5x5 Training Variations

 

     It’s quite possible that, at one time or another, I’ve already written about this subject because, I swear, I remember doing so, but when I looked around on my blog—and in the myriad of word documents that I have stored on my computer—I couldn’t find it.  I also have a sense of deja vu, as the reason I started thinking about this subject was because I received an email from a reader who was confused over the different variations within 5x5 training that he had come across.  And I, once again, could have swore I received this same email—or one unabashedly like it—awhile back.  And I thought I had written an essay in response to said email because I figured that there are other readers out there who are probably looking for similar information.  Hence, the deja vu.

     Oh, well, I reasoned, even if I have written about 5x5 variations before, I write a lot of articles that often revolve around a similar theme or subject, and I write about some stuff a lot—such as what I call the big 4—so there’s no reason I can’t write a second piece on variations of 5x5 training even if it’s not the first one.

     I originally thought about titling this essay “5x5ish,” since I will also cover training that is so similar that it’s usually kind of “slotted in” with 5x5 training programs.  Not to get ahead of ourselves, but if you do a lot of 5x5 training, for example, then you probably also use something such as 5/4/3/2/1 training.  Programs that utilize 5x5 can also easily utilize 5/4/3/2/1, which is why, if you do one, you probably already do the other, or have, at least, tried the other method.  There are benefits to both, as well as other set/rep variations that fit into a 5x5 program’s framework.  So, yeah, I think “5x5ish” works as a title, and, if truth be told, is probably a more accurate title, but I thought it might be too odd of a title (and, therefore, may not get read), so we’re sticking with 5x5 Training Variations.

 

The Two Primary Versions of 5x5 Causing Confusion

     The first time that I read any of Bill Starr’s articles, or studied his method of heavy-light-medium training, was sometime in the mid ‘90s.  And I remember quite distinctly thinking, “this is too much work.”  The reason?  Because, due to my exposure to bodybuilding greats who utilized 5x5 training—such as Bill Pearl and Reg Park—I thought Starr’s programs utilized 5 straight sets of 5 reps.  But his programs didn’t.  He almost always—Starr’s methodology has a lot of variety built into it, so this isn’t entirely accurate—utilized 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps, so that only the final set of 5 reps was all-out.

     This was the very thing causing confusion in the reader(s) who emailed me.

     I may even have caused some confusion myself since, in several of my H-L-M programs that I’ve created for articles, sometimes I have utilized 5 progressively heavier sets, and sometimes I’ve used 5 straight sets.  But the “traditional” way of applying Starr’s 5x5 is through progressively heavier sets of 5 reps.

     The answer to what sort of 5x5 program you should utilize is, well, it depends.  I know “it depends” isn’t exactly the answer that everyone wants to hear, but it should be.  Because it depends on your training experience, your level of strength fitness, your genetics, and your actual, biological age.  I’ve been training pretty consistently for over 35 years, since I was 15 years old—I think the longest I ever took off was around 6 months after having surgery for a couple of herniated discs—and I obviously haven’t trained the same way during that entire time because my training depended on my goals at whatever time.  Even if you train with someone the same age as you who has the same goals as you, and is roughly the same “body type,” the two of you may still train in a different manner because y’all have different genetic dispositions to training regimens.  So, yep, it depends.

     If you’re new to strength training, then I almost always recommend you start with 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps ala Bill Starr.  There are even some relatively advanced lifters who would do better with progressively heavier sets of 5s as opposed to 5 straight sets of 5 reps.  I think some lifters are just naturally, what I refer to as, low-volume lifters.  They may train frequently, infrequently, or somewhere in between, but they simply respond better to less volume at each training session, no matter the session’s frequency.

     So, if you’re new to 5x5 training, or if you’re a lifter who just responds better to less volume, try a program that looks something like the following.  This is a 2-days-per-week program, and it’s probably all a lifter needs to start with.  Just remember: ALL of the 5x5 sets are 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps.

Monday

Squats: 5x5

Bench Presses: 5x5

Deadlifts: 5x5

1 set of some sort of loaded carry, and 1 set of a heavy ab exercise (ab wheel, dragon staff, hanging leg raises, weighted sit-ups)

Thursday

Squats: 5x5

Military Presses: 5x5

Power Cleans: 5x5

1 set of loaded carry, and 1 set for abs

     That’s it.  Pretty simple, but that’s the point.

     If you’re a more advanced lifter, or if you know that you respond well to more volume, then, by all means, try the same program with 5 straight sets of 5 reps (after warm-ups).  But know this: 5x5 done with progressively heavier sets will leave you feeling refreshed, and often better when you finish the workout than when you started, yet, 5x5 done with the straight sets on the same program will probably leave you feeling a bit tired, exhausted, and even “beat up.”  That’s the difference in the two 5x5s, and, obviously, that’s why it also matters that you do the correct version of 5x5s for the program that you’re following.

5x5ish Variations

      The following set/rep versions can be inserted into almost any existing program using 5x5 methodology.  In fact, all of them could be used in our above sample program, and pretty much any other 5x5 program you can think of.

5,3,2

     For this one, work up to a heavy set of 5 reps.  Add weight, rest, and do a set of 3 reps.  Add weight again, rest again, and do a heavy double.

     One of the things that I really like about this one is how easy it is to cater to a lifter’s strength fitness.  If you’re a beginner and you’ve been training, for instance, using 5 progressively heavier sets of 5 reps, this one is a good “first addition” to your training.  After your last set of 5, simply do another, heavier set, of 3 reps, and, lastly, do a heavy double.  It will be a good way to introduce heavier training into your program.

     Conversely, however, if you’re an advanced lifter who does 5 straight sets of 5 reps, then you can do 5, 3, 2, 5, 3, 2, and 5 reps, which still comes out to 25 reps of “working” sets.  Use the same weight that you would use for 5x5.  After you do your first set of 5, add weight, rest, and do a set of 3.  Add weight again, rest, and do a set of 2.  Now, go back to the weight for a set of 5, and repeat the process.  Finish off with one last set of 5 reps.

5/4/3/2/1

     Once you’re advanced enough, you can utilize our aforementioned 5/4/3/2/1.  It’s probably the best thing to use once you’ve utilized the 5,3,2 training.  The one mistake, I must mention, that a lot of lifters make here is that they add too much weight at each jump.  Start your sets by using the same amount of weight you would use for 5 straight sets of 5.  The weight that you add for your set of 4—and the subsequent sets—will depend on your strength level and the exercise.  You can probably add 10 pounds to each set of squats.  Barbell curls?  Not so much.  Depending on the exercise—and keep in mind that, even then, this is only a guideline—you would want to add between 2.5 to 10 pounds at each jump.

Ramps

      I have written a lot about ramps because this method has been a constant theme throughout my training and writing over the past twenty years or so.  Ramps are easy, simple, and effective.  If you’re doing ramps of 5s, then you simply do a set of 5 reps, add weight, rest, and repeat for however many sets it takes to reach your max set of 5 reps.  

     One of the most effective ways to train for strength is to do ramps of 5s, 3s, and then singles.  I think that you could do this almost exclusively with whatever, and however many, exercises you want to use it on, and it would be quite fruitful.

     Bill Starr’s 5x5 method is, to be honest, really just 5-rep ramps.  Perhaps, if ramps would have been in the American training lexicon when Starr created his programs, he would have called it “5-rep ramp training” instead of 5x5 training.  With his method, once you’re stronger, you don’t stop at 5 sets of 5 reps, but keep doing progressively heavier sets of 5 reps—exactly the definition of ramps—until you reach your max set of 5 reps.  It doesn’t matter if it takes 7, 10, or 12 sets, you just stay at it until you hit your max set of 5.  This makes sense because, naturally, as you get stronger you’re going to need more sets.

8 sets of 2-3 reps

     Here’s a method I wrote about recently in my “Slow, Steady, and Strong” training program.  This is a method “invented” by the legendary Canadian weightlifter—considered by most to be the strongest man in the world at the height of his prowess—Doug Hepburn.  It works like this: Use a weight where you can manage 8 reps before reaching failure.  Now, do 8 sets of 2 reps with that weight.  Hepburn said that if you selected an accurate weight, this would feel easy.  And that’s the point.  It’s sort of an old-school grease-the-groove method.  At the 2nd workout for the lift, do 1 set of 3 reps and 7 sets of 2 reps.  At the next session, do 2 sets of 3 reps followed by 6 sets of 2 reps.  And at the next session it will be 3 sets of 3 reps, and 5 sets of 2 reps.  You can probably see where this is going.  Use this method of adding a set of 3 reps at each workout until you get 8 sets of 3 reps with a weight.  At this point, add 10 to 15 pounds for big lifts (such as squats or bench presses) or 5 pounds for smaller lifts (barbell curls, for example), and start back over at 8 sets of 2 reps.

5 to 10 sets of 1 rep

     Here’s another of Hepburn’s methods that slots in nicely with 5x5 and its diverse variations.  For this method, start off by doing ramps of 5s and then 3s.  When it’s time to do singles, don’t do progressively heavier ones.  Instead, select a weight where you’re pretty sure you can get 5 singles with it before failing.  Now, see how many singles you can get with that weight.  If you manage 10 singles, then stop.  If you don’t, then stick with that weight at the next workout until you can get 10 singles.  This is a foolproof method of building ungodly strength, and one that Starr himself incorporated into his training principles.

Some Other Potential Set/Rep Variations

     Without going into great detail—they should be pretty self explanatory—here are some more set/rep variations you could use:

5 sets of 3

4 sets of 4

6 sets of 6 (for days when you need more volume)

10 sets of 3 (Use a weight where you would fail on about the 6th rep for 1 all-out set)

3/2/1/3/2/1

1/2/3/1/2/3

1/2/3/4/5 (start with heaviest weight, and decrease weight and increase reps on each set)

2/3/5/10 (repeat however many times, depending on strength level)

A Few Example Templates

     Here are some more templates for training programs that you could use any of these variations on.  They will also, pretty much, work no matter your level—from beginner to advanced—since you can adjust the “intensity” of the 5x5ish training depending on your experience, the same way that the example program we started this essay with will work for all of the variations.  One note: I haven’t included any loaded carries or abdominal work in these examples.  Perform a couple of loaded carries each week, and a few sets of heavy ab work, which can be slotted in on any of the training days.

Template #1:

Monday

Squats

Bench Presses

Deadlifts

Barbell Curls

Wednesday

Squats

Military Presses

Power Snatches

Friday

Squats

Incline Bench Presses

Power Cleans

Barbell Curls

Template #2:

Monday

Squats

Power Cleans

Deadlifts

Tuesday

Bench Presses

Military Presses

Barbell Curls

Weighted Dips

Thursday

Squats

Power Snatches

Sumo Deadlifts

Friday

Incline Bench Presses

One-Arm Dumbbell Overhead Presses

Reverse Curls

Close-Grip Bench Presses (preferably with a thick bar)

Template #3:

Monday

Squats

Front Squats

Overhead Squats

Wednesday

Bench Presses

Incline Bench Presses

Military Presses

Weighted Dips

Friday

Deadlifts (sumo or conventional - alternate)

Deficit Deadlifts (sumo or conventional - alternate)

High Pulls

Weighted Chins

Barbell Curls

Template #4:

Monday

Squats

Power Cleans

Tuesday

Bench Presses

Military Presses

Wednesday

Deadlifts

Barbell Curls

Friday

Front Squats

Power Snatches

Saturday

Weighted Dips

Weighted Chins

     I could probably come up with a few more examples of different training templates, but that’s likely enough.  I’ve noticed that when I write programs with too many options, I tend to get more emails from confused readers, so we’ll just leave it there.

     For the vast majority of my lifting career, I have used this kind of training—since there really are plenty of options built into it—more than any other.  If you haven’t tried 5x5 training, then you owe it to yourself (and, especially, to your muscles) to do so.  And if you have tried 5x5 training, but found it too one-dimensional after a while, then try some of these variations.  More size, strength, and power is awaiting you.