Thread: 5x5

iv done it... there different ways to run it but it worked for me like 4-5 wks then stopped workin so make sure if you see yourself start to level out that you have a back up plan on what to switch to.

^^^ Agreed.
Use it for a month or so and then switch it up again. But 5x5 is great for making strength gains. You really have to push yourself hard though.

Thanks for your input. I'll look it to some other routines just in case.

Solid routine for strength and mass gains. There are some more advanced examples of 5x5 programs out there too. Lots of variations on them. You can also try a 5x5 program for 3-4 weeks, deload, then shift to a 3x3 program using the same principles, but with heavier weights.

I typically use 5x5 on specific exercises (bench, barbell rows, squats, dead lifts) but not for ancillaries (like flys, side laterals, etc)... and I do them for 4 weeks and then switch up (like most of the people above)... sometimes I will go up to 5x3 for 1-2 weeks and then deload. Good tool, but you have to plan loading/deloading for best results.

If you're interested in a 5x5 program I highly reccommend looking in to StrongLift's 5x5. I've used it multiple times in the past for strength and mass gains. Also, when I start to feel like I'm no longer seeing gains from the 5x5 I'll switch to a 3x5 for a few weeks. It seems to do the trick.

I've only been training purely for str for 3 weeks, using a 5x5 with a burn out of 25-30 following the last set of each exercise. I've seen good results off it as I can bench 245 now which before starting I couldnt budge off my chest. whats deloading though? and why does a break to a 3x3 help? Just gives the body a change of pace?

Interesting.

I'm starting a 5x5 routine now and will let you know how it goes. I was stacked as a teenager, then didn't lift for about 10 years. Been lifting hard again for the last 2 or 3. Still not back to the sheer girth I carried as a teenager, even using AAS!
One thing I did differently (besides having a younger growing body) was a 5x5 routine.

Today was my first day going back to the 5x5, totally killed my legs.