StrongLifts 5 x 5 System: Get Stronger, Build Muscle, Burn Fat

Program 5 by 5 for mass as old as time. However, this does not negate its effectiveness. Athletes have used this program since ancient Soviet times and grew well on it. Unfortunately, modern fashion trends often lead people away from proven and really working programs towards clever but ineffective schemes. Today we will figure out why the 5x5 training program is so good.

Complex diagram

The 5x5 training program should proceed as follows:

1. One day: perform bent-over barbell rows, bench presses, and barbell squats.
2. Day two: do deadlifts with a barbell in free weight, perform standing barbell presses and squats with the same barbell.

This program is designed that classes will take place 3 times a week so that the muscles can rest and recover. After all, during the recovery period, muscles grow, so rest a day at least after a training day. For example, Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, other options are possible.

The main thing is to alternate workouts no matter what day they fall on. For convenience, you can mark sequence A and B on your calendar so that the workouts are not repeated every day.

A 5 by 5 workout program means doing one exercise with 5 sets of 5 reps each. Only workers need to take into account 5 approaches. In bodybuilding, it is customary to call a working approach not the one performed for warming up or warming up, but a full-fledged exercise with a weight that is optimal for the load.

Only deadlifts in this program are performed in one set of 5 repetitions. Training approaches also need to be done before moving on to working ones.

As in any other training for mass and strength, in this one you need to increase the weight of the barbell. It is best to stick to an increase of two and a half kilograms. As for the increase in pancakes in the deadlift, you can increase it by 5 kilograms.

Comments on the program

• When starting a triset, you perform 5 reps on the first exercise, then rest for 1 minute, move on to the second exercise in the triset, and perform 5 reps. Again, rest for 1 minute, perform 5 reps on the third exercise, and rest for 1 minute. This counts as one approach (set).
  Once you complete all 5 sets, move on to the next triset.
• To successfully complete this program and avoid injury, you must have good technique and not be new to the gym.
• To gain strength and mass, you need to eat in a calorie surplus and have time to recover between workouts.

Read before training:

All basic exercises with correct technique

Training program for maximum effective muscle growth from scientists

How hard should you train?

5 reasons why you look like you don't exercise

5 reasons why your workout is ineffective

Squats in Bodybuilding and Powerlifting: 10 Important Differences

How to pump up the press correctly

How to squat with a barbell correctly

Training for a beginner. The beginning of time.

12 rules. How to avoid looking like a sucker at the gym

What is “overtraining” and why is it very dangerous?

What weight should I start with?

For experienced athletes who know their working weight, it is better to start a training complex with a barbell half as large as their maximum.

For those who have just come to the sport or have not picked up a barbell for a long time, but already want to start doing 5 on 5 exercises, then you should adhere to the following parameters to get started:

• Bench press, squats and standing press - perform with an empty bar, its weight is 20 kg.
• Bent-over barbell row - put two five-kilogram weights on the bar, for a total of 30kg.
• Deadlift – there are two 10 kilogram weight plates on the bar, for a total initial weight of 40 kg.

Examples of training weeks

Table of the first week with initial weights and exercises according to the 5x5 program:

Monday		Wednesday		Friday
Exercise	weight	Exercise	weight	Exercise	weight
1. Barbell squat	20kg	1. Barbell squat	22.5kg	1. Barbell squat	25kg
2.Bench press	20kg	2.Standing press	20 kg	2.Bench press	22.5kg
3. Bent-over barbell row	30kg	3. Deadlift	40kg	3. Bent-over barbell row	32.5kg

Table of the second week according to the 5x5 training complex method:

Monday		Wednesday		Friday
Exercise	Weight	Exercise	weight	Exercise	weight
1. Barbell squat	27.5kg	1. Barbell squat	30kg	1. Barbell squat	32kg
2.Standing press	22.5kg	2.Bench press	25kg	2.Standing press	25kg
3. Deadlift	45kg	3. Bent-over barbell row	35kg	3. Deadlift	50kg

Other amounts

U.S. dollars	Russian rubles	Russian rubles	U.S. dollars
5$ =	361.69 ₽	5 ₽ =	0.07$
10$ =	723.38 ₽	10 ₽ =	0.14$
20$ =	1 446.76 ₽	20 ₽ =	0.28$
50$ =	3 616.91 ₽	50 ₽ =	0.69$
100$ =	7 233.81 ₽	100 ₽ =	1.38$
500$ =	36 169.05 ₽	500 ₽ =	6.91$

The table of ready-made conversions of dollars to rubles contains frequently used amounts of money for transferring between a pair of $ ₽.

How much rest during breaks?

It is very important to rest between sets of one exercise so that you have enough strength for the next five repetitions, but not for too long. At first, the initial weight in the 5 by 5 training program is still small, there should be no need for long breaks, and later, when the load increases, the pause should be increased proportionally. Tips on how to properly take a break between sets:

• 1-2 minutes if the approach is completed easily,
• 3 minutes, when the last approach is difficult to complete,
• 5 minutes of rest if the last five repetitions could not be completed fully.

Geography of the spread of COVID-19 by region of the Russian Federation

Moscow takes first place in the anti-rating of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection COVID-2019. The capital has become the epicenter of infection with the new coronavirus. The situation remains extremely tense in the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Sverdlovsk regions, in the Republic of Dagestan, Murmansk region, Rostov region, Krasnodar region, and Tula region.

Region	Total number of cases	Cases today	Total deaths	Died in a day	Total recovered
Moscow	155219	2913	1794	68	40682
Moscow region	30983	892	299	14	4281
Saint Petersburg	12203	408	104	5	2661
Nizhny Novgorod Region	7413	204	53	4	1756
The Republic of Dagestan	3746	103	41	5	2489
Sverdlovsk region	3308	174	10	2	976
Krasnodar region	2974	91	26	0	1644
Rostov region	2926	142	33	0	1071
Kaluga region	2871	121	21	1	722
Tula region	2824	89	20	0	1026
Krasnoyarsk region	2821	376	22	1	634
Murmansk region	2781	67	7	0	1496
Ryazan Oblast	2673	96	7	0	481
Bryansk region	2632	117	31	0	1211
Republic of Tatarstan	2546	71	8	0	1452
Republic of Bashkortostan	2424	89	18	0	763
Republic of North Ossetia-Alania	2387	73	22	4	1205
Leningrad region	2269	61	8	0	845
Kursk region	2258	81	7	0	738
Tambov Region	2238	84	5	0	682
Yaroslavl region	2206	133	13	1	420
Saratov region	2139	67	15	3	568
Vladimir region	2043	57	15	0	277
Kabardino-Balkarian Republic	2020	68	8	1	524
Chuvash Republic	2014	78	9	1	629
Chelyabinsk region	1913	84	11	1	694
Volgograd region	1913	82	13	0	626
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	1902	64	5	0	324
Novosibirsk region	1881	76	23	1	773
Samara Region	1740	74	13	2	485
Stavropol region	1728	69	34	2	638
The Republic of Ingushetia	1648	43	36	1	675
Oryol Region	1647	49	10	0	654
Ulyanovsk region	1596	70	6	0	403
The Republic of Mordovia	1512	35	9	0	478
Belgorod region	1499	71	12	0	464
Primorsky Krai	1495	49	14	0	514
Khabarovsk region	1444	64	9	0	641
Lipetsk region	1439	62	4	0	382
Orenburg region	1437	45	5	0	787
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug	1430	59	12	0	502
Smolensk region	1418	61	13	1	464
Ivanovo region	1415	55	16	0	444
Penza region	1400	83	13	1	1002
Mari El Republic	1360	38	8	0	989
Voronezh region	1307	41	13	0	837
Tyumen region	1278	11	7	0	551
Perm region	1226	48	13	0	619
Tver region	1203	39	11	0	733
Astrakhan region	1202	48	7	0	565
Altai region	1111	57	7	1	581
Kirov region	1091	27	6	1	687
Kaliningrad region	1076	34	14	3	465
The Republic of Buryatia	1042	27	6	0	436
Komi Republic	1032	13	19	1	484
Chechen Republic	1026	21	11	0	635
The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)	997	37	6	1	449
Arhangelsk region	858	41	4	0	349
Irkutsk region	780	34	6	0	178
Republic of Kalmykia	776	32	10	0	283
Omsk region	764	47	7	0	120
Novgorod region	727	32	5	0	238
The Republic of Khakassia	724	29	10	0	366
Karachay-Cherkess Republic	701	12	4	0	222
Transbaikal region	646	31	7	0	301
Republic of Adygea	561	36	8	0	274
Kamchatka Krai	554	18	2	0	153
Vologda Region	528	26	3	0	222
Kostroma region	527	11	7	1	255
Pskov region	494	33	9	0	172
Udmurt republic	463	5	12	0	296
Tyva Republic	451	44	1	0	50
Tomsk region	429	20	4	0	109
Kemerovo region	365	23	7	0	127
Republic of Crimea	299	1	2	0	126
Amur region	294	17	1	0	75
Jewish Autonomous Region	261	15	2	0	90
Republic of Karelia	260	19	1	0	66
Magadan Region	206	5	3	0	131
Kurgan region	150	17	0	0	58
Sevastopol	148	1	2	0	105
Altai Republic	88	6	0	0	37
Sakhalin region	59	2	0	0	33
Nenets Autonomous Okrug	59	1	0	0	7
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	56	0	0	0	24

Increasing load and progression

The main point of a set of three exercises per day is the need to increase the load in each workout. Without adding weight to the apparatus, there can be no progress towards the desired result.

This workout program will work to gain weight, as long as you remember to increase your protein intake. Because with increasing loads, rapid recovery requires the supply of energy, which can be provided by proper and frequent nutrition of the body.

So, how to properly increase the load? It’s simple, as soon as all approaches with five repetitions are performed from start to finish correctly and without difficulty, then in the next workout you need to increase the weight by 2.5 kg, that is, add 1.25 kg of pancakes to the bar on each side. And in the deadlift, if the exercise is successfully completed, increase the weight by five kg.

Do not neglect the recommendations for the weight of the projectile. Even if the starting weight seems too light. After all, by adhering to the developed program, at the end of the month another 30 kg will be added to the free bar, in the end it will be as much as 50 kg. At the end of the second month, the same bar with weights will weigh 80 kg, and the third - 110 kg. Strict adherence to the 5x5 training rules and gradual weight gain over three months will lead to the desired result.

Goals and objectives of the program 5 to 5

The goals and objectives of the program are to gain muscle mass by fully activating large muscle groups using large weights with a small number of repetitions. This is what you need for real strength work!

As Stewart argued, it is with weight gain that muscle growth occurs. The greater the weight of the weight, the more muscle fibers are involved in the work! Many people are mistaken if they think that the main thing is the number of approaches!

How to warm up

A warm-up to circulate blood throughout the body must be done every time before training with a barbell. Examples of such exercises include: jumping rope, treadmill and muscle stretching. The main thing is not to overdo it, so that later working with the barbell will not be a burden.

Also, the warm-up must include two training sets of 5 repetitions. The weight should be light. To begin with, you can take an empty bar, then gradually begin to add weight. Gradually adding pancakes, as during the initial training period. Thus, continue to train according to the 5 by 5 system until the weight reaches the working weight. And with the working weight, it’s time to do full 5x5. So it turns out that if you start your warm-up with an empty bar and add a little weight at a time, there may be twice as many sets in total with training ones.

Long breaks between warm-up exercises should not be taken.

Naturally, it makes no sense to do a warm-up with a barbell during the first days of training, since the very first weight is the working weight. This means that at the initial stage, immediately after warming up, you can begin working approaches.

As for deadlifts, whether bent over or deadlifts, you don’t need to start with an empty bar. It is better to have minimal plates on the bar and gradually increase their number. This is explained by the fact that these exercises need to be done at the end of the workout, so warming up is not needed. And also the technique of performing without pancakes will suffer significantly.

The best return from training using the 5x5 system

We all respond differently to different types of training. Training according to the 5x5 program may be more suitable for some. Some people have less. Since the 5x5 system is quite simple and designed to build basic strength, it is probably best suited for beginner athletes.

For beginners, it is first of all important to reach a certain level of strength, and this is precisely what the 5x5 system can do best. Considering that it is also quite simple, this makes it even more attractive for use by novice athletes.

But not only beginner athletes can use this system. For example, advanced athletes can also use this program periodically, since they must alternate work with different numbers of repetitions to avoid muscle adaptation to the load.

It is known that our muscles strive to adapt to the environment, which is why they grow in response to load, but each time this growth will be less and less, as the muscles get used to a certain load. To give them a new stimulus for growth, you need to periodically change your training programs. This is exactly where the use of the 5x5 system can help.

Weight loss

It happens that with such a rapid rate of increase in load, the body does not have time to recover properly and perform the exercises becoming harder and harder. If you can’t do five sets of five reps with the working weight well, then you can’t add weight. On the next training day, repeat the exercise with the same weight. And only when you manage to perform a difficult weight with all the necessary approaches with the required number of repetitions without delay, then only after such a training day can you add pancakes to the next one. This applies to each exercise separately, that is, whether to add it in the squat or not depends on the situation, also in the bench press or deadlift exercise and others too.

If the weight seems too difficult and cannot be performed for three workouts in a row, then it is recommended to reduce the weight of the barbell by 10% in this exercise.

So, for example, exercise 5 to 5 deadlift with a barbell weighing 80 kg cannot be performed for three training days in a row. Calculation of working weight at the moment: 80-10% = 72 kg. Since in the deadlift exercise the weight increase is performed by 5 kg, then 72 is rounded down and then the working weight will be equal to 65 kg. Thus, going back a little, you need to continue to train and increase weight until you achieve results. There is no need to reduce weight in other exercises.

How much to study

It is necessary to study according to this scheme for at least 3 months. As for the maximum, this is purely individual, some can study for 4 months, six months, while others can do it for a whole year. This depends on various reasons: regimen, nutrition, age, gender, etc. In general, you need to follow this complex until you have the strength to increase the weight, at least not every workout, and even if you have to decrease it, but then, anyway, it turns out take more.

When it is no longer possible to add weight to the apparatus and the count goes not to days, but to weeks, then this indicates that the maximum from the 5 to 5 program has been squeezed out. In this case, you need to move to another training system.

For example, in squats with a barbell, most athletes have a working weight of 100–140 kg. Rarely anyone can perform heavier weights for five sets of five repetitions.

Graph of the ratio of 5 dollars to rubles

For a better understanding, above is a graph of changes in the quote of 5 dollars in rubles for the last day, week, month and year. The maximum was reached on May 15, 2020 and amounted to 369.65 rubles. (three hundred sixty-nine rubles sixty-five kopecks), at least 05/21/2020, when five dollars could be bought for 361.69 rubles (three hundred sixty-one rubles sixty-nine kopecks). It displays the dynamics of the exchange rate, which makes it possible to find out the ratio of currencies on a specific day or period. Using it, you can make approximate forecasts of the cost of 5 US dollars in rubles for the near future.

Rules for performing the complex

In order for the 5 by 5 training program to give the desired result, you need to remember the following rules that you should not forget:

• Do not change your training regimen under any circumstances.
• It is strictly forbidden to skip training days,
• You can’t train every day in a row, you must observe rest days,
• One day - one workout, you cannot combine exercises from different days in one,
• The order and number of exercises must be exactly according to the scheme, these parameters remain unchanged,
• Stick to specific exercises. It cannot be replaced either with exercises in simulators or with any others, otherwise the meaning of the complex changes,
• Increase the weight on the bar strictly according to the scheme, gradually, no faster and no slower than indicated,
• Exercises should be performed in strict accordance with approaches and repetitions; a superset is not allowed.

  

By following these rules, you can count on results. Judging by the reviews, this program only works according to this scheme; if you make even the slightest adjustments, it will no longer be a 5 to 5 program.

Sets of exercises

The exercises given in this scheme are just an example and may vary, and can also be replaced with others as needed. There are three reasons why you may need to substitute exercises: 1. lack of equipment in the gym 2. inability to perform certain exercises due to physiological characteristics or lack of training at this stage (for example, pull-ups imply that you must perform them with at least your own weight) 3. fairly long-term use of a certain exercise and the need to change it to add variety to the training process.

A few more tips for success:

1. In order for the complex to work to increase muscle volume, the nutrition must correspond to the weight gain. It is necessary in a diet with a high calorie content.
2. Sleep should be 8 hours, no less. Before going to bed, the bedroom should be well ventilated, it should be dark and should not be disturbed by any extraneous noise, so that you can surely sleep and recover.
3. You can download the official application to your phone, in which the developers have already thought of everything in advance and a reminder of weight gain, and a timer that counts breaks and approaches, and marks a progress graph.

Do not neglect the weightlifting belt when performing heavy loads, this can protect your back from injury. Shoes should have hard soles so that they do not fall under the heel when lifting the barbell. And magnesium or chalk is perfect for your hands so that the projectile does not slip out of your hands.

Judging by the reviews, the system is simple but effective, and the exercises it includes are basic, as they are performed with free weight and involve all muscle groups. By following all the above recommendations, after just three months you can see the result both in the mirror and in a notebook with notes on your working weight. Isn’t that why people go to the gym?