Lifters, can you please explain what the difference...

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Trying to lift as heavy as I can and add 5 lbs to the bar each time but finding that really hard to do on upper body lifts. Today I struggled with my 70 lb bench press. I couldn't do the full 10 reps on each set so I added a smaller set of 6 reps to make up the difference. Deadlifts I'm at 105 lbs and adding weight every time. Squats will be at 100 lbs this week. Overhead press is a weak 50 lbs. If I went 5x5 I could lift more? I'm only on my 8th week with this program... thinking about switching.

I would finish out a 12 week cycle of what you are doing if you are already in the 8th week. Then try a 90 day (12 week) cycle of a 5x5 routine. Doing either one will help you accomplish your goal of losing the flab and after 90 days of each you may figure out which one works best for your goals.

Actually, starting with the 3x10 might be a good idea because you aren't throwing around quite as much weight until you get used the movements.

If I do this what would your starting weight be on the 5x5? I wouldn't want to go back to the bar so do I just start where I left off on this program?

First and foremost, the overall impact of exercise on weight loss is negligible. Weight loss or mass gain all are largely a result of diet. With that being said...

- With 5x5 the weight load will eventually get heavier. Once it gets to that point your body recruits your muscle fibers differently and even recruits your nervous system differently. At this point it's typically called maximal strength training or some experts have even referred to it as neuro-muscular strength training because of how much more your CNS gets recruited. This is definitely more optimal than starting with a 3 x 10 approach. If you've done absolutely nothing, then 3x10 will give you some initial strength benefit but you will plateau faster for sure. Even with SL5x5 you'll plateau somewhat quickly because it's a linear approach and un-like Obama's disapproval rating, nothing increase sharply forever.

AH! Higher weight means a leaner look. Hmmm... this is what I'm going for. But only worry about that when in a surplus, right?

Eh... no. If you eat at a calorie surplus you will retain more water, glycogen, and depending on how "clean" you eat, put on a little fat too. Not to say that you can't stay somewhat lean, but you will remain more lean at maintenance or a deficit for sure.Remember, being "lean" is mostly impacted by diet, not exercise.

Actually, starting with the 3x10 might be a good idea because you aren't throwing around quite as much weight until you get used the movements.

If it weren't for StrongLifts 5x5 I would kinda' agree with that. Your body does need some time to adapt and you don't want to jump into tossing around 85%+ of what you can lift. However, SL5x5 as you start with the bar and progress from there, so your body will naturally adapt to the load.

You will not likely notice a differance I'm hmm body composition doing one of thoes routines over the other. Dont sweat it.

that's just not true

Because your goal is "losing the flab" both will work for your goal. Whichever you pick, focus on getting stronger everytime you lift and eat a calorie deficit/cardio for weight loss

It's 2 different ways of stressing the muscles.

5 sets of 5 reps allows you to work with a heavier weight. Working with a heavier weight allows you to work with an even heavier weight next time.

3 sets of 10 allows more muscle fibers to be recruited. As the main muscles start to get tired more muscle fibers are used to lift the weight. Working more muscle fibers allows for more muscle damage and therefore more muscle growth.

Either way will work for getting rid of the "extra", and either way will work for getting stronger. You will get stronger faster if you use heavier weights and lower reps though as this allows for the main muscles to be stressed more. By the same token, you'll get bigger faster using a higher rep range and lighter weight. Both programs will result in strength gains, and both programs will result in muscle growth, but one will be secondary to the other depending on which program you pick.

The 5 day a week 5 body part split is in line with a program designed to build muscle, allowing a full week for the body to repair itself before stressors are placed on the same area. The reason for 3 day programs that repeat the same area is mainly for beginning lifters who are seeing strength gains more from neurological adaptation and increased storage in the muscle rather than from tissue damage that needs to be repaired which requires less time to "heal" from.

Based on the research I have already done this seems to be pretty consistent. I was considering doing higher weight lower rep workout and now I think that might be the right call for me at this point in time.

Great info - I switch between high reps lower weight and the 5x5 program...

Great info - I switch between high reps lower weight and the 5x5 program...

The real fun begins when you progress a little bit further and you combine some max effort training with supporting exercises that are mid to high reps.

5x5 is more focused on strength. 3x10 is more focused on hypertrophy/endurance. They both have their place, neither is useless, but they both do different things.

Generally:

<6 reps = strength

8-12 reps = hypertrophy/size (assuming you're eating enough, don't worry about this if you're in a deficit)

12-15 reps and above = endurance.

Thank you, you made this easy to understand!

Great information here.
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The problem with this question is that there is a lack of data using trained individuals. In untrained individuals studies have shown than rep range doesn't matter at all and furthermore high rep ranges (20-30) work better than lower rep ranges for hypertrophy. Ive spoken with the lead researcher of one of the most recent studies and pleaded with him to perform a similar study on trained individuals. He was actually open to the idea. And now I wait.

For your purposes I think we're splitting hairs. As long as you are approaching near failure, you're doing it right. You could just hedge your bets and work from one end to the other. Say 3x10 of 100lb, that's equal to 3000 lbs moved. 5x5 of 150lb is also 3750 lbs moved. If you started at 3x10x100 and slowly moved towards 5x5x150 over a few weeks, you'd reduce your neurological adaptation to a given rep range and weight plus you'd increase your strength a little.

Yes. Either one is going to get you to 70%,80%,90%, whatever%, of what the other will in terms of strength or hypertrophy. It depends on the individuals response and the differences between the programs. Early on in your weightlifting career the most important thing is to get out there and do something. More complete understanding and refinement can occur as time goes by.

Having said that I don't want to gloss over the fact that early on before you gain experience you are at risk for injury due to incorrect technique. In my very uneducated opinion you are at lower risk for injury with a higher rep/lower weight program early on.

The best thing to do would be to have a friend/coach/trainer who is an experienced lifter work with you for awhile.

Keep in mind any trainer or serious lifter will tell you, there's no such thing as a guy with a big squat or bench, with chicken legs or small chest.

That said, you should do both if you want the best of both worlds. Look into non-linear periodization or undulating periodization. Right now I'm doing Layne Norton's PHAT routine, and it's great.