What is 5x5 ?

P

::Pixel.Freak::

New Member
I keep on reading about people doing 5x5 programs on this board ? What is the program and what is it good for ?

I can kind of guess that it must have something to do with 5 sets of 5, but I'm sure there is more to it than that.
 
So I take it this is focused on both size and strength with a slight bias towards strength.

I can't squat at the moment due to a leg injury. I'm currently doing 22.5kg single leg presses on the injured leg. I must be the only person to ever use a 1.25kg plate on a leg press.

The other exercises look pretty good though and who knows, maybe by the end of this HST cycle I'll have enough leg strength to start squatting again.
 
I did my 5x5 using my lever squat machine until the last week or so. You can use it with whatever you can do for legs. Squats are of course best, but if you can do deads, you're halfway there as far as whole-body involvement for mass.
Since you're new, it may be more beneficial to stay with HST for a few more cycles. You'll be making gains regardless.
 
I'm definitely not new. I've been working out for 8-10 years and doing HST every since it began.

I am back after a layout of a year and my leg strength on my left side is non existant due to getting my tibia totally messed up.
 
5x5 is originally a Bill Starr strength program...but like most strength programs it turns out to be very good for hypertrophy also.

Strength and Hypertrophy are completely interrelated, and as long as there is enouhg volume (total reps) and enough calories, stregnth increases will result in hypertrophy. Remember, the muscles only hypertrophy in order to increase fiber size and cross-section area, which has its entire purpose in creating more force (strength).

Of course SST (strength-specific) utilizes neural increases in strength (increased rate-coding and efficiency) as well as hypertrophy. While HST focuses purely on the hypertrophy effect of strength-training.

I have never seen a man with small, withered muscles deadlift 700+ lb.s....ALL STRENGTH TRAINING IS GOOD FOR SOME HYPERTROPHY AS LONG AS VOLUME AND CALORIC INTAKE IS SUFFICIENT.
 
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(scientific muscle @ Mar. 19 2007,22:36)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I have never seen a man with small, withered muscles deadlift 700+ lb.s....ALL STRENGTH TRAINING IS GOOD FOR SOME HYPERTROPHY AS LONG AS VOLUME AND CALORIC INTAKE IS SUFFICIENT.</div>
Pretty much nailed it there Sci.

The real difference in those who focus on strength versus hypertrophy is when muscle has been packed on already to a great degree. Im pretty sure you can see in your own respective gyms people who are huge, some 250, some 300 pounds. It is not always the case that the bigger-muscled man can lift the heavier weight. Sometimes even the strength-mass ratio is so far off...sometimes you can see 300 pound guys lifting 450 pounds, and then see someone who is &quot;only&quot; 230 lift about 400 pounds.
 
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