5x5 strong lift any tips?

maxboon19

Hi,

I want to start the 5x5 stronglift.
My lenght is 6ft 21⁄64in(1.88 M) and my weight is 190 lbs(86 KG) my body fat is about 10%
This is going to be my schedule:
training A
Squat 5x5 90 kg
Benchpress 5x5 90 kg
Barbell row 5x5 60 kg
push-up 5xFailure
Crunch 5Xfailure
Barbell-curl bij 5x5 35 kg


Training B
Squat 5x5
militery press 5x5 45 kg
Deadlift 1x5 60 kg
Lat Pull down/optrekken 3xF
Prone bridge5xF

Can anybody give me tips about training and bulk?

Showcase_Brodown

Generally speaking, a 5x5 program will emphasize strength gains over size gains. Usually higher rep ranges emphasize size over strength, so your priorities might dictate what kind of program to use. Either way, give yourself some extra calories above maintenance to take care of repair and growth.

Other than that, try to prioritize the bigger compound lifts in your routine. Keep track of your sets and reps, always aiming for squeezing out more reps than last time or adding more weight to the bar. Good luck. Starting out with something like Stronglifts or Starting Strength is a good move not many people would try to steer you away from.

teresamwhite

I started this today myself...! Good luck!

michaelmadonna

I started this routine in July and I've made tremendous strength gains over the last 3-4 months I like the program a lot because of its simplicity and results. I'm at the point however where I'm maxing out on just about all the lifts, and since I'm still in a caloric deficit I'm not sure how much more I have to gain. I'm thinking of moving to Wendler's 5/3/1 which has a few more accessory lifts. But I can definately vouch for the program.

michaelmadonna

Also there's an I-Pod/IPhone app and androd is supposedly coming but on android there's an app called Liftbig which works well to help you keep track.

birdmancolby

The 5x5 program is excellent for gaining strength, but if your looking to put on both size an strength, I would recommend the German Volume Training Program, also known as the (10x10 program). This program is well documented for adding both strength and size in a short amount of time. I have personally used the 5x5 program, and gotten excellent strength gains, however I didn't gain very much size. You tube has some great video regarding German Volume Training, so check it out. Good luck to you.

Showcase_Brodown

The 5x5 program is excellent for gaining strength, but if your looking to put on both size an strength, I would recommend the German Volume Training Program, also known as the (10x10 program). This program is well documented for adding both strength and size in a short amount of time. I have personally used the 5x5 program, and gotten excellent strength gains, however I didn't gain very much size. You tube has some great video regarding German Volume Training, so check it out. Good luck to you.

10x10 sounds painful and extremely time-consuming. Yikes.

Sarauk2sf

How long have you been lifting for?

Trarbach

I would only suggest the following and that is full concentration on squat form and if you find it suffering with more weight later on it can be caused by, in part,lack of hip flexor mobility, so insure your form by using some type of hip mobility regiment. I found the warm ups not enough for me for only 3 days per week.

Chieflrg

I second what was said on SL being more for strength gains and not so much for bulking. Higher reps (8-12) will give you mass.

Personally I would drop the lat pull downs and go with chin/pull ups as they are more bang for your buck.

Perhaps add Dips as they will work your chest too.

rileyhunter169

Although stronglifts 5x5 is a great program for a beginner; it will leave lagging body parts. Jason Blaha has a 5x5 routine that is this; but made way more well rounded with a fell progression scheme. You may wanna check it out. Make sure to hit mobility hard and avoid going on diets during the routine; otherwise you will waste potential. You can do light to moderate cardio on off days as active recovery if you are a heavy eater. It also ends up getting challenging further in; make sure you have the right motivation. Supplement with Omega 3's as well; make sure to get micronutrients although some junk food is okay, especially if you have a hard time eating enough (although it's not the best).

maxboon19

Thanks for the tips and other programs i will look at them.
@ rileyhunter16 I think that my eating is good. And my motivivation is always high.
@ sarauk2sf i have been lifting now for 8 months

Sarauk2sf

Thanks for the tips and other programs i will look at them.
@ rileyhunter16 I think that my eating is good. And my motivivation is always high.
@ sarauk2sf i have been lifting now for 8 months

What has your program looked like previously? Were you following a progressive loading routine? What was the rep/set range? Was it based around compound lifts?

Mikej77

I am totally knew to most of this so please do not take my question as coming off as cocky, but could someone explain to me how the statement that more strength does not equal more size? From everything I have learned thus far, more muscle, i.e. bigger muscle does in fact equal more strength. Not sure how the statement that size and strength does not go hand in hand. If you can lift more weight do your muscles not get bigger?

jw_lefebvre

The 5x5 program is excellent for gaining strength, but if your looking to put on both size an strength, I would recommend the German Volume Training Program, also known as the (10x10 program). This program is well documented for adding both strength and size in a short amount of time. I have personally used the 5x5 program, and gotten excellent strength gains, however I didn't gain very much size. You tube has some great video regarding German Volume Training, so check it out. Good luck to you.

I would disagree...although german volume training is a great program it is for advanced lifters. Many beginners make the mistake of jumping to advanced lifting programs right away which is silly and here is why: Beginner programs are actually harder than advanced programs in the sense that they make you increase your weights every week (sometimes even multiple times each week) this is because a beginner will pack on strength much faster then an advanced lifter. Advanced programs only increase the weight every 2-3 weeks. So do yourself a favour and stick to the beginner programs. I have been lifting for 3 years seriously and I only use intermediate programs.

Make sure you follow the excel sheet for your weights, if you do not have it, it is easily available from google. BTW you look jacked for only 8 months of lifting good work. What others are saying is true that higher reps is more for mass but I have always thought until you have strong lifts a power based routine is the best way to go.

This is a good website to use to determine what level of program you should be using: http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

Sarauk2sf

I am totally knew to most of this so please do not take my question as coming off as cocky, but could someone explain to me how the statement that more strength does not equal more size? From everything I have learned thus far, more muscle, i.e. bigger muscle does in fact equal more strength. Not sure how the statement that size and strength does not go hand in hand. If you can lift more weight do your muscles not get bigger?

Not necessarily.

Strength comes from neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically your brain talks in a better/more efficient way to your muscles. At some point however, you need more muscle for your brain to talk to in order to gain strength

It's basically myofibril hypertrophy v sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

maxboon19

@ sarauk I started with some random at the start did not know that much about fitness. After a month i started to do 3 day split and then 6 days a week. My scheme had some progresive loading system that where the compound excersises. And my isolate excersises I did 3x1. I tried every 2 weeks to do them a little bit heavier. Because my body transformed pretty well I have been doing that for 6 months. Than my football season and school started again ,so i had little less time in the gym so i wanted to change my scheme, thats why i'm now starting to do 5x5.

@ jw_lefebvre thanks

Sarauk2sf

The 5x5 program is excellent for gaining strength, but if your looking to put on both size an strength, I would recommend the German Volume Training Program, also known as the (10x10 program). This program is well documented for adding both strength and size in a short amount of time. I have personally used the 5x5 program, and gotten excellent strength gains, however I didn't gain very much size. You tube has some great video regarding German Volume Training, so check it out. Good luck to you.

I would disagree...although german volume training is a great program it is for advanced lifters. Many beginners make the mistake of jumping to advanced lifting programs right away which is silly and here is why: Beginner programs are actually harder than advanced programs in the sense that they make you increase your weights every week (sometimes even multiple times each week) this is because a beginner will pack on strength much faster then an advanced lifter. Advanced programs only increase the weight every 2-3 weeks. So do yourself a favour and stick to the beginner programs. I have been lifting for 3 years seriously and I only use intermediate programs.

Make sure you follow the excel sheet for your weights, if you do not have it, it is easily available from google. BTW you look jacked for only 8 months of lifting good work. What others are saying is true that higher reps is more for mass but I have always thought until you have strong lifts a power based routine is the best way to go.

This is a good website to use to determine what level of program you should be using: http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.html

^^agree with this.

Also, beginner programs can be adapted for more focus on size gains by adding assist work in the hypertrophy rep/volume range.

Mikej77

I am totally knew to most of this so please do not take my question as coming off as cocky, but could someone explain to me how the statement that more strength does not equal more size? From everything I have learned thus far, more muscle, i.e. bigger muscle does in fact equal more strength. Not sure how the statement that size and strength does not go hand in hand. If you can lift more weight do your muscles not get bigger?

Not necessarily.

Strength comes from neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically your brain talks in a better/more efficient way to your muscles. At some point however, you need more muscle for your brain to talk to in order to gain strength

It's basically myofibril hypertrophy v sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Not going to pretend for a second that I really understood what you just typed, so please if you have the time to explain it in more lamens terms feel free. Just to clarify, are you saying I could get stronger without increaseing the size of muscles? I understand that neurological adaptations come into play at one point, but I was always under the impression this is when you are starting to get super advanced and involved in major bodybuilding/ powerlifting. Did not think that a beginner really had to learn about the neural impulses just yet.

Sarauk2sf

@ sarauk I started with some random at the start did not know that much about fitness. After a month i started to do 3 day split and then 6 days a week. My scheme had some progresive loading system that where the compound excersises. And my isolate excersises I did 3x1. I tried every 2 weeks to do them a little bit heavier. Because my body transformed pretty well I have been doing that for 6 months. Than my football season and school started again ,so i had little less time in the gym so i wanted to change my scheme, thats why i'm now starting to do 5x5.

@ jw_lefebvre thanks

I would do what you plan to do - focus on a good basic strength/hyper program (5 x 5 is pretty much in the middle due to the higher number of sets than others) and add some assists in.

As mentioned by someone earlier, you may want to swap the lat pull down for chins (or actually alternate with pull ups). You do not have to go to failure however - something like 3 - 5 sets in the 8 - 12 rep range would be good. Depending on time and what you want to focus on, I would drop the push ups and possibly include bulgarian split squats and/or back extensions. For the assistance lifts, keep your rest time on the lower side (90 secs give or take). You also may want to think about adding calves to your routine.

Sarauk2sf

I am totally knew to most of this so please do not take my question as coming off as cocky, but could someone explain to me how the statement that more strength does not equal more size? From everything I have learned thus far, more muscle, i.e. bigger muscle does in fact equal more strength. Not sure how the statement that size and strength does not go hand in hand. If you can lift more weight do your muscles not get bigger?

Not necessarily.

Strength comes from neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically your brain talks in a better/more efficient way to your muscles. At some point however, you need more muscle for your brain to talk to in order to gain strength

It's basically myofibril hypertrophy v sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Not going to pretend for a second that I really understood what you just typed, so please if you have the time to explain it in more lamens terms feel free. Just to clarify, are you saying I could get stronger without increaseing the size of muscles? I understand that neurological adaptations come into play at one point, but I was always under the impression this is when you are starting to get super advanced and involved in major bodybuilding/ powerlifting. Did not think that a beginner really had to learn about the neural impulses just yet.

Yes, I am saying that you can get stronger without increasing the size of your muscles. Your brain talks more effectively to you muscles so they can do more. Neurological adaptations come into play from the very beginning. It's one of the reasons that a new lifter sees such an improvement in their lifts that slows down after a while (that, and form improvements).

A beginner does not have to learn about it, but the question was asked and so I answered it.

ETA: think of it like a road system. You need roads to get from A to B. You will get from A to B quicker if there are more roads and the roads are in better repair. However, at some point, you need more places to go otherwise more roads do not really add much value. (ok, cr@ppy'ish analogy...but it's early and I need more coffee to be creative)

mheebner

So basically your muscles become more efficient ?? I understand that but seriously how long can that last ? At some point with eating at a surplus and increasing how much you lift your muscles are going to build...right ? Admittedly this is over my head


ah..I see you did address that in your previous post that I read for the third time

Sarauk2sf

So basically your muscles become more efficient ?? I understand that but seriously how long can that last ? At some point with eating at a surplus and increasing how much you lift your muscles are going to build...right ? Admittedly this is over my head

Yes. You get diminishing returns where at some point the gains are so small that you really need more muscle to make appreciable strength gains.

ETA: With some of the lifts it is hard to tell whether you really are making strength gains as there are also other factors that come into play, for example, form, leanness, how much food you are eating etc,

maxboon19

@ sarauk I started with some random at the start did not know that much about fitness. After a month i started to do 3 day split and then 6 days a week. My scheme had some progresive loading system that where the compound excersises. And my isolate excersises I did 3x1. I tried every 2 weeks to do them a little bit heavier. Because my body transformed pretty well I have been doing that for 6 months. Than my football season and school started again ,so i had little less time in the gym so i wanted to change my scheme, thats why i'm now starting to do 5x5.

@ jw_lefebvre thanks

I would do what you plan to do - focus on a good basic strength/hyper program (5 x 5 is pretty much in the middle due to the higher number of sets than others) and add some assists in.

As mentioned by someone earlier, you may want to swap the lat pull down for chins (or actually alternate with pull ups). You do not have to go to failure however - something like 3 - 5 sets in the 8 - 12 rep range would be good. Depending on time and what you want to focus on, I would drop the push ups and possibly include bulgarian split squats and/or back extensions. For the assistance lifts, keep your rest time on the lower side (90 secs give or take). You also may want to think about adding calves to your routine.

Thanks for the tips I think I will at calves and back extensions

skullik

bump!

teresamwhite

This was a great discussion thread (one of the better ones i've seen since joining...so many of them tend to evolve into snarkiness)...I actually learned a lot, and will see about making some adjustments to 5x5 for myself.

Thank you!

markiend

This was a great discussion thread (one of the better ones i've seen since joining...so many of them tend to evolve into snarkiness)...I actually learned a lot, and will see about making some adjustments to 5x5 for myself.

Thank you!

yes agreed wholeheartedly...... very helpful

rjmudlax13

tagging...great thread!

Mikej77

I am totally knew to most of this so please do not take my question as coming off as cocky, but could someone explain to me how the statement that more strength does not equal more size? From everything I have learned thus far, more muscle, i.e. bigger muscle does in fact equal more strength. Not sure how the statement that size and strength does not go hand in hand. If you can lift more weight do your muscles not get bigger?

Not necessarily.

Strength comes from neurological adaptations, which is your body developing its ability to activate muscle fibers by increasing the frequency of neural impulses sent to the brain as well as improving intra- and inter-muscle coordination. Basically your brain talks in a better/more efficient way to your muscles. At some point however, you need more muscle for your brain to talk to in order to gain strength

It's basically myofibril hypertrophy v sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

Not going to pretend for a second that I really understood what you just typed, so please if you have the time to explain it in more lamens terms feel free. Just to clarify, are you saying I could get stronger without increaseing the size of muscles? I understand that neurological adaptations come into play at one point, but I was always under the impression this is when you are starting to get super advanced and involved in major bodybuilding/ powerlifting. Did not think that a beginner really had to learn about the neural impulses just yet.

Yes, I am saying that you can get stronger without increasing the size of your muscles. Your brain talks more effectively to you muscles so they can do more. Neurological adaptations come into play from the very beginning. It's one of the reasons that a new lifter sees such an improvement in their lifts that slows down after a while (that, and form improvements).

A beginner does not have to learn about it, but the question was asked and so I answered it.

ETA: think of it like a road system. You need roads to get from A to B. You will get from A to B quicker if there are more roads and the roads are in better repair. However, at some point, you need more places to go otherwise more roads do not really add much value. (ok, cr@ppy'ish analogy...but it's early and I need more coffee to be creative)

Actually that makes total sense to me, thank you for taking the time. I always was curious about this.

watergallagher

that aint right

Sarauk2sf

that aint right

Care to be more specific?