Your thoughts on the program "StrongLifts 5x5"

[Chargermane]

As mentioned in a previous post, I am almost done completing Jim Stoppanis' shortcut to size program with amazing results. I have been doing some research thanks to some posts and see that you don't need to do multiple exercises to get big.

I am trying to gain weight and add size and I came across the StrongLift 5x5 program. Just asking for some thoughts on this program, if you have done it and if you think it would be a good program for me.


Also, my girlfriend wants to get into the gym after not working out for over 5 years. She misses her vollyeball booty and thick legs and wants to get that big butt back. Would it be ok for her to do this program as well? Or should I start her on a different one?

Thanks again for reading!!!

[ds4545]

Its a good program and it works perfectly fine for women. Tho it may be a little intense for her to start right back in with a 5x5. If o have her start with a 3x5

[Chargermane]

Its a good program and it works perfectly fine for women. Tho it may be a little intense for her to start right back in with a 5x5. If o have her start with a 3x5

What do you think about getting her started on the "shortcut to size" program?


For me thought I want to build size right now. That's my goal. I got the diet down but I feel like the 5x5 program is more for strength than size. Am I wrong here?

[ds4545]

Strength is size. If you can squat upwards of 300 do you think you're gonna be small? Strength and size arent mutually exclusive.

As for Shortcut personally I think it's garbage. Most people here do. Id suggest she get on something like Starting Strength, Stronglifts or Fierce 5. If you want to workout with her a 3/5x5 might be a good idea to run together

[Chargermane]

Strength is size. If you can squat upwards of 300 do you think you're gonna be small? Strength and size arent mutually exclusive.

As for Shortcut personally I think it's garbage. Most people here do. Id suggest she get on something like Starting Strength, Stronglifts or Fierce 5. If you want to workout with her a 3/5x5 might be a good idea to run together

I've been reading a lot and you're right...most people **** on the S2S program, but in these 11 weeks I've made amazing progress and can tell my body has changed for the better. But that could just be that I haven't worked out in a while. I was always athletic ( baseball 4 years, basketball 3 years, tennis 2 years, football 3 years, hockey 10+ years) but after I turned 23 I didn't do ****. I'd workout for maybe 8 months then stop. I'm now 27 and I want to keep this rolling. I'm tired of being skinny.

Yea she wants to workout with me because she has no clue what to do in the gym. So I guess once I'm done with S2S we will start the Stronglifts program together. Her main goal is the booty and thick legs so all those squats should look good for her.

Do you have any experience with the StrongLifts program?

[ds4545]

I've been reading a lot and you're right...most people **** on the S2S program, but in these 11 weeks I've made amazing progress and can tell my body has changed for the better. But that could just be that I haven't worked out in a while. I was always athletic ( baseball 4 years, basketball 3 years, tennis 2 years, football 3 years, hockey 10+ years) but after I turned 23 I didn't do ****. I'd workout for maybe 8 months then stop. I'm now 27 and I want to keep this rolling. I'm tired of being skinny.

Yea she wants to workout with me because she has no clue what to do in the gym. So I guess once I'm done with S2S we will start the Stronglifts program together. Her main goal is the booty and thick legs so all those squats should look good for her.

Do you have any experience with the StrongLifts program?

Sounds like Shortcut made good se of your newbie gain phase, since it'd been so long since you seriously worked out. Switching t something Strength oriented and making gains will help with size if you eat enough.

I've never run a 5x5 but they work. I have read that they can be pretty draining so starting her with 3 sets to begin with might be a decent idea.at least until she gets form down

[Chargermane]

Sounds like Shortcut made good se of your newbie gain phase, since it'd been so long since you seriously worked out. Switching t something Strength oriented and making gains will help with size if you eat enough.

I've never run a 5x5 but they work. I have read that they can be pretty draining so starting her with 3 sets to begin with might be a decent idea.at least until she gets form down

Exactly. That's why I was stuck. I had people telling me "If it works...stick with it" and then other people ( including you ) telling me to go with the 5x5 etc.

Probably not any type of set time but how long you think this noob phase is? S2S was 3 months..

[sooby]

Stronglifts is a great program. I personally did what was basically a Stronglifts 3x5 because 5x5 would take me way too long in the gym and I wanted to focus more on strength and progression.

Stronglifts, as with many beginner novice programs are more focused on strength but that doesn't mean you can't put on size with this program. But as mentioned, once your body has developed the neuromuscular motor patterns, as long as you eat in a surplus increasing your lifts = increasing size. I was on the program for about to 6-7 months and I saw amazing strength gains. I mean granted I got a little bit fat (which is probably my fault for eating too much at a surplus, I got to around 20% BF, but I didn't really care) but I felt really strong and I certainly put on alot of size (170 lbs to 190 lbs in 5 months) even though probably half of it was fat, but still it was about 10 lbs of muscle so I can't complain there. Size is more determined by how much you eat and how you are progressing on your lifts, it will come as you get stronger so I wouldn't sweat it too much TBH. Beginners don't need a whole lot of volume to gain size.

Looking at S2S I mean it looks like you made great progress but the way it sounds so I can't knock you for running it, generally if a program is working and you are happy with it you should stick with it rather than overthinking things to much and suffer "paralysis by analysis". Naturally you will gain a bit more size with more volume, but the question becomes is it worth doing all this volume for minimal size increases and in the end have you made huge strength gains? Or as much as you should have over a full body program. Increasing strength in the grand scheme of things is the key to increasing size. If you lift heavy eventually your body will adapt by building more muscle to accommodate how heavy you are lifting. The heavier you lift, the more potential size you will have. And full body workouts have you lifting heavy each and every workout and progressing much faster than S2S.

Just to give you some perspective at the end of 6 months I was able to bench 200 x 4, squat 310 x 5 and deadlift about 295 x 5. Granted I started off a little light but this is just an idea of what you can achieve on a full body program. And my deadlift is pretty low too but that was more me rather than the program most can get way higher. And also I had some nasty tendonitis which probably set me back 3 weeks.

But as for your girlfriend certainly Stronglifts is a great program! I would start her off really light just so she can nail down the form and what not. Doing 5x5 isn't a huge deal if you want to ease her in as long as you start her off light IMO. She may not be able to progress as quickly as the program outlines (maybe initially she can for the first month).

IMO Stronglifts just like Starting Strength is a bit skewed towards lower body development (well duh you are squatting like 3x a week and deadlifting 1.5x) but you can add things like pull-ups/chin-ups or lat pulldowns if you can't do those.

Sorry this was kind of long but this was my experience.

[Chargermane]

Stronglifts is a great program. I personally did what was basically a Stronglifts 3x5 because 5x5 would take me way too long in the gym and I wanted to focus more on strength and progression.

Stronglifts, as with many beginner novice programs are more focused on strength but that doesn't mean you can't put on size with this program. But as mentioned, once your body has developed the neuromuscular motor patterns, as long as you eat in a surplus increasing your lifts = increasing size. I was on the program for about to 6-7 months and I saw amazing strength gains. I mean granted I got a little bit fat (which is probably my fault for eating too much at a surplus, I got to around 20% BF, but I didn't really care) but I felt really strong and I certainly put on alot of size (170 lbs to 190 lbs in 5 months) even though probably half of it was fat, but still it was about 10 lbs of muscle so I can't complain there. Size is more determined by how much you eat and how you are progressing on your lifts, it will come as you get stronger so I wouldn't sweat it too much TBH. Beginners don't need a whole lot of volume to gain size.

Looking at S2S I mean it looks like you made great progress but the way it sounds so I can't knock you for running it, generally if a program is working and you are happy with it you should stick with it rather than overthinking things to much and suffer "paralysis by analysis". Naturally you will gain a bit more size with more volume, but the question becomes is it worth doing all this volume for minimal size increases and in the end have you made huge strength gains? Or as much as you should have over a full body program. Increasing strength in the grand scheme of things is the key to increasing size. If you lift heavy eventually your body will adapt by building more muscle to accommodate how heavy you are lifting. The heavier you lift, the more potential size you will have. And full body workouts have you lifting heavy each and every workout and progressing much faster than S2S.

Just to give you some perspective at the end of 6 months I was able to bench 200 x 4, squat 310 x 5 and deadlift about 295 x 5. Granted I started off a little light but this is just an idea of what you can achieve on a full body program. And my deadlift is pretty low too but that was more me rather than the program most can get way higher. And also I had some nasty tendonitis which probably set me back 3 weeks.

But as for your girlfriend certainly Stronglifts is a great program! I would start her off really light just so she can nail down the form and what not. Doing 5x5 isn't a huge deal if you want to ease her in as long as you start her off light IMO. She may not be able to progress as quickly as the program outlines (maybe initially she can for the first month).

IMO Stronglifts just like Starting Strength is a bit skewed towards lower body development (well duh you are squatting like 3x a week and deadlifting 1.5x) but you can add things like pull-ups/chin-ups or lat pulldowns if you can't do those.

Sorry this was kind of long but this was my experience.

Length is not a problem!! The more I read the more I learn! Thank you for your input boss, much appreciated! I was thinking the same thing. I was reading over the 5x5 exercises and was thinking to myself "uhh..thats it?"

Then I just recently came across the ICF 5x5 program which adds a little more into it but it looks like it has the same concept. I also looked into Fierce 5 and thought It looks amazing, I think it'd be hard in my gym to hold 2 different places..unless my girlfriend was working with me everyday we could switch. So now I ask you guys, what do you think about those programs? Which would be the better for me?

Again thank you guys for responding!!!

[Bobby1291]

Then I just recently came across the ICF 5x5 program which adds a little more into it but it looks like it has the same concept.

It pretty much is the same concept. It was a dude that took stronglifts and added a couple exercises and called it something new lol. I'm gonna make the same routine and add one more exercise each day and get popular from it like he did

[Chargermane]

It pretty much is the same concept. It was a dude that took stronglifts and added a couple exercises and called it something new lol. I'm gonna make the same routine and add one more exercise each day and get popular from it like he did

It's 2015. Easy as pie to get famous now!! Get it!!!


I think I might be trying this fierce 5 workout guys! Nervous because from my previous days in the gym I'm so used to doing iso (chest-triceps, back-biceps). Never in my life done this type of routine. Should be fun though!