My Novice 5x5 For Bodybuilders.

[OBigdog26]

I'm about to run this sh!t on Monday. Probably gonna do it till Dec 2013. I know its gonna get challenging once the weight on squats and deads go up, but I'll see how it goes.

Current stats: 185 lbs 16%BF
Squats 275 lbs 1RM
Bench 240 lbs 1RM
Deadlift 300 lbs 1RM
OHP 150 lbs 1RM

Been lifting consistent for almost a year. Prior to that was on and off in gym, not tracking macros-diet f@##ed up and got fat as hell.
current macros:

185 gm protein
300 gm CHO
50 gm fats

Macros on this routine:
225 gm protein
365 gm CHO
60 gm fats.

I might start a log and provide some progress pics. Goal is to add 5-10 lbs of muscle while keeping bodyfat to a minimum. Any feedback is appreciated. Peace!!

[garardn01]

I'm about to run this sh!t on Monday. Probably gonna do it till Dec 2013. I know its gonna get challenging once the weight on squats and deads go up, but I'll see how it goes.

Current stats: 185 lbs 16%BF
Squats 275 lbs 1RM
Bench 240 lbs 1RM
Deadlift 300 lbs 1RM
OHP 150 lbs 1RM

Been lifting consistent for almost a year. Prior to that was on and off in gym, not tracking macros-diet f@##ed up and got fat as hell.
current macros:

185 gm protein
300 gm CHO
50 gm fats

Macros on this routine:
225 gm protein
365 gm CHO
60 gm fats.

I might start a log and provide some progress pics. Goal is to add 5-10 lbs of muscle while keeping bodyfat to a minimum. Any feedback is appreciated. Peace!!

Only thing I will say is fat macro looks a little low my friend. Remember fat is good for you! Keeps everything running smoothly. I think minimum is 0.6g/lb? I'm too lazy to go check the Macro Sticky in Nutrition but give it a look. Your fat intake would be better off in like 90-100g range methinks.

[Tupperwolf]

Checking in.

Squats up from 165 to 220 in 2.5 weeks of this routine. Bench up 130 to 150. Never deadlifted before, but up to 235 and adding 10 lbs per session with plenty of room to grow.

I added 10 lbs per session to my squats to get myself up to speed, then slowed down to 5; This routine is getting very challenging. Today I had to rest the full 5 minutes between sets on most of the exercises.

[lrd3]

Everyone seem's to be having great results with this program, so as from tomorrow it's the one I'm going to stick with.
Again, like the other guys have mentioned the only thing that worries me is the lack of chest exercises. However, I'll experience it for myself first before asking about changes!

Also, thanks a lot. Your video's have enlightened and educated me so much over the past week. I really can't thank you enough!

if you do your lifts as prescribed you WILL hammer your chest and it will GROW... ive gained just under 2" on my chest sense oct 5th
not sure if if that's good in this amount of time----- but im happy with it

[wtiger11]

I recently switched programs and have been doing this for a few weeks. However I decided to start with 3x5 for the compounds and 2x8 for the iso lifts. I was worried that the workload may be too much to handle....37 yr old man here ) Debating on giving the original workload a go (5x5 & 3x8), if I go this way should I lower the weights by a certain % to adjust to the increased volume? I started with SS for a while before moving to this routine and I find that getting through the 3x5 is tough so the 5x5 workload sounds a little scary. My main goal is to gain size while on a clean bulk (+10% TDEE) which is why I'm thinking 5x5 may be the way to go.

[lrd3]

I recently switched programs and have been doing this for a few weeks. However I decided to start with 3x5 for the compounds and 2x8 for the iso lifts. I was worried that the workload may be too much to handle....37 yr old man here ) Debating on giving the original workload a go (5x5 & 3x8), if I go this way should I lower the weights by a certain % to adjust to the increased volume? I started with SS for a while before moving to this routine and I find that getting through the 3x5 is tough. My main goal is to gain size while on a clean bulk (+10% TDEE) which is why I'm thinking 5x5 may be the way to go.

jump up and get it bud!!! don't start that "i'm old" crap because if you are than so am i...lol
your body can adjust to the volume....

[wtiger11]

jump up and get it bud!!! don't start that "i'm old" crap because if you are than so am i...lol
your body can adjust to the volume....

I'm WAY older than you! So stick with the same weight even though I find the 3rd set to be tough already?

[lrd3]

I'm WAY older than you! So stick with the same weight even though I find the 3rd set to be tough already?

LOL ok your way older
give the 5x5 a try with same weights. rest longer if need be. you could actually repeat the same weights as your prier lifts and not add the 5 lbs to it just to be sure.... but i'm confident if you want it you can go get it....

[lrd3]

LOL ok your way older
give the 5x5 a try with same weights. rest longer if need be. you could actually repeat the same weights as your prier lifts and not add the 5 lbs to it just to be sure.... but i'm confident if you want it you can go get it....

P.S my gf (also 36 next month) is on week 3 of this routine on a 10% cal surplus.... KILLING IT
my son 15 years old is eating everything in his path running this routine and swelling up like a animal. and recovers wicked fast.... dam his youth lol

[Lightfighter214]

After taking in loads of information throughout the last week, I have decided to give this a shot, starting Monday or Tuesday. I will probably start off easy the first week to practice, and make sure I am using good form. I have a couple of questions though mainly concerning my personal goals vs this program.

1)I am wanting to but on mass, but the main goal I am after is more of an athletic body, and getting as athletic as possible. Will this program, with the long rest periods in between each set, lead me to a more bodybuilder type look and feel?
2)I will be doing yoga, plyo, and cardio while on this workout, I have read throughout this thread about how to handle the cardio in the workout, but does anyone have a good idea on when it will be optimal do add yoga and plyo? My original thought was do the 5x5 MWF, plyo hours after the 5x5 on Friday, and yoga on Saturday, giving the most time to rest until the next lift on Monday. Does this sound optimal?
3)If I decide to add calf work, which day would be best A or B?

Jason, thanks for this program, saved me a whole bunch of time and headache.

[jjhrrsn6]

i'll bite.

Starting this real soon, probably this week but doing legs today means i will probably start on tuesday.

Never deadlifted before and workout by myself so finding 1rm is difficult on some, used a calculator to estimate. Been working out for about 6 months now, starting around 150 body weight.

I haven't pushed bench just because of no spotter but have done 2x 205lbs

Squatted today and did 5x225lbs

after squatting and doing leg press i decided what the hell lets try deadlifting.

Worked my way up and did 1 x 295lbs

i obviously have some work and still have plenty of noob gains headed my way.

Looks like a great program and am eager to start

[lrd3]

After taking in loads of information throughout the last week, I have decided to give this a shot, starting Monday or Tuesday. I will probably start off easy the first week to practice, and make sure I am using good form. I have a couple of questions though mainly concerning my personal goals vs this program.

1)I am wanting to but on mass, but the main goal I am after is more of an athletic body, and getting as athletic as possible. Will this program, with the long rest periods in between each set, lead me to a more bodybuilder type look and feel?
2)I will be doing yoga, plyo, and cardio while on this workout, I have read throughout this thread about how to handle the cardio in the workout, but does anyone have a good idea on when it will be optimal do add yoga and plyo? My original thought was do the 5x5 MWF, plyo hours after the 5x5 on Friday, and yoga on Saturday, giving the most time to rest until the next lift on Monday. Does this sound optimal?
3)If I decide to add calf work, which day would be best A or B?

Jason, thanks for this program, saved me a whole bunch of time and headache.

q#1 yes body build look... i don't know about the "feel"
q#2 no clue about yoga = good luck
q#3 do calf raises on both days right after squats i do 2 sets of 10 - 15

[Lightfighter214]

q#1 yes body build look... i don't know about the "feel"
q#2 no clue about yoga = good luck
q#3 do calf raises on both days right after squats i do 2 sets of 10 - 15

I guess by feel, I mean limited flexibility. Flexibility is another big goal of mine, I don't want to put on mass at a rate where it limits flexibility.

[OBigdog26]

I guess by feel, I mean limited flexibility. Flexibility is another big goal of mine, I don't want to put on mass at a rate where it limits flexibility.

Make sure you stretch and do foam rolls. I guess doing yoga could be beneficial. It takes years to build quality mass. Not to mention the amount of training and eating you have to do to obtain it.

[Grailer]

Awesome I just finished a cut few days ago at 15% BF and started slow bulk so feeling full of energy.

Started warm up on bench and got to work set and first rep felt like a warm up rep so I ...

Added another 22.5 pounds to bar and did 3 x 5 .

Did the same for barbell rows because I want to keep my bench and rows about the same .



Anyways my QUESTION IS

I guess I need to switch back to 5x5 now that Im on bulk now ? And how do I go about doing this ? go right to 5x5 and hope I dont fail or increase from 3x5 to 4x5 then 5x5 ? or Lower weight so I can do 5x5 with that weight .

[douglasmich]

should i add 10lbs to each deadlift seshion

[jaxi123]

hi guys, i'm starting to think i want to get on this program, i've tried the SS 5x5 but dosen't feel i'm getting enough workout so i would like to give this a shot, i've only been doing lifting for 3 weeks, and i'm doing great. i'm 18 years old. Also how do u schedule to workouts? like workout A - tuesday. Workout - b Wednsday. or??

[alexanderberg]

hi guys, i'm starting to think i want to get on this program, i've tried the SS 5x5 but dosen't feel i'm getting enough workout so i would like to give this a shot, i've only been doing lifting for 3 weeks, and i'm doing great. i'm 18 years old. Also how do u schedule to workouts? like workout A - tuesday. Workout - b Wednsday. or??

Alternate between the workouts.

I like to train on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursday. So one week would look like this:


Sunday: Workout A

Tuesday: Workout B

Thursday: Workout A

[jaxi123]

Alternate between the workouts.

I like to train on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursday. So one week would look like this:


Sunday: Workout A

Tuesday: Workout B

Thursday: Workout A

thx for the reply i think i will try out this workout for a couple of weeks. do u think i should add more weight to all the exercises each week? or should do it every workout ?

[alexanderberg]

thx for the reply i think i will try out this workout for a couple of weeks. do u think i should add more weight to all the exercises each week? or should do it every workout ?

On the big lifts, try to add 5 pounds each session. If you feel like you start out way too light, you could add 10 pounds at first, then 5 pounds later.

You should obviously be more focused on the compound exercises, and you'll progress more easily in them. You should increase your poundages in the isolation exercises, but don't break a sweat over it. Just do so in small increments.

Hope this helps.

[jaxi123]

On the big lifts, try to add 5 pounds each session. If you feel like you start out way too light, you could add 10 pounds at first, then 5 pounds later.

You should obviously be more focused on the compound exercises, and you'll progress more easily in them. You should increase your poundages in the isolation exercises, but don't break a sweat over it. Just do so in small increments.

Hope this helps.

You the man, thx for the help! will go tryout this routine in just a couple of hours

[FeelTheFear]

Not sure if it's covered in the video, but should we do high-bar or low-bar squats? I personally do low-bar squats, but I worry that it'll my quads lagging as there's no other quad-dominant exercise.

Edit: Just did Workout A today. Felt great. I already feel optimal lol

low bar if you can do both. If you aren't flexible enough for low bar then high bar is fine. Front squats can also be done if you cant back squat...(though backsquats are preferred)

[bigruss504]

I recently switched programs and have been doing this for a few weeks. However I decided to start with 3x5 for the compounds and 2x8 for the iso lifts. I was worried that the workload may be too much to handle....37 yr old man here ) Debating on giving the original workload a go (5x5 & 3x8), if I go this way should I lower the weights by a certain % to adjust to the increased volume? I started with SS for a while before moving to this routine and I find that getting through the 3x5 is tough so the 5x5 workload sounds a little scary. My main goal is to gain size while on a clean bulk (+10% TDEE) which is why I'm thinking 5x5 may be the way to go.

You are currently doing the "cutting" version of the program (3x5, 2x8). You say you want to clean bulk, so you should definitely go with the original version of the program (5x5, 3x8).

[JasonDB]

You are currently doing the "cutting" version of the program. You say you want to clean bulk, so you should definitely go with the original version of the program.

^^^ This. You will need the extra workload if you want to make faster gains.

Thanks everyone for answering most of the easier questions in the last couple days.

[dnagi]

I love FacePulls and SideLateralRaises. Can I add 3x8 FacePulls to workout A and 3x10 SideLateralRaises to workout B (DL-workout)? The routine is great Jason, good work. Thanks

[BennettC]

After taking in loads of information throughout the last week, I have decided to give this a shot, starting Monday or Tuesday. I will probably start off easy the first week to practice, and make sure I am using good form. I have a couple of questions though mainly concerning my personal goals vs this program.

1)I am wanting to but on mass, but the main goal I am after is more of an athletic body, and getting as athletic as possible. Will this program, with the long rest periods in between each set, lead me to a more bodybuilder type look and feel?
2)I will be doing yoga, plyo, and cardio while on this workout, I have read throughout this thread about how to handle the cardio in the workout, but does anyone have a good idea on when it will be optimal do add yoga and plyo? My original thought was do the 5x5 MWF, plyo hours after the 5x5 on Friday, and yoga on Saturday, giving the most time to rest until the next lift on Monday. Does this sound optimal?
3)If I decide to add calf work, which day would be best A or B?

Jason, thanks for this program, saved me a whole bunch of time and headache.

I used to train really fast, just bc thats how I was taught. Now I've learned it's the heavier work loads that make your grow and in order to be able to hit all those reps with heavier weights you must rest at least 3 minutes on 5x5's. needless to say I'm growing again...like crazy

For calves, I do 3x20 every workout. Right now I'm partial to the seated calf raise, but I throw in standing every now and then

As for cardio, I brisk walk for an hour everyday. I get to eat more, it helps me burn off stored body fat, doesn't eat into my recovery, keeps my calorie burn high, and it's really therapeutic on many levels. I plan to start weighted vest walking again before too long. A personal best for me is 7.5 miles in a 25lb vest, that will kick anyones ass who's not conditioned for it.

My goal is a small waistline, and well built/defined muscular body like the guy's of the 1950's. my goal physsique is Armand Tanny, just in case anyone cares. Armand was everything a bodybuilder should be IMO, he was strong as ****, lean and ripped, and placed a high priority on whole natural foods. He was known for his raw meat diet and an extremely impressive one arm clean with 300lbs. The moment I saw a picture of Armand posing on the beach I said to myself, "I want to look exactly like him."

[weppe]

I'm not sure if I want to give this routine or All pro's a shot...... HELP ME!

[BennettC]

I'm not sure if I want to give this routine or All pro's a shot...... HELP ME!

I looked at all pros yesterday just out of curiosity. Not enough volume for my liking. I'm really loving this routine and getting great gains, but it takes a long time to run. just gonna be a matter of personal preference

[weppe]

I looked at all pros yesterday just out of curiosity. Not enough volume for my liking. I'm really loving this routine and getting great gains, but it takes a long time to run. just gonna be a matter of personal preference

Yeah I guess so..

I've always loved to do a bit higher rep range, but have come to realization that I need to focus on more strength to keep growing. (1year old avatar btw).
So I might just focus on a strength based routine, which I think Jason's is far superior at compared to All pro's.

[dohste]

I looked at all pros yesterday just out of curiosity. Not enough volume for my liking. I'm really loving this routine and getting great gains, but it takes a long time to run. just gonna be a matter of personal preference

Just out of curiosity how long does a session take you with this routine?

I'm managing it in 1hr15min at the moment, but I only started last week and so with the weights I'm using now I can manage ok with 90 sec rests. Really can't afford the extra time it might take though when rest periods go up to 3 min - I get to the gym at 06:30 (when it opens) and have to leave to get to work on time, so 75 min is really the longest I can do. I'm thinking I might just stick to 90 sec breaks and that it will just result in me having to reset earlier than would otherwise be the case...