Does not starting with the empty bar in StrongLifts 5x5 really hinder your ability to add weight every workout?

Question

First, I'd like to supplement with general info about SL 5x5 so I can put my question into context.

Sometimes in the newsletter emails I get from Mehdi where people ask him random questions about stuff like plateaus, he'll reply and say "you'll be amazed that you can add weight effortlessly after every workout. That is, if you didn't start too heavy to impress people in the gym".

Now, there are a few things he could be implying. He could either be implying that people start too heavy and have bad form, thus legitimately limiting their ability to properly lift a heavier load. He could also be implying that if you can comfortable squat with 150lb as a starting point that you shouldn't do it.

Does the whole starting with the empty bar actually enter into anything significantly if you actually CAN start some of the workouts with good form at a comfortably higher weight?

Answer 1

Right now, today, I could back squat 100kg for five. But if I were starting a per-workout linear progression like StrongLifts, it would be a terrible idea to start with 100kg. Even 90kg would be ill-advised. I don't want to start lifting at my 5RM or even a high percentage of it. I want to leave some space as a buffer so that I can continue to add weight. That's for a few reasons:

• The strength increase might be smaller than the weight increase. Lifting 100kg 5x5 doesn't guarantee that next session I'll be able to squat 102.5kg 5x5. Or, maybe I'll be able to squat 102.5kg, but it'll be harder and with slightly worse form. I want to avoid that.
• Muscle grows and gets stronger faster than bone and soft tissue like ligaments and tendons. Starting well below your muscular capabilities gives these other tissues time to catch up with your muscle.
• 5x5 is a lot of volume for a strength program. Even moderate percentages (e.g. 50%, 70%) of your 5RM will stimulate some strength and muscle growth when you do so much of it.

The goal of starting light in SL is to make absolutely sure that the trainee will have a sustained linear progression. If the trainee starts too heavy, there are more possibilities for the progression to get stuck.

If you already have some strength training background then starting with the bar is deload overkill. But the point is not to have one's eyes be bigger than one's belly: start a little light, leave some room to progress, and by spending less time bashing your central nervous system against your 5RM you'll be stronger faster in the end.