After reading this forum for a little while I decided the 5x5 should be my next phase. Before I get to my question here's a little background:
I'm a month away from 42. Have never been athletic or been inclined to be. Used to drink soda by the gallon. Was a smoker from age 15 to 38 (pack/day). Was finally able to quit and and stay quit. After I quit I started to gain weight in spite of a physically demanding job (tractor trailer mechanic). Moved into the office a couple years ago and my weight got worse (obviously). November 2015 I joined the gym and started exercising on a regular basis. Lots of running, body weight circuits, kettle bell workouts, etc. Cleaned up my diet significantly (no soda, no candy bars, no fast food, almost no eating out ever, dropped my calorie intake to less than 2000/day and try to hit the 1700/day mark). ETA: dropped from 230 to 195 lbs.
I'm 6' even. In the past year I've dropped from size 40 pants to 34. My stamina is really great IMO (I can run a 5k to warm up, either on the treadmill or on the road). Lately I've been working on HIIT to get rid of the last bit of fat around the middle. It's stubborn. Flexibility is also pretty good (can comfortably squat ass-to-grass with heels firmly planted). Lately I've realized I need to/ want to increase my strength. Which brings me to today and my question.
Is it normal to have all these lifts at the same weight? Shouldn't I be able to squat significantly more than I can bench press? Shouldn't I be able to bench press more than I can row?
I didn't know where to start weight-wise with the 5 lifts of the 5x5, but I had to start somewhere. On the squat rack I loaded the bar for a total weight of 95 lbs. It was not very difficult to complete all 5 sets and I made a note to increase to 115 lbs. next time. Next was the bench press and again I decided to start at 115 lbs. This seemed like a good starting place once all 5 sets were done. Finally I did the bent-over rows and again 115 was my starting point. I was feeling that in the abs by the end, so I must be close.
I haven't tried the deadlift or overhead press yet; those are for Wednesday. Thanks for any tips or advice.