My Driver License says I’m 5’5” and 110 pounds. I can’t begin to tell you how inaccurate that is. (I’m actually 5’6”, thankyouverymuch.)
Yes, in my Senior year of high school, I was “skin and bones” skinny. Actually, I was skinny my entire life. In college, I messed around with weights – lots of bicep curls and chest presses – and put on some weight and muscle; by the time I graduated and left for South Korea, I weighted about 130 pounds. It was nothing spectacular, but it made my high school photos look strange and uncomfortable.
Recently, however, I shared an article from Men’s Journal called “Everything You Know About Fitness Is A Lie” that talks about the writer’s journey from “functional strength” and doing squats on a bosu ball to powerlifting and building real muscle. Specifically, he mentions the 5×5 program — originally created by Bill Starr (to my knowledge) and centers around the powerlifts: the back squat, the deadlift, and the bench press.
A friend asked if this really worked — how could such a limited program add lots of muscle? He also wondered if certain muscle groups would be skipped. Well, the 5×5 will always be special to me (and I’ll describe below) so I wanted to dedicate an entire article to the program. It’s important to mention I used the StrongLifts variation of the 5×5 program.
What is 5×5?
The StrongLifts 5×5 program, created by Mehdi Hadim, is by no means original. Bill Starr created a 5×5 and Mark Rippetoe has his famous Starting Strength 3×5 program. (There are similar programs like the Texas Method, 5/3/1, and Madcow, but I’ll get into that later.) These programs are also known as “volume-hypertrophy:” you’re doing 25 reps of a certain work weight — once it gets heavy, these workouts become terrorizing.
The idea is simple: do 5 sets of 5 reps on the back squat, the deadlift (only 1 set of 5 reps on StrongLifts), and the bench press, with additional accessory exercises: the Press – which was an Olympic lift until 1972 – at 5×5, chinups at 3 sets until failure, and barbell rows at 5×5.
Every workout, you try to increase your weight by 5 pounds (10 pounds on the deadlift) until you fail to complete all 5 sets of 5 reps. Then you repeat the same weight until you get 5×5. If you miss reps on 3 consecutive workouts, you “deload” by dropping your work weight by 20%, and restart the process. Once you deload twice on a particular exercise, you drop to 3×5, and finally, 1×5. After that, you’ll move to another training model. You don’t do 5×5 forever – you can’t.
If you stick with it, however, you will get strong quickly.
My 5×5 Journey
I started the StrongLifts 5×5 program in late-2009. I didn’t become consistent until early-2010, and that was really the key to the program. Staying consistent, no excuses. By June 2010, I was back squatting 102kg (225lbs) for 5 sets of 5 reps. I had stretch marks on my butt and thighs. I could press 50kg (110lbs) for 1 set of 5 reps at a bodyweight of 65kg (143lbs). Clothes felt tighter. I stood taller. Things were improving.
More importantly, I started learning. I devoured articles from StrongLifts and – later – T-Nation and learned just what-the-heck I was actually doing to my body. I started to understand the importance of mobility work and foam rolling. There weren’t foam rollers in Korea so I just borrowed tennis balls and made an idiot out of myself with my grimacing face. I also learned the benefits of complex, multi-joint exercises over bodybuilding isolation — more absolute strength; stronger joints, ligaments, and tendons; and more adaptations. It was awesome.
I took time off after I moved to Taiwan, and started back on 5×5 in early-2011 to regain muscle. In two months, things were back to previous levels of strength (if not higher). I restarted again in Australia, but things were different — playing and practicing futsal and basketball every week started draining my legs and progress stalled. Finally in late-2011, I got back into 5×5 and nearly maxed it out. I was doing 1×5 for every lift and not making consistent gains. My plan was to switch to Madcow, which is a similar program but only makes linear strength gains weekly. It was an “intermediate” program (like the Texas Method and 5/3/1). I planned to make the switch in December 2011. Then everything changed.
I hurt my back. Immediately, I stopped training.
By then, I started my internship at Results Fitness (and eventually became a personal trainer before retiring). And let me tell you — doing an internship at a gym while hiding a bad back sucks. Fortunately, my health improved and I picked up training again; this time, under the guidance of the Results Fitness staff.
My back still isn’t 100%, but I’ve learned to train around it and now I fell stronger than anytime in my life. One thing’s for sure, however — I will never do 5×5 again.
Why I Love the 5×5 Program
It was exactly what I needed. I stopped training isolation and discovered a world of squats, deadlifts, and other heavy lifts. It helped me put on lots of muscle and kill my “skin and bones” look. It taught me the importance of commitment, persistence, and struggle. You think it was easy?
There were days I had to trudge through the snow to workout. Or times when I missed the bus and had to walk 40 minutes one way to squat. Hell, I quit a gym because they didn’t have a squat rack. I did, however, find one — 20 minutes by bus away. But I needed to go through that. I needed to fight that war in my head. And win.
It also hammers the importance of progressive overload. Getting stronger every workout. That’s a huge – and often overlooked – part of getting stronger and building muscle. It creates the stresses we need to constantly stimulate muscle growth and gets us to where we want to go fast. Imagine starting with a 45 pound squat. If you add 5 pounds, 3-times a week, you’ll be squatting 225 pounds in 3 months. And trust me when I say, it’s realistic with the 5×5 program.
Pitfalls of the 5×5
It’s too rigid. I love Mehdi because of his stubbornness, but it’s also his downfall. There’s no movement preparation in his workouts. There’s no active rest. It ignores several movement patterns. It’s tough on joints and muscles for people with poor mobility and flexibility (i.e. everyone.) It doesn’t target asymmetries and imbalances. There’s no corrective exercises. There’s no regressions. Worst of all, there’s no assessment.
If someone can barely put their hands behind their back, they shouldn’t do the overhead press. If someone can’t touch their toes – which I couldn’t do – they shouldn’t deadlift from the floor. Heck, they shouldn’t even do a barbell row. And if someone can’t do a pushup from the ground, they should start there instead of the bench press.
Finally, is powerlifting the only way to get strong? Yes and no.
In fact, there might not even be a need to get that strong in the first place.
Good workout routines regularly include squats and deadlifts (or some variation). Driving those numbers up are essential to gaining total-body strength, but what about single-leg training like splits squats, single-leg squats, Bulgarians, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, etc. They drastically reduce compressive forces on the spine and minimize torso lean — heck, Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning eliminated back squats from programs.
Closing Thoughts
Most people can benefit from getting stronger. Hypertrophy programs like 5×5, 3×3, Texas, and even Smolov (don’t bother unless you’re crazy) are great ways to build foundational strength and a good amount of muscle. But they’re not for everyone. Most people I see at the gym are one bad exercise away from injury — adding powerlifts won’t make things better. Paraphrasing Gray Cook, “you don’t add fitness on top of dysfunction.”
There’s more to fitness than just bodybuilding and powerlifting, just as there’s more to fitness than just Olympic lifting and kettlebells. Being able to use everything as tools is vital in an effective strength training program.
Rather than getting caught up in the exercises – back squat, deadlift, and bench press – only, understand the philosophy behind the program: doing more weight each time (progressive overload), working out several times a week and honoring those commitments, and using complex exercises to stimulate a lot of musculature and build a lot of strength, while saving time. Those, in my opinion, are more important than any powerlift.
Great article, Anthony! Thanks for addressing some of the basic concerns many might have with this program, as well as some of the fundamental reasons why it is effective and thus so popular with so many.
It seems that there are so many schools of thought when it comes to fitness, and these will always vary depending on your goals: are you looking for a certain kind of body? To be able to do a certain kind of physical activity (i.e., running far versus lifting a lot of weight)? For general physical well-being? It seems ironic that, even though the distance running and lifting crowds are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what they consider athletic achievement and appropriate ways of exercising, both activities have been blamed for injury. So again, it seems that moderation and proper movement at all times is always the key. Cheers for this entry!
Hey Kevin,
Thanks for the comment! You are absolutely correct — everything depends on your goals. I’d recommend the 5×5 program to healthy people who might want to start powerlifting or who play football, play hockey, “want to get bigger,” etc. I wouldn’t recommend it for athletes like rockclimbers or triathletes. Great insight, bro. Best of luck on your fitness journey!
Hey Anthony,
Just stumbled upon this article while researching the 5×5 program. I am interested in power lifting and have NO experience. I’m currently reading Starting Strength 3rd Edition and was wondering if 5×5 is the best place to start for me? I recently lost 70+ pounds (5’6″ 127lbs 12% BF) and want to start putting on some lean mass. I wonder if you could point me in the right direction and save me from wasting time with the wrong program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Hans, thank you for your comment. I have several good ideas for you, and I’ll send them via email.
Hello, Anthony
I want to get stronger but I am not very tall so I wouldn’t like to be very bulky but I still want a good shape, I used to train at a gym with the football team, but stopped six months ago, is the 5×5 system from a Mhedi a good way to start?
Hey Andres! Good question. How tall are you? How much do you weight? The 5×5 is okay; not ideal. If your goal is to improve at those three lifts — squat, deadlift, and bench press — then sure. If your goal, however, is overall body change, I recommend something else.
Since when was Rippetoe renowned for a 5×5 routine?
Starting Strength is 3set 5rep
Thanks for the correction.
Hi Anthony,
I agree with you and I think your article is a breath of fresh air. 5×5 is good to get people started but the program sometime is too rigid and simplistic to the point of being a bit dogmatic.
I have found the lifts easy to master but it seems to me that my flexibility and muscle balance are not that great despite my best effort. There seems to be endless things to learn in terms of muscle balance and mobility work. One pitfall of 5×5 is a lack of explanation of how those things can be crucial to one’s overall health and lifting. Mark and Medhi believed that the flexibility will get better on its own and they are partially right. For me at least, some part of my body did get more flexible but other parts took me a lot of extra effort and time to improve.
Hi Charlie,
Thank you for the great comment. Very very well said. Glad to hear you got some great benefits from 5×5, but also used it as a springboard to better fitness. Keep us updated! 🙂
Hi,
I’ve just started the 5×5 and enjoy the challenge to increase size & strength.However im not skinny with BF 23% and height at 5’8″.
Im eating 5 small meals a day with good protein intake. Im hopeful this will decrease my BF and further increase my size in strength.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Stephen,
Thanks for the comment! Yes, this should help tremendously. You’ll build some basic strength, a decent amount of muscle, and burn some fat. If you’re committed to 5×5, I’d make sure you’re eating a little more calories on workout days and much less on non-workout days. Let me know if you have any questions.
Why do you say we should eat less on rest days?
Since you’re not burning as many calories on rest days, if you continue to eat a lot, you’re just going to pack on more fat.
Hi Anthony.
I was wondering if the 5×5 is a good option for me. I’m 6’0” and weight about 176 lbs. I do have a decent flexibility but I feel I lack strenght, and I need it since I lift people on a daily basis.
Any further advice would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the broken english.
Thanks, have a good day.
Hi Esteban, that’s a good question (and your English is awesome). You lift people on a daily basis? I might need to know more about what you do to give you specific advice. Send me an email.
Greeting Sir Anthony ,
It’s great to see this article , certainly it solves part of my doubts . And yet it brings up some other questions of my own.
Let’s start from my thoughts , sorry it’s going to take your time , my sincere apologies.
Yeah i found it is too *uh-huh* too be true , max one hour per day , 3 days per week , just ideal to get a life with lifting.
Somehow , deep within my heart , i just feel that it is NOT really suitable for ME . At least not for my long-term goal.
Theoretically yes it solves my doubt of how-should-i-consistently-increase-my-strength-level , what about my flexibility and mobility ? While strengthen my muscle , i wish to balance / re-condition my body shape as well .
Three days per week , three hours of sweating per week regardless 72hours after-burn effect (i might not realize i turn it on or not!) just look so unreliable to me to keep my body lean , although i understand well this programme is mainly for STRENGTH .
I did some research , most of them mentioned NOT TO MODIFY it , yet well yeah my fault i DID modify it . Yet result unknown . I keep the main workout there , while adding some other workout.
I.E.1 : I did fly , incline , decline , dips after SQUAT , BENCH PRESS , BENT OVER ROW.
I.E.2 : I go for arm workout like biceps + triceps on next day
I.E.3 : I did military shoulder press literally raise, pull-up , after SQUAT , OVERHEAD PRESS and DEADLIFT
I.E.3 : I still go workout 2 hours per day , 5-6 days per week. With some cardio , functional and performance training.
Do you think those’re bad idea?
Sir I wish I could get some advices from you regarding my training programme (not the one mentioned above) , i did have result for past year eventually , but stuck somewhere , i bet it’s about my insensitivity and nutrition part.( i still can’t understand how are they related to each other)
Sincerely waiting for a reply soon , sorry to have your time reading for my question. Sorry for any grammar mistake. Wish you a wonderful day.
Best regards
Hey Elvis! I love your reply, man. It’s always great to learn more about how people are getting fit all over the world. I sent you an email about your question — looking forward to chatting more. 🙂
Hey Anthony!
I have, like many others here, been contemplating the 5×5 for myself as a way of building lean muscle and cutting some fat.
My present condition: I am a 5’10”-ish, 205# 44-year old guy who has never been very physically active outside of ‘yard fit’ & occasional small ‘outing hikes’ in the summer and chopping & hauling in wood in the winter. I am not lazy, just don’t like torture aerobics and things that take too much of my time being stuck in a gym; hence the interest in the 5×5.
I have come to a conclusion that it’s about time to see what I can do personally as well as get in some better shape to be able to keep up with our growing kiddos (2.5 yo & 7 yo).
Would you recommend this program for someone like myself, or do you have some other ideas? I do enjoy bike riding, and have considered that as my cardio on the off/rest days?
Thank you for the great info and advice!
Warmest regards,
Griz
Hey Clark,
Thanks for the comment! While there are pros and cons to the 5×5 program, I think it’s a decent place to start if you’re not looking for something too complicated and don’t have access to a great personal trainer. The 5×5 program will probably tell you to NOT do cardio, but I think you’ll be fine.
I’ve been doing the 5×5 SL for only a few weeks. I like the simplicity of it…I was changing from one program to another before. One problem is I only have access to barbell, smith machine and dumbbells – no squat rack/ bench press. I really have no choice as I’m in the middle of the sea on an oil rig!
What would you advise for that situation? Are smith machines really the devil?! or is it over negged?! Up to now I have been using a combination of pressing into front squat (but already the press is becoming the limiting factor), dumbbell goblet squat – can’t go heavy and using the dreaded smith machine (killer of men, merciful beater of children)
I look forward to your reply sir.
Hey Dan, glad you’re enjoying SL and staying consistent-ish. Wow, you’re on a freakin’ oil rig?! That’s incredible!! Holy shit, I’m honored to have you reading this. 🙂
Man, that’s a tough spot. Yeah, Smith Machines suck, but I’m pretty sure, based on what you have, we can put together a sick workout for you and the crew. Is anyone else on your rig down for that? This sounds really fun!
I’ll shoot you an email. If you can, send me a picture of your gym setup. Maybe we can work together on this.
Hey Anthony,
I love doing 5×5 workout but the problem is we do not have power rock on our accomodation gym. I;ve been doing the 5×5 for almost 3 mths now and i cannot add weights on my routine due to no power rock. what i am doing is carrying the barbell all the way to my back to start squatting. Need your advice. Tnx. -jun-
You can try to use a Power Clean to bring the weight to your shoulders and do a front squat instead.
Hey Anthony,
I’m a skinny 150lb 6’2″ 17 yo with a small belly and small man boobs that sat on the couch all day. I think the fat is more due to my lazyniess than my diet ( I’m nit a fan of junkfood). I wanted to change my life for the better and I was hoping you can point me in the right direction. At first I thought of trying the 5×5 because I have no lifting experience and thought it would be a decent start, but in honesty I can barley do a single push up, sit up, pullup etc. Do you have any advice for the steps someone like me should take to develop a healthier lifestyle? Thanks A Ton!!!
I think the 5×5 program is a good way to start.
Hey Anthony
hey how significant where your fat gains? And also how long before your legs started to fill out?bit if a weird question but mine are tiny and need to give myself a bit of a goal if you know what I mean aha
thanks Sam
Hey man, not too too bad. I was super skinny beforehand so I think I was just worrying about nothing. Oh, and within weeks, I started having stretch marks on my legs. 😉
Hi,
I am 173 cm tall and 52 kg weight. Yes, that means I am skinny.
I think 5×5 is a quite challenge to me, however; what I really really really want is “big arms”, yes, big biceps and triceps. Should I add some isolation exercise for my arms? My goal is gaining weight to 65-75 kg, but what I really need also the bigger arms as well. I also do half-GOMAD since I have not gotten any diarrhea not like the full one I had.
Could you please tell me:
-Should I add arms exercise? If yes, what are they should be?
-I also like pull up, adding it to the schedule is a good idea?
Anyway, 5×5 isn’t included any arms exercise, but I often feel good when I get it done. 😉
Thank You
To be perfectly honest, “big arms” won’t happen if you’re 173cm and 52kg. You can do all the bicep curls in the world, but if you’re not AT LEAST 80kg (based on your height), “big arms” will never happen.
Wow, thank you for the answer. So, I need to focus on gaining weight instead. I have been confused for a whole time. ????
Thank you, again.
Hey man I’m planning to start up on this 5×5, and I’m just wondering if I could do de-cline Bence press instead of bench press?
Thanks,
Melvin
Cool man, good luck! Stick with the flat bench over decline.
Hey Anthony, I am looking for strength and size, while still stay in great athletic shape since I play competition basketball weekly. I’m 19, i am about 5’10 and 170 pounds, Vietnamese American, just took up a job working 6pm-6 am for the sake of saving money to go travel. I was wondering if there are downsides with this program while doing the night shift? And if this isn’t an ideal program for overall body definition (I saw one of your comments saying this wouldn’t be Ideal for a good looking body) what would be? I look forward to seeing your response! Thanks for the article.
-Jason
Email: heroesmotivation@gmail.com
Hi Jason, apologies for the delay. Oh wow, you’re working the nightshift? Your recovery probably won’t be as good and you’ll have to monitor your sleep a lot more. What program are you doing right now?
Nice article Anthony. SL definitely have a good programme that pretty much everyone should do regardless of their level. I’ve been following the Fat Shredding 5×5 workout for 3 months and had some significant strength gains. Not so much in the way of anything else mind but it’s got a lot of simplicity which makes things easier.
You see so many routines that are just over complicated with wild variations – they’re really not needed. I think something like this, then a 531 and moving to isolation later down the line would be optimal. As a side-note, SL released an app which I’ve found is great for tracking everything.