If you look at the theory of "maximally effective reps" by Chris Beardsley, a maximally effective rep is a rep where there is full fiber recruitment, so you're imposing mechanical stress on the fast twitch fibers that have the greater growth potential. But you do need to push those sets fairly hard. 2 – Muscle MassĬan you build muscle with sets of 5 reps? Absolutely. Now, it doesn't mean that the medium and light days do nothing for strength, but from a muscle fiber recruitment perspective, only the heavy day does a good job. However, if you had chosen to go with 65% of your 1RM – which is still within the traditional 5x5 guidelines – then you'd have done 0 reps with maximal recruitment. It's not ideal, but it isn't a complete waste either. In this case, only 1 or 2 reps achieve maximum fiber recruitment. Now take a look at the light days where you're using about 70% of your 1RM: Rep Out of 5 reps, 3 of them achieve complete muscle fiber recruitment, so you're not looking as good as you did on the heavy day in terms of recruitment. Afterwards, I'll present a superior alternative.īut what about the medium and light days? Let's say you start at 75% of your 1RM. Is 5x5 really the best way to get stronger? The short answer is no, because there's no such thing as a "best" program for strength.īut let's examine the 5x5 approach and look at why it is indeed a very good program and what its limitations might be. I also like the focus on the big basics as well as the low reps. I strongly believe in training the big lifts more often to gain strength as rapidly as possible. I love the frequency of the traditional approach (hitting the big lifts three days a week). The system has a lot of things I like and some I don't. You typically add 1-2 minor assistance exercises to the workout for 1-3 sets of 10, e.g., back extensions.The third training day is a moderate day where you use weights that are around 10% lighter than the heavy day. The next training day is a light day that uses around 15-20% less weight than on the heavy day. One day is a heavy day (using 80-85% of your 1RM).
While there are several 5x5 set/rep systems, most true 5x5 systems originate from Bill Starr's approach. Heck, even Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strength is a lower-volume version of the 5x5 system. It was the cornerstone of Reg Park's training (Arnold's idol), but it was first popularized by Bill Starr with his book, "The Strongest Shall Survive." This version of 5x5 also contains some higher-rep accessory work that will help add muscle mass along with strength.Few programs are as mythical in the strength training world as the 5x5 system. A well-designed 5x5 will reliably produce an increase in muscle mass, as well, provided you are eating enough calories to support this muscle growth. It's a great idea to use a 1RM calculator to find out your percentages.īut this is more than just a strength program. It has been most popular among strength-seeking lifters, because it has you training in the strength-building sweet spot of 70-80 percent of your one-rep max (1RM) on big lifts. This training approach is designed to hit your muscles hard three times per week, then allow enough time to promote growth and recovery. Others, like 5x5 for Muscle and Strength in BodyFit, add a third variation build around a third set of lifts, like box squats and incline presses.
Some protocols would just have you alternate those two workouts in an A/B/A, B/A/B style.
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