I quit stronglits

I quit stronglifts.

It's not what you think. Stronglifts 5x5 is a great program for gaining strength and mass. I'm living proof of this, having gained almost 20 lbs of pure muscle in the past 4 months. But at 5'4" and 131 lbs, my body is breaking down. I realize that there are thousands of guys my size who are much stronger than me. I realize that there are thousands of guys who use my working set as their warm up sets. Call me a pussy, but my body is breaking down and I don't want to be one of the thousands of other guys my size who herniate a disc or fuck up their back.

Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed that the next day when I was working out I herniated a disc. I'm dead serious. Today when I was driving to the gym, I was praying to God that he would protect my back. I was pretty scared to get under the barbell today. Nevertheless, I warmed up, loaded the barbell to 210 lbs total, and squatted.

I consider my form to be decent if not better. I know it's not perfect, but from my reading and studying of technique, there isn't anything too fucked up about it, right? If you haven't already seen my form video, check it out. http://www.askscooby.com/advanced-bulking-up-and-gaining-muscle/yash-squat-and-deadlift-form-check/

My first few sets of squats went fine. My lower back, which was still sore from Wednesday's workout, started feeling better. However, after the fourth set, which by the way, I got all 5 reps, which is an improvement from my last workout, my lower back got really tight. I was contemplating whether or not to suck it up and pump out my last set or just stop squatting and move on to the bench press. I was contemplating these options for 10-15 minutes, just walking around the squat rack and to and from the water fountain rubbing my back just thinking.

Call me a pussy again, but I think I made a really good decision when I took out my ipod and took off the weight plates, back still intact. However, this good decision depressed me and took away whatever motivation I had to continue my workout. After the 4th set of squats, I deloaded the bar and went home.

I'm not saying that I'm never going to squat or deadlift again. It's actually really hard for me to quit stronglifts, because in just 4 months I've gained 20 lbs! But for now, I need to just focus on not fucking up my back so bad that I have to deal with the consequences for the rest of my life. So as of today, September 9, 2011, I am no longer on stronglifts 5x5.

So what's next? I don't know, yet. You would be foolish to assume that I'm giving up on fitness. In fact, I could be back on stronglifts in a few months, but first, I need to take a break. My back needs to take a break. I still want to gain strength and mass and I know there is no better way to do that than by squats, deadlifts, and barbell complexes. So I don't know what I'm going to do, yet. But I want to thank you for following me on my Stronglifts journey and thank Stronglifts for the strength and confidence increases I've experienced.

Read more: http://www.askscooby.com/progress-diaries/yash/105/#ixzz1XTwTPg9V

But yeah, you probably just had a lower back pump.

Thanks guys, it was a tough decision. I'm sure you all know how it feels when want to lift, but your body is like, "don't fuckin do it man". The good thing is I'm quitting out of choice, not out of necessity.

And with the support of this forum, I'm sure I can find a new routine that will keep me in shape before I inevitably start squatting and deadlifting again.

You will find a new routine.

That's a good point. And I've seen pretty good progress on Stronglifts. I'm not saying I'm quitting forever, just for awhile. But I want to find a new routine and maybe get back into running and doing other sports for awhile, so two weeks isn't sufficient time off.

In the longterm perspective, taking 6 months to a year or more off of stronglifts won't hinder strength gains. But if I fuck up my back now, that's a lifetime of consequence. I'd rather just take time off...

Yeah, I'm just saying there's no reason to quit strength training all together. Strong Lifts may not be a viable long term program for you to use, but there's no reason you can't switch to a different plan that uses Squats, Deads and Bench. Hell, just do each of them once a week and throw in a few extra accessory movements and some cardio. That way you'll have a more balanced program and you'll have plenty of time to recover before your next workout for each movement. You won't gain 20 lbs. in a few months, but you can keep building strength without the worry of screwing up your back.

You had a bad day and now your trying to find a new routine.
Is what I've understood from this.

Any number of things could of contributed to the issue.
Still fatigue from wednesday due to not eating enough.
Still fatigue from wednesday due to not sleeping enough.
Poor form.
Your mind already believing you were going to get a injury;

Mind is *everything*.
If you go to the gym thinking about getting injured then you probably will.
If you don't believe you can do something, then you can't.

Don't give up so, In what my mind, is easily.

Greetings,

If I knew about 5/3/1 when I started, I would stuck to it from the very beginning. 

Regards,

merc