# 5x5 workout sounds AMAZING!



## ben1793 (Jan 9, 2012)

HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON....5x5 program says you can add 2.5kg every workout?!?1?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!

The plan I am following(full body workout 3 days a week) says wait 5 weeks before upping the weight...I am defintly going to follow the 5x5 workout if I will see strength gain that fast...

dont worry...I did my research before I asked, I have found this:

Workout A: 5x5 squat, 5x5 bb row, 5x5 bench
Workout B: 5x5 squat, 5x5 overhead press, 1x5 deadlift

3 workouts a week, so do week 1 ABA then week 2 BAB.

Should I not do any isolation moves?
Is that all I will be doing or does the program change after a few weeks?
What I have listed is correct?
No abb workouts or any cardio is needed?
Same weight all the way through the 5x5 or do I increase or drop the weight as I go?
Should I lift as heavy as I can for all 5x5?
Is this better than a 3 day full body workout for beginners? please note I am very weak can only bench about 45kg.
AND MAINLY...ADD 2.5kg TO THE BAR A WEEK?!?! 

If all this is correct and all the answers sound good, then I will probably turn off the TV and go and start this program NOW!


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## vancouver (Jan 9, 2012)

I would alternate squats and deads. Week 1 you will do squates 2X, deads 1X. Week 2 you will do deads 2X, squats 1X. Squats 3X/wk is too much.

3 warm up sets, then 5X5 for same weight. There will be workouts where you do not reach 5 reps on 5th set, if so, repeat weight next workout.

The reason you can add 2.5 kilos every week is because you are starting with a deload. Start with the weight you do 4x8 or 3x10 and add weight each workout. If you think you can add more than 2.5 kilos, don't; stick to the routine, you are training your muscles and brain to adapt to more weight each week. Do this for 10-12 weeks and swich to 4X8 or deload 5-10% and do it again.

I do 5X5 for 12 weeks and then work my way up to 7 reps (dropping a set) (4X7). I then go back to 5X5...

I find 5X5 is easier on my tendons and joints than 4X8 or 3X10.


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## ben1793 (Jan 9, 2012)

Will I gain much strength on the 5x5 workout?


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## triplstep (Jan 9, 2012)

Yes young bro you will gain strength with the 5x5. Patience, hard work, good form, solid rest, timely recovery meals, you will gain strength. You are a tall skinny dude, drink some whole milk, like a gallon a day. Hang some extra meat on your bones, no worries about gaining fat. You need to grow muscle, give your central nervous system some calories to work with. 

slow and steady young bro and you will finish the race.

read and learn, building muscle and strength is a liftime process.


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## JANDJ (Jan 9, 2012)

great program and very similar to sheiko with out a ton of volume.  You will gain with this program.  just make sure you eat eat eat.


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## ben1793 (Jan 10, 2012)

I have read the book, I only read the beginner 12 week part because I know if I read further in I will end up geting pulled into the advanced workouts, so I just read the beginner part and it says weeks 1 and 3 are the same and 2 and 4 are the same the only difference is that on 2 weeks you will be lifting heavy, then it says it will go further into this in the book...
I am confused, is this for beginners or advanced? I mean I have been told like you said above, that I should lift heavy every workout no light days, I want to lift heavy every workout but is that what I am supposed to do or is the deload only for advanced lifters?​


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## Powermaster (Jan 10, 2012)

ben1793 said:


> I have read the book, I only read the beginner 12 week part because I know if I read further in I will end up geting pulled into the advanced workouts, so I just read the beginner part and it says weeks 1 and 3 are the same and 2 and 4 are the same the only difference is that on 2 weeks you will be lifting heavy, then it says it will go further into this in the book...
> I am confused, is this for beginners or advanced? I mean I have been told like you said above, that I should lift heavy every workout no light days, I want to lift heavy every workout but is that what I am supposed to do or is the deload only for advanced lifters?​



Lifting heavy every workout will only lead to a plateau. I'd stick with what the program calls for in the periodization schedule.

I agree with above that it is a good program, so is the 531. Just make sure you eat enough food to be able to make the gains.


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## ben1793 (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks, one more question, BENCH PRESS  I am confused with my bench press form, I am using the form where I get a natural arch in my back I keep my shoulders back and chest up legs perpandicular to floor with feet flat on ground, bit wider than shoulder grip tight grip of the bar (squeeze), now for the part I am confused with...this is what I was told, you pull the bar apart, meainng try move hands outwards while lifting, now I tried that today and felt asthough the muscles under my shoulders, the back ones were doing the work, I was not sure if that was right so I pushed the bar the opposite way, forcing hands to get closer, that got more of my chest but I couldnt keepmy shoulders as far back, pulling hands towards eachother felt like it was geting the outside of my chest nicely, just next to the shoulders, am I supposed to keep hands forced awawy or towards eachother?

The BB rows, stonglifts says take them to the ground but my plates are not olympic plates, they are 10kg maximum sizes, I put 3 plates on the floor either side raising the bar up a bit, is that about how high it would be with an olympic plate?


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## Powermaster (Jan 10, 2012)

You should be feeling your lats! Pull that bar apart and keep shoulder blades tucked in to avoid shoulder & RC injuries. Pulling them shoulder blades apart is asking for trouble down the road.


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## ben1793 (Jan 10, 2012)

Done a bit more research, starting to doubt the program a bit because people say starting strength is much better since SL is just a copy of SS, they say ss will help me get better gains.


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## chucko (Jan 10, 2012)

I did 5x5 a while back with good results in both size and strength. My split was something like :

Monday:
Bench Press: 5x5 
Bent over Rows: 5x5 
Squats: 5x5 

Tuesday: off

Wednesday
Deadlifts:5x5 
Abs, arms...whatever felt right
Squats: 3x5 (light weight just to get a pump/stretch)

Thursday: off

Friday:
Bench press 
Bent over rows
Squats

Sat and Sunday: off


I didnt use the same weight for each set. Id start low and work up, such as 175, 185 195, 200, 205.

On Friday, I would increase the weight on my last set and go for 3 reps. So using the weights above my 5th set would be say 210lbs.

On MOnday, id use the same weight as friday but go for 5 reps. And then increase it again on Friday and go for 3...and so on and so on.

For deads, I just tried to add 5-10 lbs per week.


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## zigmanstank (Jan 13, 2012)

sounds very interesting


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## Gazhole (Jan 13, 2012)

ben1793 said:


> Done a bit more research, starting to doubt the program a bit because people say starting strength is much better since SL is just a copy of SS, they say ss will help me get better gains.



I've noticed quite a few threads you've posted lately and i'm going to give you a huge piece of advice that'll save you a lot of time and grief that i wish somebody had told me when i was starting out. Ready?

Squat, Press, Pull, Eat, Sleep.

That's it.

I don't care what program you do, i don't care whether it's periodized or not, whether you go in and do singles or sets of 50 reps. What the exercises are doesn't really matter so long as you do them correctly. Do it 3 times a week.

You're new at this and that means a few things - you have no idea what makes a good program or a bad program, and to be honest it doesn't matter what program you do at this stage.

I wasted far too much time trying to design the perfect training routine. I may as well have been working on quantum physics because i knew just as little about that as i did about training.

What i should have been doing is learning the basic lifts, doing them often, and enjoying lifting weights rather than worrying if what i was doing was "optimal". Lift untill you're tired, go home and stuff your face, then go to sleep.


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