my 5x5 plan, any feedback welcome

pwrhngry

New Member
Hey yall, Ive been reading up on 5x5 programs since Aaron F recommended using it to help with strength gains. I intend to cycle back and forth between this and HST for growth as soon as I have a decent strength basis to work from. Ive been lifting RELIGIOUSLY for 18-20 months now but have been doing waaay too much volume and overtraining enough to completely stall my gains,so I feel like a total noob at this as Ive never done a 5x5 or HST before, always a 3 way split with endless sets of 8-12 on everything.
My stats are: 5'11'' @ 152pounds and according to a pair of accufat2 digital calipers 3% body fat (so I figure probably 5% accounting for accuracy of calipers on low bfs)
 I eat about 22-2500cal per day at around a 40/40/20 or so,super clean, 5-6 meals a day. I have a pic to attach if I can ever figure out how. Anyway here is my plan:
DAY 1
SQUATS:5X5 @5RM
BENCH:5X5 @5RM
BENT OVR. ROW:5X5 @5RM
LYING TRI EXT.:3X8-12 (ACCESSORY EXERCISE)
DAY 2:
SQUATS:5X5 @ 80%5RM
DEADLIFT:5X5 @5RM
PULL-UPS:5X5 (ASAP,I CANT DO 5 "GOOD ONES" YET)
DIPS:5X5 (WEIGHTED TO KEEP UP TO 5RM)
DAY 3:
SQUATS:5X5 (PYRAMID TO 5RM+5POUNDS)
BENCH:5X5 (PYRAMID TO 5RM+5POUNDS)
BENT OVR. ROWS:5X5 (PYRAMID TO 5RM+5POUNDS)
BARBELL CURLS:3X8-12 (ACCESSORY EXERCISE)
 Well there is my plan. Any feedback is much appreciated and welcome. Thanks yall, Ill keep posting progress as a journal.
 
I'm going to save us all a lot of grief and link you to a mother thread over at Elite Fitness. You should probably start out using the Single-Factor 5x5 routine, but Dual-Factor will work great, as well. You just don't need anything too advanced, from what I understand.

(Note, if you don't sign up for the site, you can only view 5-7 different pages on the site. I know, it's a pain, but to sift through all the content you'll need to sign up. Just use a random e-mail so you can read all about the program)

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375215
 
Good information in that thread. Some of those guys are a bit hard to believe though, claiming to be gaining weight from 5x5 even while eating maintenance or under. Yes, so 5x5 allows you to violate the laws of thermodynamics! Perfect routine for me then!

No really though, it looks like a solid routine, the 5x5 that is. I'm going to try it out in a couple weeks here once I finish my cutter. Looks like I've got a lot more reading to do first though...
 
I'm sure those people are eating more than they realize. Either that, or there's something unexplainable going on. Whatever the case, the program has been around for decades, and it works for plenty of natural lifters. That's enough for me.

If you need any help Totentanz, feel free to PM me.
 
Hey yall, well I went to the recommended post on Bill Starr's 5x5 programs, and read it in its entirety. It stressed that it is very important NOT to try and modify it hardly at all. Apparently it is a tried and true method that has been proven over and over by countless powerlifters,trainers and atheletes. S who am I to mess with it? Ive decided to go right "by the numbers" and follow the classic version which was at www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4764723&postcount=381.
The reason i decided to go with the full dual factor program is that, while I am new to the 5x5 concept and to HST I have been lifting in a dedicated and consistent manner for over a year and a half at least, and I think that going back to a total newbie standpoint would be counterproductive.
This decision is in no way meant to disregard any of the great help and tips Ive gotten from yall (especially Aaron F) who have been so willing to "help a brutha out"
I intend to check in here as a sort of journaling thread with my progress with it over the next 9 weeks. Hopefully this 5x5 thinking is all its cracked up to be. Thanks again yall for all the feedback, Im sure Ill be picking yall's brains again in the weeks to come.
 
Oh hey yall, here is the layout:
volume phase.............................deload/intensity phase
Day 1:squat 5x5..............................................3x3
bench 1x5.............................................1x3
rows 1x5...............................................1x3
(accessory)b.bell curl 3x8-12
Day 2:squat 5x5 (80% of day 1 weight)...............3x3
deadlift 5x5...........................................3x3
military 5x5............................................3x3
pullups 5x5............................................3x3
(accessory)dips 3xmax
Day 3:squat 1x5..............................................1x3
bench 5x5..............................................3x3
rows 5x5................................................3x3
(accessory)skullcrushers 3x8-12
It said you could add up to 1 accessory exercise at the end of each day for 3x"whatever" so I chose the 2 arms and dips (simply because I LOVE dips) my only gray area is whether or not I should start adding weight to my dips to keep them in the 8-12 range as I can do 15-20 non weighted dips now before starting the program?
Well anyway thats what I came up with, what do yall think? Im starting to get analysis paralysis and make it all too complicated so like I said I just went straight from the program as its written. I cant wait to see how it goes.
 
I wouldn't do a tricep exercise on both Wednesday and Friday. Just keep it to once accessory movement for the triceps and biceps a week. Keep the skull crushers on Friday and do some form of incline curls on Monday. Emphasizing stretch is the only reason you should even bother with those isolations - the heavy compounds will cover you the rest of the way.

The layout is the exact same as mine, except I use no isolations at all. You may want to do some ab work once or twice a week, to assure the core is strong. It should be, doing parallel rows, standing OHP, squats, deadlifts, and chinups though.

Good luck.
 
If I were to do a 5X5 routine after an HST cycle do you think I should SD before I start it?

Joe G
 
No reason to SD for a 5x5. It's more strength oriented, and you'll gain size with it anyway. Honestly, I recommend most people try single-factor training with the 5x5 first. Milk as much out of that as you can before you use more advanced techniques.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Joe G @ Sep. 07 2005,2:13)]If I were to do a 5X5 routine after an HST cycle do you think I should SD before I start it?

Joe G

SD would be a bad idea, it would be very difficult to go from 9-14 days of no lifting straight into heavy lifting. However, if you're feeling pretty exhausted, a week or two of deloading could be a good thing. Just keep the weights heavy, but lower the volume and cut down the frequency to 2x/week. Perhaps throw in some higher rep work as well to keep your joints in good shape.
 
Hey guys. I'm in week 7 of the intensity phase and loving it. I'm up to 250 at 17% bf which ain't too bad on a bulk. Anyways, I got a journal that describes in detail what you should be doing here:

http://www.clutchfitness.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1142&PN=1

The main point of Bill Starr's 5x5, like HST, is finding your 1x5 and 5x5 RM's, and inputting them in either your last week of volume or next to last. Then you start dropping the weight in whatever increments you choose.

Example: If my 5x5 max for flat bench is 305 lbs. This would go in either your last week or next to last. If it's your first time through then it's the best option. You also want your first week to be managable before you start ramping up the weight.

week 1: managable
week 2: hard
week 3: very hard
week 4: insanely difficult
 
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