is often hard to measure whether you are improving on bodyweight exercises. Weights are more immediate in their feedback. You lift them or you don’t. The lack of progression can also be connected to a lack of intensity. When beginners start out they usually don’t know what intensity is appropriate. Based on character, they either let it slide or overdo it. 
 

What is better Stronglifts or bodyweight 

 
It completely depends on your goals. Generally, if you want to be fit and aware of your body go with bodyweight exercises. Some people just want to climb on trees and jump over things. If you are like me and prefer to stay in one spot indoors and pick up very heavy stuff go with Stronglifts.
 
Further reading 
 

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