How do you feel about 5x5 strength training?
sheltondq
Posts: 51 Member
I’m am thinking about starting to incorporate more strength training into my daily routine. And wanted to know about the experience of others.
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Replies
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@sheltondq I moved this to the body building board because I think you will get better responses here.2
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I think 5x5 is great for beginners. Be careful, though, beginner, lifting, and daily don't really go together. You'll want to start with a 3x a week full body program like Strong Lifts or Starting Strength.3
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Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
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Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?0 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?
If your goal is strength, I recommend reading Starting Strength 3rd edition and following the program. There isnt a better program for novices.3 -
Davidsdottir wrote: »Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?
If your goal is strength, I recommend reading Starting Strength 3rd edition and following the program. There isnt a better program for novices.
I also recommended Starting Strength. I was just curious. I'm not a beginner LOL2 -
I 3rd Starting Strength (goes into a lot of good detail on form and common mistakes in form). Also a good routine here: https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-beginner-weight-training-workout-routine/ (I do fairly close to this, adding abs into a superset with the leg and pull, and adding some glutes in with the push, and either a single bicep curl set or tricep pushdown set at the end..typically takes me about 34 minutes if the gym is not busy).2
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Another one for Starting Strength. As Chief said, I feel that the volume of 5x5 is too much for begginers.2
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As far as my specific thoughts on Stronglifts 5x5 (which I started with)- 5 sets takes more time than I want to allot to the gym - it became 4x6 very quickly (and then later 3x6-10); and I found squats every session to be too much (and that extra squat also takes the place of a pull that is otherwise missing from session B ). Also- I can get the gym time down a lot further by supersetting and using dumbbells for most of the arm work (which was important to me)(but this limits how small I can make the weight increase increments - so a constant strict number of reps every session also flew out the window).1
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I started with Stronglifts, and loved it. Never found the volume to be too much. Started with the bare bar, and used youtube videos to help with form. The 3 days a week at about 45 minutes per session fit my life perfectly at the time.
I used Stronglifts for about 14 months before I outgrew it and moved to an intermediate program.5 -
I absolutely loved Stronglifts 5x5. Pay for the premium app on your smart devices! Well worth it! I got MUCH stronger during the roughly 16 weeks I followed it. I would recommend working with a professional trainer at first so that you get your form correct at the early stages. Proper form will save you a great deal of pain from injury when you progress to the heavier weight. Also, expect your workouts to take longer as you progress. The warmups recommended by the app are necessary components to the program and they do take some time.0
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Davidsdottir wrote: »Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?
If your goal is strength, I recommend reading Starting Strength 3rd edition and following the program. There isnt a better program for novices.
Thanks for the recommendation! I just downloaded the book and can't wait to start reading it.1 -
The best results I've had have been from 5x5. But you'll notice the main things most of those programs have in common are the type of lifts. You'll see a lot of squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, and rows so get used to doing those.
I used to just do a lot of machines and never saw very good results, but since I moved onto mostly barbells and free weights it's been a lot more noticeable.0 -
Beginners need to work on something basic and work on their forms for a majority of exercises out there so they can feel / know the technique.
One thing to bear in mind is that every guy goes to the gym to gain that muscular physique. However, 99.99% forget about that as they try to lift heavier weights to impress others and themselves and the form goes out of the window.
No form = not doing properly = under developed body / poor results + strains and injury.
The key is getting the technique right. You do the bench press properly and you dont need to do 6 different exercises for triceps that most wannabe gym goers do. You develop triceps on the bench and the overhead press.
I feel stronger and bigger doing 5x5 than 30 different exercises - when I started many years ago at the age of 17 I was doing 26-35 exercises per week. I wasnt aware of the appropriate form either. Now at 29 I am, I don't care what others thing around me and will happily press 5kg each side knowing that I do the form correctly than try and push 15kg per side and struggle and squirm on the bench.
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webutmirrortheworld wrote: »Davidsdottir wrote: »Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?
If your goal is strength, I recommend reading Starting Strength 3rd edition and following the program. There isnt a better program for novices.
Thanks for the recommendation! I just downloaded the book and can't wait to start reading it.
Excellent choice. If you run the program as written, you will see optimal results and be strong and ready for intermediate programming in just a few months.0 -
webutmirrortheworld wrote: »Davidsdottir wrote: »Its more appropriate for early intermediate lifters. The volume is unnecessary for a novice lifter and actually governs strength gains in the long run.
That being said if you enjoy it, you can do it as a novice...I just wouldn't recommend it as it is sub optimal.
What do you recommend for beginning lifters?
If your goal is strength, I recommend reading Starting Strength 3rd edition and following the program. There isnt a better program for novices.
Thanks for the recommendation! I just downloaded the book and can't wait to start reading it.
Excellent choice. If you run the program as written, you will see optimal results and be strong and ready for intermediate programming in just a few months.
Agreed!!0 -
I’m am thinking about starting to incorporate more strength training into my daily routine. And wanted to know about the experience of others.
IMO, Starting Strength is better for a novice lifter. I used it to build a good foundation of strength. Had I been more interested in power lifting I probably would have moved onto Strong Lifts, but that wasn't really what I was interested in so I moved to a more all around general fitness program.
IMO, Starting Strength is a great program for initial development, form, building a foundation of strength etc...Strong Lifts would be the next step if you were interested in power lifting and/or really getting your numbers up there.0 -
I just got through my fourth StrongLifts 5x5 yesterday and noticed my legs don't seem to recover since squatting is included for each day of strength conditioning. When I squat, I can really feel the burn from the very first squat. So instead of every other day, I'm wondering if I should skip two days once a week.0
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Going to agree with @Chieflrg, you made the right choice. That book is a great novice program and a valuable reference on the proper form of the main lifts you should be doing no matter your training age.
I don't believe you "need" 5x5 programming until later. You are attempting to create the maximal amount of adaptation with the minimal amount of stress. For most people, 3x5 works better as a novice. It isn't that it's easier or harder to do lift the weights, but the amount of recovery needed after each training session.
Now if you keep training for months and want to continue to push strength gains you very well need 5x5 at some point. I do 5x5 on volume days for bench and squats at 80% 1RM often. Even tho I can always hit my reps I put the volume days right before 2 days off. Even more so with squats. I'll likely have DOMS and an extra day of rest lets me get fully recovered before I hit up intensity training, but that is another discussion...0 -
I just got through my fourth StrongLifts 5x5 yesterday and noticed my legs don't seem to recover since squatting is included for each day of strength conditioning. When I squat, I can really feel the burn from the very first squat. So instead of every other day, I'm wondering if I should skip two days once a week.
I follow closely to a similar plan that has squats on just 1 of the 2 days, and adds lat pulldowns/pull-ups instead on the deadlift day. Pretty reasonable IMO. 1 leg (alternates between whether it more strongly gets quads or hamstrings), 1 pull, 1 push for both sessions. (I posted the link above somewhere).
(I also don't do 5 sets of anything since it would take more time than I want to spend in the gym, and only my last set of squats is at the full working weight)1 -
I have the form down for all the lifts mentioned in the 5*5 plan. In college we were required to learn these lifts for a class, and get graded by a strength and conditioning coach.... I just never really lifted outside of that one semester and would like to get more involved in strength training.0
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