5x5 workout

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ebsta

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Hi fairly new to all this,been lifting weights regular for just over a year and not really happy with the results.
Ive heard these 5x5 workouts mentioned a few times in the forum so i thought i would look into it a little more.It seems (according to most web sites ) there the next best thing to sliced bread.

So has anyone ever done one or still does? is it worth a go? 3 days a week seems to good to be true ,can i add more days if i wish? and what one? therse so many and they all vary there exercise.

Any advice would be great,Thanks Frank.:grinning:
 
There were a few people on this board a while back that felt it was a pretty good program. I have never done it though so I cannot speak from first hand experience. He has a free "book" on his website that you can download and read to look at the program. Seems like it would work because you are doing full body workouts, I believe.
 
Thanks,maybe i will start Monday,have you got a link where to find this e.book? or a name to google?
Thanks again,Frank.
 
Google stronglifts 5x5 and it should be the first link. I googled it at work to get you the link and of course it is blocked by our firewall. Once on the mainpage, just follow the links to the e-book.
 
is what you are looking for. I've been doing the program for the last few months. It is good but I would recommend some tweaks personally such as starting deadlifts with an empty bar and following the normal progression. I would also suggest starting out alternating pushups and dips similar to the way it suggests alternating chinups and pullups.

The book does not make some things very evident. One example is with the body weight exercises; you are only supposed to do 3 sets to failure until you can make 15 reps on the first set THEN you switch on that exercise to 3 sets of 5 and add weight in the normal progression.

If you are just starting out it is a good full-body workout with functional compound lifts. Don't let your ego prevent you from starting with the empty bar.
 
Charlie Golf said:
is what you are looking for. I've been doing the program for the last few months. It is good but I would recommend some tweaks personally such as starting deadlifts with an empty bar and following the normal progression. I would also suggest starting out alternating pushups and dips similar to the way it suggests alternating chinups and pullups.

The book does not make some things very evident. One example is with the body weight exercises; you are only supposed to do 3 sets to failure until you can make 15 reps on the first set THEN you switch on that exercise to 3 sets of 5 and add weight in the normal progression.

If you are just starting out it is a good full-body workout with functional compound lifts. Don't let your ego prevent you from starting with the empty bar.
Click to expand...

I agree. A bruised ego heals way faster than a screwed up lower back.
 
5x5 can certainly be good, but I'll note that there are dozens of popular 5x5 programs out there, and certainly hundreds of 5x5 programs have been written throughout the years. I see you've already been referred to Stronglifts 5x5, which I've never tried and don't know all the tiny details about, but see no reason why it would be problematic.

*****

Just for your information, "5x5" - as I've already said - doesn't refer to just one program. As such, one 5x5 program may be quite effective...another not so much. Here are a few different interpretations of what 5x5 means - and for each different interpretation there are many different programs written:

5x5 ramping: 5 sets of 5 reps, starting at a light weight and working up to a heavy weight. Bill Starr's programs often use this method with the following weight progressing (from set to set):
1st set: 5 x 50% top set
2nd set: 5 x 62.5% top set
3rd set: 5 x 75% top set
4th set: 5 x 87.5% top set
5th (top) set: 5 x 100% top set

5x5 across: 5 sets of 5 reps at the same weight, generally following several lighter warm up sets. This might look like:
Warm up: 2x5x20kg, 1x3x40kg, 1x2x60kg
Work sets across: 5x5x80kg

5x5 pyramid: 5 sets of 5 reps with the top set in the middle, and progressively lighter sets on either side. This might look like:
1st set: 5x50kg
2nd set: 5x60kg
3rd set: 5x70kg
4th set: 5x60kg
5th set: 5x50kg

5x5 waveloading: 5 sets of 5 reps at varying weights, increasing or decreasing weight with every set. This might look like:
1st set: 5x60kg
2nd set: 5x55kg
3rd set: 5x65kg
4th set: 5x60kg
5th set: 5x70kg

5x5 descending pyramid: Start with a weight that will be very difficult to perform for 5 reps. This weight should be very close to your 5RM (and might even be your 5RM). Perform your first set. Decrease weight slightly, rest 1min, and perform another set. Keep this up until all 5 sets are completed. This might look like:
1st set: 5x100kg
2nd set: 5x92.5kg
3rd set: 5x90kg
4th set: 5x87.5kg
5th set: 5x85kg

These different methods are also often intermingled. For example, Reg Park made famous the method of ramping up the weights until the 3rd set, then doing sets across, which might look like:
1st set: 5x50kg
2nd set: 5x60kg
3rd set: 5x70kg
4th set: 5x70kg
5th set: 5x70kg
 
leckbass said:
I second this, my lower back is still hurting and i havent done a deadlift since December 24 of 2009...
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I like to think of the DL broken into 2 parts...a pull from the floor to the knees and then the pull above the knees. The bottom phase involves the shins moving back from a slight angle to vertical during the initiation of knee and hip extension. The top phase involves lockout of everything which involves a continuation of knee and hip extension. Watch someone doing DL with good form and everything is synchronized. Watch someone with bad form and something is off. That is when injuries happen.

If you start with a good stance and grip with the bar over the middle of your foot, your shins should be touching it. Use an empty bar and practice the two phases separately -- floor to knee for a set of 5 and then knee to lockout (aka a rack pull). During each phase, concentrate on keeping your back tight in slight (natural) extension, your chest up and shoulders back.

You can even do this with NO weight and build strict form, particularly if you have a prior injury but aspire to do deadlifts again. In fact, I worked with a trainer once whose strength and conditioning coach made the linemen do the same in the pre-season -- empty bar, perfect form.
 
Changing your routine, volume, and intensity every couple of months is pretty crucial. The body WANTS to be efficient at what it does. When you follow the same routine for a year, the body learns and adapts, and you eventually get less payoff for your work.

Keeping the body guessing by changing things up (in an educated way, not hap-hazzardly) keeps your gains from becoming stagnant.

Also, a poor diet will lead to no results despite hard work in the gym. And if you fail to give ample recovery time, your gains will suffer too.
Poor diet doesn't just mean food choices, but caloric intake and consistency. Recovery doesn't have to mean 8 hours of sleep every night.
 
malkore said:
Changing your routine, volume, and intensity every couple of months is pretty crucial. The body WANTS to be efficient at what it does. When you follow the same routine for a year, the body learns and adapts, and you eventually get less payoff for your work.
Click to expand...

Malkore makes a good point. A lot of people will act like the basic SL5X5 is the only program you will ever need. Also, its "creator" uses some pretty arbitrary numbers (i.e. go until you hit 1.5 BW on squat, everyone should start DL at 95 lbs, etc.). It is not the end-all, be-all to getting strong, but does give a good foundation. That said, it is absolutely worthless if one doesn't focus on form rather than trying to impress other people in the gym with a huge weight lifted unsafely.

The overall point is as Goldfish stated above for the 5X5 concept and the use of functional, compound exercises.

I personally did the basic SL 5X5 program until I got just over 1 X BW on my squat. After that I started utilizing the basic framework from workouts A & B but only 2X per week instead of 3. For the third I substitute a metabolic circuit (HIIT) utilizing dumbbells and compound movements.
 
Its ok to do this now and again as a tough workout to shake things up.
But your normal workout should have alot less reps.
Any stress on a muscle is good, to much though and you wont repair enough when you next workout comes.
 
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