Moving from 5x5 to 3x5

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Hey Ladies (and boys if your trolling please feel free to add your thoughts!)

I just finished week 2 of cycle 2 of SL....so basically 14 weeks under my belt or like 44 sessions or something. Anyway....I'm finding as the weights are getting heavier (I did do a slight deload between cycles, but that affected my squat and DL more than upper body exercises) it's just getting to be a lot doing 5x5. I haven't really started to stall anything abnormal....but 5x5 is starting to feel like a lot!

When did you move to 3x5 or when are you planning to? I know a lot of ladies in the group don't necessarily follow SL, so I'm just looking for some advice, words of wisdom, etc.....

I think I'm also struggling with 3x5 being less reps overall so psychologically I'm struggling with it being not as much work, even though 5x5 is almost getting to be too much work....if that makes sense :laugh:

Any and all feedback is appreciated!

DaniH826

If you need to lower the reps then do so.

Try 3x5 for a couple weeks and see how you do.

Or strike a happy medium and do 4x5.

Nobody says you can't.

OR switch to something more intermediate like a 5/3/1 or whatever it is those really strong people do after a while.

:bigsmile:

Gwyn1969

You did not mention how much weight you are adding per session. If you're adding five pounds a time, get some microplates so you can add less than that.

Try 3x5, continue to add weight each session. Eventually that will get hard, at that point, do 3x5 on Monday, then do 2x5 at 80% of your 3x5 weight on Wednesday, then 3x5 Friday, so you are only adding weight twice a week and doing a recovery session in the middle of the week. Once you stall out there, look around for a program that adds weight every week. Once you've run that into the ground, you move to something more complicated that has you adding weight every month. As to when to make these switches, you have to experiment and see how you are recovering. There are a lot of factors that affect recovery, including age, sleep, food intake, other work, and stress.

If you want to really geek out on programming, get Practical Programming for Strength Training, and you will have enough information for a long time!

Oh I forgot to add another element you can play with - sets of three instead of five can help you draw out linear progression longer. If you decide to do sets of three, you still need to keep the volume rather high, so I'd do five sets of three.

Amazing1985RSD

The concepts are the same with stronglifts and Rippetoe's Starting Strength. In that you are adding weight each session. aka the novice stage or linear progression. This period tends to last for approximately 8 months to a year or so.

Over head presses are sadly the first to go. You likely aren't going to be able to do 5x5 so well unless you take more rest between sets. Personally I try to take 7 minutes based off of information from literature, internet articles etc.

When I got to that level, I really would have rather scaled down to 3x5 and get it over with. Because once you can no longer progress at 5x5, it's done and over with. Plus it saves you extra time at the gym.

"I did do a slight deload between cycles, but that affected my squat and DL more than upper body exercises"

Yea, I don't know why that happens. The deload probably benefits your bench press more so than the over head press. Though I have started experimenting with baseball bat weights for microplates with the press and my take on that is so far so good.

xidia

I'm dropping to 3x5 on OHP until i can get fractionals because there's no way i can make 5lb jumps to 5x5 right now. I'll reevaluate once I've got some fractionals (next paycheck).

I'm planning to switch to 3x5 when i stall three times in a row on fractionals, then to 5/3/1 once i stall on 3x5 three consecutive times.

tameko2

I haven't really started to stall anything abnormal....but 5x5 is starting to feel like a lot!

^^ when this happened. I was just....tired. We started by dropping just exercise by exercise, the way its prescribed, but honestly its the SQUATTING that's so freaking exhausting, so we dropped it all.

Its less reps yes, so its probably slightly less work, but the way you need to think of it is that you're doing weight you absolutely couldn't have done if you'd done 5x5. You'll need that mindset especially if you switch to 5/3/1 because that's SIGNIFICANTLY less work when done properly, than even 3x5.

chunkmunk

I have two weeks left on my first cycle of SL, and after a rest week, I intend to start up again---but 3 x 5 for all exercises. That's what Starting Strength is so I figure it can't be awful. And frankly the workouts are just TOO LONG at 5 x 5 and I'm getting bored.

nexangelus

Its less reps yes, so its probably slightly less work, but the way you need to think of it is that you're doing weight you absolutely couldn't have done if you'd done 5x5. You'll need that mindset especially if you switch to 5/3/1 because that's SIGNIFICANTLY less work when done properly, than even 3x5.

^^^^ this...also I changed the whole programme to a whole body workout of 3 sets of 5 reps as heavy as I can for each lift (squats, bench, OHP, deads, barbell row and sometimes weighted glute bridges). Takes me 45 mins to 60 mins and really works it all out. It is not that 5 X 5 or 5/3/1 got boring or tiring or slow, etc (I did stall on all upper body lifts though). I just needed to hit more faster as my body can take it now and I needed something to get through without splitting it and that I could do 2 or 3 times per week and maybe have a day of cardio if needed. Maybe we just like re-inventing the wheel? Or maybe we find what works for us personally, tailoring what we have learnt to what we need and can manage, etc.

DaniH826

Or maybe we find what works for us personally, tailoring what we have learnt to what we need and can manage, etc.

I agree. I found that neither SL nor SS gave me what I was really looking for so now I'm putting together my own workout based on a different program.

Part of the fun is experimenting, switching things up and figuring out what your "sweet spot" is. Unless you're a professional athlete under the tutoring of a trainer, we're all here for personal fitness reasons, so it doesn't really matter all that much; just find something you like and will stick with.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Thanks for all of your feedback and advice! I have decided to start a 3x5 tomorrow, still following SL workouts and see how that goes. I find that I am pretty good on recovery, so my hope is that by reducing (even though weight will be going up consistently) volume I will be able to start to add back some cardio. To be honest that's not something I want to do, but I'm really getting frustrated with this plateau so I think I need to change something up.

@Nex.....I really like your idea in terms of all exercises each workout 3x/week. That's something I'm going to file away and perhaps adopt a little way down the road!

Now hopefully I don't have to design my own tracking sheets for progress for 3x5. I love my 5x5 app!

Fittreelol

Let me know how you like it vegas I might copy you.

victoriannsays

My OHP is 3x5 for now. I also just started doing 3x5 on my squats now that I've reached above my body weight. Let me know how it goes for you I'm liking it for OHP because that's a killerrr

Fittreelol

Actually I've already decided to copy you. :laugh:

This is a deload week for me, then I'm going to 3x5. I haven't stalled yet, but 5x5 is making me feel like all I do is lift and recover from lifting. I love to pick up heavy things and all, but it's getting crazy!