You must have heard about this 5×5 workout program for building strength and size, but might not know about it much.
This article explains everything you need to know about the 5×5 workout schedule and how you can use it for your benefit. So let’s dive deep into it.
5×5 Workout Program Overview?
The 5×5 workout program is one of the most famous strength training routines. This is a simple, result oriented, tried and tested workout routine that primarily focuses on building strength.
A 5×5 workout program includes 5 sets of each exercise and 5 reps per set. It comprises of compound lifts with heavyweights to improve muscular strength.
This workout protocol is very simple and easy to follow. You can call it a non-fancy old-school workout routine. You can follow this workout program without any fancy gym machines and equipment.
It doesn’t include multiple exercise variations. You just need to perform the basic compound exercises most of which just require a barbell and plates. Here are the major compound lifts you have to perform:
- Squats,
- Bench presses,
- Overhead press,
- Deadlifts,
- Barbell rows,
- Barbell curls.
How To Build Strength With 5×5 Workout?
If your major goal is to increase your muscular strength then a 5×5 workout program is one of the best. You must give it a try.
This training protocol contains everything you need to build muscular strength. The rep range you are using is well-suited for strength training. As you need to do only 5 reps, so can lift about 70-80% of your 1RM (one rep max) which aids in increasing strength.
Also, you only need to do about 3 to 4 workout sessions per week. So you get optimal time for rest and recovery which is an important factor in building strength.
However, if your goal is to build muscle mass, then also this routine is helpful. If you design this program smartly and take a high protein diet in a calorie surplus, then you can get sufficient improvement in muscle strength and size.
Compound lifts, heavy weights, low reps, longer rest periods, and enough time for recovery makes it the best program for gaining strength.
How Heavy Should You Go?
In any strength training workout program, the most common mistake people do is going too heavy. Due to this, they fail to hit the target muscle.
Make sure you finish your exercise with the correct form and a full range of motion. Remember, your goal is to train muscles, not just moving weights up and down.
If you are a complete beginner, then first focus on perfecting your form. After that, you can think about adding weight to the bar.
Start with a weight with which you can do all 5 reps without much struggle and try to increase the weight next week.
However, you might not be able to increase your weight with every exercise and every week. Don’t worry, it’s part of the process. Just make sure to do progressive overloading in the long run.
For How Long Should You Continue This Program?
You have to follow this 5×5 workout program for at least 4-6 weeks. If you religiously follow your training and nutrition then I am sure you’ll see great results.
You will notice a significant increase in your 1RM, strength, and muscle mass. After 6 weeks, if you are still getting results then you can keep going for 4 more weeks.
However, if you hit the plateau then change the workout program and try something new. Our body doesn’t respond to the same thing forever. A different stimulus is necessary for continuous growth.
Pros and Cons of This Workout Protocol
Here are the pros and cons of the 5×5 workout program:
Pros
1. Good for building strength: You are lifting heavy weights for fewer reps with low training frequency (3-4 days a week). This makes this 5×5 workout program perfect for gaining strength.
2. Easy to implement: This program is very simple as it comprises of barbell compound exercises with a specific number of reps. No modern exercise, complicated rep ranges, different variations, etc.
3. No fancy equipment: For this workout schedule, you don’t need a state-of-the-art gym. Just a barbell and some plates are enough.
4. Beginners-friendly: This program is perfect for beginners as well. As it contains all the basic compound movements, so it also helps in building a solid foundation for beginners.
5. Breaks plateau: If you are stuck in your growth then this program can help you in breaking the plateau.
Cons
1. Not that good for building muscles: If your only goal is to gain muscles as fast as possible then the 5×5 workout program is not for you. For gaining muscle mass, you have to focus on maximizing muscle hypertrophy.
2. You may get bored easily: Because of the limited exercises and restricted number of reps, you may get bored easily. Especially if you are an experienced lifter.
3. More risk of injuries: In this workout, you are doing all the exercises and sets with heavy weights. Due to this, your body is under a lot of stress which makes you more prone to injuries.
4. Small muscles can be compromised: There is no protocol to target small muscles directly. So the muscles like rear delts, calves, forearms, etc. can get compromised.
How To Design A 5×5 Workout Program
Because of its simplicity, you can design a workout routine for your own. Here are some points you need to remember while performing a 5×5 workout program.
Warm-up is mandatory
Start your workout with 5-10 minutes of warmup. The purpose of doing warmups is to increase blood flow and body temperature. This also helps in reducing the risk of injuries.
You can do any light cardio activity like brisk walking, cycling, jumping jacks, or running at moderate speed. These cardiovascular activities are efficient to break some sweat and increasing your heart rate before starting the weight training session.
Do some dynamic stretches
After that 5-10mnutes of cardio, you need to do some dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretching is something in which you hold a stretch for some seconds.
By doing this, you take your muscles through a full range of motion which prepares your body for the extensive stress of heavy-weight training.
Dynamic stretches include side bends, hip rotations, shoulder twists, etc. Do some of these stretches and then jump onto the weights.
A proper warm-up and dynamic stretching routine are very crucial for reducing the risk of injuries.
Start with some warm-up sets
After this 10-15 minutes of warm-up and stretching, start your workout with some warm-up sets. In fact, start every exercise with a warm-up set.
A warm-up set is simply a set with a lighter weight than your main set. As your main set is a heavy set, so directly lifting heavy weight might lead to injury. Hence do 1-2 sets of the same exercise with a lighter weight.
The form is the foremost
This is the most important thing you need to keep in mind while lifting heavy. Some people add too much weight to the bar and end up being injured.
Always remember, weightlifting is not your goal, it’s just a part of the process. So put your ego aside and lift that weight with which you can finish all the reps in the correct form.
Longer rest periods
While lifting heavy weights, your muscles need more time to replenish. So in the starting sets when the weight is not too heavy, 1 minute rest period is enough.
In the later sets, as the weight increases, so do the rest periods. Hence, you can increase the rest periods to 2 minutes. In the case of squats and deadlifts, you can go up to 3 or more minutes of rest between sets.
Have a spotter
As you are under a heavy load all the time, having a spotter would be very helpful.
