I started my weightlifting last week. In that time, I’ve increased my squats weight every time. On the StrongLifts 5×5 program, you actually increase weights every single workout. It sounds intense, and aside from the DOMS pain I had the first week, so far, it’s been completely manageable. Sure, at some point it’ll become impossible to progress, but that day is far off for me. I started with the starter weight amounts, and while they feel easy in the beginning, by the last set of each exercise, I feel mostly pretty tired. I’ve not yet noticed it getting really hard yet, but again, after just a week, it’s more about learning the proper form and movements of each exercise. There are a few that still feel awkward to me; I need to work more on my form for those.
In related news, I received a new set of weights, a new bar, and a new bench. Much like any hobby or endeavor, you learn what works best for you by doing. The weights I bought to start with were acceptable but the attachment system for the weights was annoying and used up a lot of time. Also, the bar wasn’t weighted and was throwing off all my calculations for weights. I needed to get a bar and weights that were standard, so I did that. It wasn’t cheap, but I figured that an investment in my health and fitness was worth the expense. It does feel good to be using high-quality weights and a very nice bar.
So, the graph on the weights I am lifting are on the climb. It looks great (I love data!), and I feel great. I look forward to five weeks in the future to see where I’ll be then!
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