5 x 5 Program great for muscle mass?

Dru

Dru

New member
ive been looking at alot of 5x5 programs on bodybuilding.com and each article claims the program will put on size and strength. Anyone tried a 5 x 5 program and what did you think of it and would you recommend it?

Thanks
 
im currently on a 5x5, this will be my second week duing it the right way, firs 2 weeks i was just tryna it out and messing around with it, but im on my second week of duing it right and i like it so far, for me i think its gunna help me out alot, but good lock if you try it out, oh by the way have you seen the 5x5 by bill starr?? if not i can give you the link
 
5x5 is awesome and builds great strength. I definitely recommend it. Helped me gain significant strength back in the day.
 
5X5 is definitely one of the all time great strength and mass building formats. I think it's a great compromise between higher reps (8-12) and low reps (1-3). I'm currently reading "Strength and Bulk Training" by Reg Park (circa 1960) and Reg was a big proponent of 5X5. He is also considered the last great bodybuilder before drugs became rampant AND I just learned recently that he was Aronld's mentor in the early days.

Stuart McRobert has written extensively on 5X5 training (and every other type of training). Not sure what he has floating around online, but check out his book "Beyond Brawn" if you want an extremely thorough volume on all facets of weightlifting.

One point I recently picked up from Marty Gallagher in "The Purposeful Primitive" is to be ready to move to higher rep training when you stagnate. Marty says (and I agree) that training needs to be cycled to keep gains coming. If you're training 5X5, do that until you start to get stale then drop your weight back down and do sets of 8s for a few weeks and then 12s while cycling your weight back up. Now you're training with 12 rep sets and your muscles are getting an entirely new stimulation. Make sense?

Adam
 
5x5 isn't the best for mass. however, it will increase your core lifts, and help build a very solid foundation to put mass on to. definitely the best for beginners IMO. for all out mass, 8-12 rep range is better, though again having the solid foundation to put mass onto is equally important.
 
suncloud said:
5x5 isn't the best for mass. however, it will increase your core lifts, and help build a very solid foundation to put mass on to. definitely the best for beginners IMO. for all out mass, 8-12 rep range is better, though again having the solid foundation to put mass onto is equally important.
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agreed
 
suncloud said:
5x5 isn't the best for mass. however, it will increase your core lifts, and help build a very solid foundation to put mass on to. definitely the best for beginners IMO. for all out mass, 8-12 rep range is better, though again having the solid foundation to put mass onto is equally important.
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i have always done 8-12 reps but i find i can never move up the weight like i have been benching the same for along time idk i just cant seem to get out of this plateau. I have improved with back exercises,legs and arms but chest exercises are so hard for me to move up in. I was thinking its hard maybe because i have small wrists and long arms so my wrists cant support more weight? lol idk
 
i just did my first day of 5x5 training, i did bench press, bent row and squat and it was pretty challenging i wasnt used to doing 5 sets i usually did 3 and sometimes 4 of pyramiding up in weight with each set. With the 5x5 i kept the same weight for all 5 sets. is this correct?
 
I am within my 2nd week of 5x5. Starting my 3-5 week I will move to 4x8. Then in my 6-9 week I will go to 3x12. I use this method for the initial bulk, then through my cycle it moves more to definition. Plus it always keeps my muscles guessing ;)
 
The thickness you get from 5x5 is amazing when you do the lifts properly. This is includes grinding out 1-2 reps beyond comfort. Having a consistent spotter while doing this program is essential.
 
The way I've always done it is that you pyramid up through the 5 sets. If your target bench for that day was 310, you'd do 5 X 225, 5 X 265, 5 X 285, 5 X 295, 5 X 310. I sometimes will do lighter sets as warmups before starting the 5 X 5 sets. Each of the 5 X 5 should have some level of effort involved, whereas the warmups are lighter and easier.

Adam
 
Dru said:
i have always done 8-12 reps but i find i can never move up the weight like i have been benching the same for along time idk i just cant seem to get out of this plateau. I have improved with back exercises,legs and arms but chest exercises are so hard for me to move up in. I was thinking its hard maybe because i have small wrists and long arms so my wrists cant support more weight? lol idk
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what does your chest exercise look like? if you can't go up in either weights or reps, cycle out the exercise in question - switch barbell for dumbell, etc. this will ensure you are in a constant state of progression. besides, if an exercise doesn't work for you, why are you doing it? i learned this from DC training, and the idea makes sense.
 
5x5 is the best training hands down... If you want a great resource, check out Mark Rippetoe's book "Starting Strength" - you can also find stuff from him online... he's pretty bigtime Bill Starr fan too. As long as the basic movements you choose are compound and functional (i.e. squats, deadlifts, bench press, power clean, etc) you'll get great results.
 
i like switching from 5x5 for 6-8 weeks to 4x8
the strength increases are great... by the end of 5x5 you should be able to do 10reps of what you started with from the get (all depends on how long you have been training too)
 
suncloud said:
5x5 isn't the best for mass. however, it will increase your core lifts, and help build a very solid foundation to put mass on to. definitely the best for beginners IMO. for all out mass, 8-12 rep range is better, though again having the solid foundation to put mass onto is equally important.
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also agree. Im just coming off a similiar program, def got wayyy stronger, not that much bigger tho in terms of LBM.
 
TexasLifter89 said:
ive used it had huge uccess with with it strength wise. its not my favorite for mass though
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8x8 --> 10x10 is my favourite for mass, German Volume Training. You need to periodize it, so throw in some 5x5/Strength conditioning after doing that for 6-8 weeks, but that is so far my fav. I haven't tried DC yet, but it's because I dont want to have a constant spotter/set workout routine.
 
Steveoph said:
8x8 --> 10x10 is my favourite for mass, German Volume Training. You need to periodize it, so throw in some 5x5/Strength conditioning after doing that for 6-8 weeks, but that is so far my fav. I haven't tried DC yet, but it's because I dont want to have a constant spotter/set workout routine.
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yeah i am getting a personally written routine for me from a friend (NGA pro). 10x10 sounds brutal though... only 1 exercise though right? so how would you do chest with incline and flat?
 
TexasLifter89 said:
yeah i am getting a personally written routine for me from a friend (NGA pro). 10x10 sounds brutal though... only 1 exercise though right? so how would you do chest with incline and flat?
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You can do an accessory movement afterwards, so I usually did bench then fly's. You could switch between flat one week, and incline the next. You superset in a back , so like Chinups/Rows. I often do straight 8x8, with maybe 60s rest, then do some other movements as well since it doesn't take as long but you're going to be sore.
 
Steveoph said:
You can do an accessory movement afterwards, so I usually did bench then fly's. You could switch between flat one week, and incline the next. You superset in a back , so like Chinups/Rows. I often do straight 8x8, with maybe 60s rest, then do some other movements as well since it doesn't take as long but you're going to be sore.
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anything to be sore! haha. So I would do 8x8 then superset a back exercise in after every set... so essentially 8x8 for back as well?
 
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