Too much experience for 5x5?

[tban1418]

I have been lifting for about three years, and I recently just came off of a 5 day routine where I did Upper power/lower power/arms and chest/back and shoulders/legs. I made some great gains, and it was the best lifting experience I have had in years but as it plateued I started focusing on my arms and just getting sloppy. I absolutely loved the power days so I am thinking of trying the simple 5x5 workout. Would this not be enough for someone with my experience lifting? (not meaning to sound arrogant) I weigh about 190 and my stats are
Bench:215
Deadlift: 325
Squat: 275

So would the standard 5x5, maybe with some Auxillary stuff thrown in for arms, serve it's purpose for me?

[vsvs]

Originally Posted by tban1418

I have been lifting for about three years, and I recently just came off of a 5 day routine where I did Upper power/lower power/arms and chest/back and shoulders/legs. I made some great gains, and it was the best lifting experience I have had in years but as it plateued I started focusing on my arms and just getting sloppy. I absolutely loved the power days so I am thinking of trying the simple 5x5 workout. Would this not be enough for someone with my experience lifting? (not meaning to sound arrogant) I weigh about 190 and my stats are
Bench:215
Deadlift: 325
Squat: 275

So would the standard 5x5, maybe with some Auxillary stuff thrown in for arms, serve it's purpose for me?

Oh god...
Just do it like it's laid out. I lol'd at extra stuff for arms. And no you did not make great gains lol.

[Bamma]

Honestly, most of the time when we talk 5x5, we are soeaking of Starr's (Madcow's) 5x5 program. This is an intermediate program. With the weights you list for your lifts, you would not be ready to come off of Starting Strength and moving onto 5x5 yet, much less too advanced for 5x5. That is just my opinion, so YMMW.

[Dengus]

Originally Posted by Bamma

Honestly, most of the time when we talk 5x5, we are soeaking of Starr's (Madcow's) 5x5 program. This is an intermediate program. With the weights you list for your lifts, you would not be ready to come off of Starting Strength and moving onto 5x5 yet, much less too advanced for 5x5. That is just my opinion, so YMMW.

How do you know he's not ready for 5x5?

5x5 is for when linear strength progression (adding weight every workout) stops working.
Starting Strength is for linear progression and 5x5 is weekly progression. It doesn't matter how much you can lift, it matters if you're able to progress each workout or if it's time to progress each week. Everyone is different.

tban1418,

If you're main goal is to make strength gains on all your compound lifts, I think this will be a perfect program for you. If you do follow it, follow it to a T and don't add to it. You'll probably gain less if you modify it in any way.

[embrau]

Most importantly with the 5X5 is to give it time. It may seem a bit easy at first, but it starts getting really tough when you are hitting PRs every week.

[Wildtim]

Dengus normally I'd agree with you but.......I weigh the same as the OP. After six months of working out consistantly I felt I was in good enough general condition again to begin to actually add strength. I started Starting Strength less than a month ago and my lifts are the same as the OP's, I expect to be on this program for much longer before going to Starrs.

If the OP has been consistant for 3 years and has just reached this point, I think there are some serious planning and lifting flaws reading Starting Strangth (the book) could really help solve. Even if he can't progress as fast as a true beginner on the program, the way it is set-up to teach and practice the lifts would be of great benefit here.

TO the OP whatever you do decide, don't mess with a program. Most well publicised ones are time tested and they work about as well as they can. They should only be modified by advanced lifters, who are usually only doing so to work with an individual flaw they know of in their bodies not a problem with the plan itself.

[wolfbaden6]

Originally Posted by tban1418

Bench:215
Deadlift: 325
Squat: 275

These are definitely good starting weights for a 5 x 5. Just follow whichever program you use to the T.

[Spire]

I think your lifts are close enough to start 5x5, or even Starting Strength (if you can progress with weights every workout, or at least every second workout).

3 years and those stats is not phenomenal though. You can reach that within about 6 months on SS - at least, I know I did.

Get yourself on a solid program, and don't look back, brah

[cokewithvanilla]

you should be looking at power to weight ratio... not just numbers. You're 190 and benching (maxing?) 215 that's 1.13. I am 145 and maxing 225+ that's 1.55. I just started getting serious about lifting in February. I don't consider myself to be very advanced.

[Miketoc]

I don't think the weight amount really makes a difference. Fact is, you've been doing splits for 3 years. Why settle for progressing weekly when you're not sure whether you can progress from workout to workout. Try SS with the compound lifts 3x a week and see if you can continue linear progression and break the plateau you're in. If you plateau in one of the beginner programs then move on to madcow's but I don't think that because you've been doing your split workout for 3 years that you're automatically past the point that Rippetoe's or something like it will work for you.

If it does work for you, think about how much faster you can progress.

[tban1418]

Originally Posted by vsvs

Oh god...
Just do it like it's laid out. I lol'd at extra stuff for arms. And no you did not make great gains lol.

....Seriously? "I lol'd"? Are you twelve or something?


As for everyone else thanks for all the solid advice, I think I will try out either SS or Madcow's. I know my numbers aren't that big and that wasn't really what I was saying. Basically, I love the way my body looks, I have come a long from when I started, and I am just concerned that I may lose some of those muscles we all love to have (biceps, traps, etc..) if I stop doing all my curls and shrugs and stuff. I have been doing that stuff for so long and I felt like it was stuff like that that helped with the size of these muscles, not necessarily these big compound excersises, so my concern is that I will lose them without doing these excersises, thoughts?

[MaximusJuris]

definitely aren't gonna be losing traps if you're doin' deadlifts...

I dunno about SS but madcow's has a day in there for curls...

[Spire]

SS doesn't have any direct arm work - whereas Madcow's has some bicep curls, dips and tricep extensions on Fridays.

This shouldn't make a huge difference overall though - if your squat, dead and bench are going up .. you're making progress