Two Questions about the 5x5

[AvengeMe]

I'm about to enter into my 4th week of the 5x5 program. I have hit a few walls in the process, mainly with the workouts where you have to do the ramped sets.

It is also at the 5 week mark that you are supposed to stop doing 5x5 and start doing 3x3.

I was wondering, I am supposed to increase the weight that I am doing to go along with the decrease in sets and reps or just keep it the same?

Here is a sample:

Bench 5x5- 155, 175, 195, 215, 235

And also, since I have hit a plateau, should I stick with the same weight from week 3 to week 4 or should I try to increase it to by 10lbs even though I cant finish the last ramped set of 235?

Any help would be greatly appreaciated

[Chitown hitter]

I don't know why you would switch it to 3x3. And you should not have hit any walls as of yet if you are only entering week 5. The purpose of the first 4 weeks is to slowly build up your body's tolerances to what your original 5RM's are. For instance, if your best squat is 200lbs, you'll start significantly lower than that. Most likely around 175lbs. Pile on the 25lbs to get up to 200lbs evenly up to the 5th week. Then, on the Friday (or last day) of the 5th week you'll try to push it a little farther than 200lbs, to 205lbs for instance.

Hope that helps.

[AvengeMe]

On the chart for the 5x5 on the website, it says to do 1x5 and 5x5 for the first 4 weeks. Then it says to go to 1x3 and 3x3 for weeks 5-9. I'm not sure what to do, should I just keep doing 1x5 and 5x5?

[KowboysUp]

I'm no expert, but to my understanding you want to keep doing 5x5 until you hit a wall and need to de-load, at which point you switch up the sets and reps.

Remember the program is basically just about the principle of progression on the core lifts; it's not absolutely necessary that you do x amount on y day, but just that you are getting consistent progression.

[RavensFan2k3]

He's talking about the dual factor 5x5(the advanced 5x5). I dont know much about that, so I cant be of any help.

[AvengeMe]

So I should just keep doing the 5x5 until I hit a wall and then switch to the 3x3?

After I hit the wall and switch to the 3x3, do I up the weights or keep them the same?

[Madcow2]

So I should just keep doing the 5x5 until I hit a wall and then switch to the 3x3?

After I hit the wall and switch to the 3x3, do I up the weights or keep them the same?

1) This is the periodized version you are refering to which tends not to be as popular on this site (simply do to it being inappropriate for most trainees here not because it is inherently not as good - it's just slower progress, higher workload, and more complexity so if you can get away with not doing it and doing a linear type option, it tends to be faster).

2) Not to be a dick, but this is all clearly explained on the page covering it. The whole idea is to be lifting at your best in week 4. If you miss in week 3 (and you generally shouldn't your first run because they should all be currently executable lifts), you carry the same weight forward and do whatever you can to get the volume done.

When you switch to 3x3, you need to hold the weights constant from week 4 for week 5 and then gradually begin increasing them again.

If you read the page in it's entirety, there's no way there should be confusion on these points. It might also help to look at the spreadsheet example.

Then again, if you got the info on this program somewhere else, well - that's the reason why this page is so long because every one of those questions gets asked and needs to be addressed despite it being a simple program. I encourage you to read the page in it's entirety and really get everything out of it before dedicated long hours over two months to it.

http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow...odized_5x5.htm

[JoeDemers]

i know this thread is dead but i don't want to create the same thread if i can post my question here. My question is... I would like to do a 5x5 for squats on my legs day but i don't know exactly how to do. Should i keep the same weight for all 5 sets or should i like the madcows 5x5??? Also, if i only do squats once a week, should i add more weight week after week or i keep the same weight until i can complete all 5 sets???

[JoeDemers]

bump

[JoeDemers]

can someone help me with the 5x5

[Wildtim]

can someone help me with the 5x5

Joe, start a new thread.

This one is ancient and the OP was confused about the intermediate 5x5 and trying to combine it sort of with the advanced periodized 5x5 both from Madcow based on Bill Starrs original templates.

You don't understand what the Madcow intermediate 5x5 is.