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.

Normal.

If not normal, it is what it is.

You are starting from an essentially untrained condition; as you build your overall strength the differences between the individual lifts ( I.e. theoretical ratios) will emerge.

From your progress so far, it sounds like you're doing a great job.

A big reason is that you're untrained and you're still learning the mechanics of the lifts. Most of initial gains will be just learning how to be efficient, mind-muscle connection, utilize your leverages, and optimal set up.

In a few weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if your numbers started sorting themselves out as you expect them to. Also, depending on how you trained and your physical demands prior to starting strength training, you may be better trained at certain lifts.

I bench pressed prior to starting SS so I started fairly heavy there compared to squats for example. But progress was slower and I stalled faster on bench while my squat shot way past it over time.

yep but you'll be able to add weight more quickly to squats and deads, bench and press are a lot tuffer to make fast progress in.

With me, the overhead press was the first to stall, followed by the bench press. 

Thanks for the responses so far. This is new territory for me and I have no data to draw from. I've gotten used to pushing myself but I'm not gonna lie, big weight intimidates me a little when it comes to pushing my limits. I want to develop good form to avoid injury. Besides injury it would be embarrassing to crumble under too much weight on the squat rack .

Don't be embarrassed.  You aren't really trying if you don't fail on occasion.

I had a coach come over and ask if his client could work in on a squat rack while I was first starting out.  
I don't remember the exact number but I crumpled under something like 150 or so.  I then proceeded to be out squatted by a 19 year old girl.  
They were both very humble about it.

One of the best things I did for my personal training was to leave my ego behind.  Failure is all part of the fun.

I started 5X5 last year at age 42 also.  I did it for 30 weeks, here are my tips from my experience.

Start very light!  You will be adding 5lbs/week to bench press and OH press and 10lb/week to squat and dead lift.  The weight will increase.  

Use the app, the full version is only $11 and worth it.  If you miss a week and the app says to de-load, do it.  

I did 5X5 for 30 weeks, I never plateaued on dead lift, but plateaued 4 to 6 times on the other exercises.  I switched to 5/3/1 last month.  

Don't be embarrassed or feel ashamed to have light weight on the bar, at age 42, you have nothing to prove to anyone!

Thats cool, you did it right IMO.  Perfect example of an oder dude like many of us hitting the novice linear progression type program, maxing that out and switching to 531.

OP, do it just like Ironmaker.

Only tip I would give is to switch to 3 sets of 5 when you feel yourself getting worn down, 5x5 can be a lot for us 40 plus years old dudes....that should allow you to keep going a little longer.

Is this the Stronglifts app? I looked it up in the iTunes App Store and its free. Is there a different app or another version of it? I may have missed it being on my phone; I'll look closer when I get home.


Funny story: on Monday as I was putting weights on the bar for my first ever attempt at a bent over row there were two young guys taking a rest on the machine behind me. I swear I heard one say to the other "I love watching these older guys do this." One, do I really look that old? I've only got a few grey hairs . Two, no pressure or anything. I don't even know if this is the right weight and I'm trying to remember everything I've seen and read on getting the correct form. I don't think they were being dicks about it, but I bet I disappointed them
On a more positive note, in the middle of my bench press sets the kid on the next bench lamented to me that he has lost strength since he was a sophomore and could only bench 225 now. He encouraged me when I told him he had me twice over. We chatted for a minute, then he shook my hand and wished me luck. It was a big help.

The app is free, but there is an in app purchase for more features like plate calculator, no ads etc.

ETA: I wonder how old I look to the whipper snappers who are in the gym, they sure do annoy me.  I usually workout at 5:30 AM and there aren't any kids in the gym at that time, I only see them when I go after work.

I have never done any sort of barbell work in the life.  Usually just dumb bells or sand bags.  2 weeks ago I started stronglifts and even started with the bare bar.

I'm 41 years old and 13 weeks into the program.  I started with very light weight in each exercise and have felt pretty good about the gains I have made.  OHP was my first failure at 120 pounds.  I hit a wall this past week with the bench (160 pounds) and rows (170 pounds) on the same night.  That was discouraging but nothing that's going to stop me from going after it again.  I salute you, fellow "old timer."  Keep up the great work.

Eat more, sleep more to keep the gainz coming.

there's a few things that will hold you back and it's easy to get behind on them.

Eat big.  Bigger.  More.  If you don't want to get fat eat clean, but I found even bigger gains by eating dirty.
Sleep better.  ZMA is a great supplement for this.  Also helps with recovery.  And weird dreams.
Take a break when you need it.  You'll make better gains with a deload week every 4-6 weeks than you will by lifting continuously.

for comparison I started lifting at 38 about three years ago and two months ago I squatted 425 for a set of 4.  I started out with an OHP of about 60lbs, that was embarrassing at the gym, but now I'm stronger than all the guys that were stronger than me.  They are still doing stupid bro-lifts, I do programs.  Give it a couple of years of SMART training and you'll be killing it.

Thanks for the encouragement, y'all.  I'm taking a break as of yesterday for a few weeks as I am redeploying and reintegrating with the family.  I'll get back in the gym in about 3 weeks by my count.  I need to take some time and spend with the kids and the wife after being gone for a while.

Is there a way to change it to 3x5?  I found the option but it doesn't actually change the work out.

I just started 5x5 and I think I may have made a mistake. I put up what weight I thought was comfortable so my squat was 135, bar bell row was 95, and bench went from 135 to 185. Is this a mistake? Should I start at 135 and not increase during the 5 sets? The more I read the more I think I made a mistake by jumping up that high. In years past I would bench 185-205, but it was reps of 8 and took a few weeks to work up to. I think I messed up the platform for the 5x5 by adding weight to my sets. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

IMO-

Rolling the weights back as you get started is only going to help you.  You've got a lot of time to build muscle in front of you, don't get greedy.  Some time up front to allow your body to adjust, strengthen connective tissues, practice the lifts, etc is only going to be good.  Roll it back to 100lbs or so and you'll blast past 225 a lot faster than if you start heavy and make slower progress.  Or worse, get hurt or tendonitis somewhere.

Makes sense. I may have started too high and will only hinder my growth. Thanks for the insight.

OP, sorry if this was a thread jacking.

I would have turned around and said "Fuck off!"

Did you download the app?  I highly recommend it, it makes it so much easier to keep track of what you're doing.

Not a hijack at all . The more we talk about this stuff the more we learn from each other.

I am 46 and started strength/weight training about 1.5 years ago.  I was an a avid hiker/mountain biker before that but had not done any strength training or upper body work other than some pushups and pullups in 20 years.  I am 6'4'" and weighed 218 lbs.  

When I started I had trouble squatting 185, could only bench 185 for 3-4 shakey reps, and could deadlift 290.  I started with a modified 5x5 and now do a  modified 5/3/1 with assistance work.  

I now weigh 265, and bench 300, squat 425, and deadlift 525.  Take your time, eat and rest a lot, and stick with it when it gets hard and heavy.  You can do it.


Also, track your workouts and total volume.  I use an Android app called Fitnotes.  It's really good.  Take breaks and deload every 4-6 weeks.  You need rest to grow.

Use your intuition.  If you are really tired, take the day off or lower the weight and/or volume.  Hit it hard when you feel good.  I like to always leave a little on the table-i.e.  I like to know I could have done one more rep or added 5 lbs.  I never want to fail any lift if possible.  It's pysychological and it matters.  

Eat more.  Really.  Track your macros.  Sleep more.

Constantly work on your technique.  Watch YouTube videos for instruction.  Mark Bell and Alan Thrall are great knowledge resources.