Girl getting strong.

[findyourlovely]

First time poster!

My name is Steph. I am 26 years old, female, weigh 130lbs, standing tall at 5'3". Without anything but a mirror Im guesstimating my bodyfat is about 30%, with most of that collecting around my midsection. My whole life Ive pretty much always been on a hunt to finally see my abs, but after a year of losing 15 pounds via calorie counting and totally unstructured bodybuilding-type workouts... Im ready to actually put on some muscle.

For some perspective:
A year ago my bf had finally convinced me to join a gym, so off to LA fitness I went. Prior to that point I hadnt worked out at all in two years, and before then I was rather inconsistently cycling between P90x, jogging, and yoga. After career change and subsequent weight gain, I got on the internet and crafted up an upper/lower bodybuilding split, added in a few cycling sessions and went on a diet. While I did lose a decent amount of weight my strength didnt really increase in any significant kind of way, mostly because I wasnt attempting to include any real progression into my plan. When I started working out I couldn't squat an empty bar without collapsing over, much less bench press ANYTHING. By the time I realized I needed some kind of progressive overload in my life I had at least improved my technique enough to not embarrass myself anymore at the gym, but I want to do so much better than that.

I bought Starting Strength three weeks ago. I read the book, got started, and have since been on the hunt for any womens training logs to help me get a better understanding of how the program works for us. Theres not too much out there so I figured I may as well add my (very limited) experience to the pool! Hopefully this helps somebody.

When i started 05/03/2017 my lifts were as follows:
Squat: 70 lb
Bench: 55 lb
Deadlift: 115 lb

This mornings lifts 05/18/2017:
Squat: 102.5 lb
Press: 42 lb
Deadlift: 175 lb

My progression so far per training session:
Squat: 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 102.5. I felt myself close to stalling at 100 so I slowed down the LP to 2.5 pounds preemptively. So far no regrets.
Bench: 55, 60, 65, 67. Same as before but slowed the jumps from 5lb to 2. I dont have a spotter so I prefer to err with caution.
Press: 45(fail), 35, 40, 42. I had to dig to find a lighter barbell that would work for me but once I did its been improving.
Deadlift: 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175(fail), 175. Im so happy with how much technique has helped, but I def have to slow my roll on this one. After the 175 failure I dropped down to 5lb jumps to give my body more time to catch up.

The most helpful things Ive learned so far are the usefulness of fractional plates. Those things are a godsend! My gyms lowest plates are 2.5s, and as helpful as they are its just not low enough for those days that I just cant imagine adding five whole pounds onto the bar. Even on a squat where it mostly functions as a placebo, that extra bit of confidence from knowing you can always manage just one more pound makes such a difference.
Im also really learning just how much I struggle with eating enough to fuel my workouts. Im almost at the point where Im ready to throw away the scale, because as much as I know weight gain comes with this process, it still messes with my head to see the number change direction. When I ask myself if I would be okay with gaining three pounds to go up forty pounds on my deadlift, the answer is a no-brainer... but the emotional part of my brain is struggling to catch up.
Ive also been filming as many lifts as I can. I dont have a coach or a spotter so filming myself is the absolute best way to keep an eye on my form. Every day i look them over and compare with what Ive learned to see where I can improve. The insight is invaluable. Ill post a link whenever I muster up enough courage to post those on YT.

As far as goals go, I want to be able to lift my bodyweight in all three big lifts. I dont know how long or how reasonable that goal even is, but its fueled me enough to make some pretty awesome milestones so far! Im just excited to see how far I can push it with this program. The satisfaction I get finishing a session with 3 PRs is unreal. Totally hooked

Will return soon with new PRs!

[CDG]

Welcome to the forums! If you're in Atlanta, you may want to give Atlanta Barbell a visit. I know that Starting Strength coach Niki Sims is in that area, and she is probably the best female SSC I can think of close to you. She has written several good articles for the website as well, for female lifters and all lifters. I know I've learned quite a bit from her writing. As far as the weight gain goes, I think about it like this: I feel better even if I don't 'look' better. Being strong and being aesthetic aren't necessarily in opposite corners, but if I have a choice between a healthy, active, and mobile life compared to 'looking better' but being weaker... for me the choice is clear.

Good luck in your training!

[findyourlovely]

I definitely have Atlanta Barbell on my to do list! I havent been yet because its a bit out of my price range atm but Ill look for those articles. Thank you!

[Leah Lutz]

Welcome and congrats on your start in barbell training. I love it, and it's always good to see more women on the board.

[Leanne M. Lloyd]

Welcome! It's always nice to see more women logging on here. We have a facebook group if you are interested, Starting Strength ~ Bar Belles.

Also, you can upload your videos to YouTube as "unlisted" that way only those with the link can actually see them. From there you can post them here (or the facebook group). You would also have a link that you could send to people for form checks or to look at for yourself down the road.

Congrats on the best decision you'll ever make and good luck!

[MarthaF]

Go get em girl!!! We're all here to support you esp if you need anything!

[anniemichael]

Welcome! Always great to have another woman's log on here. Great progress already, keep it up.