What is the 5x5 Workout? | MarkMeets | Celebrity News, Music, Movies, TV, London Film Premieres

The 5×5 workout is a strength and muscle building program that’s been around for over 60 years. It consists of compound barbell exercises like the Squat, Bench work and strength training.

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When it comes to training programs, there aren’t too many “plug and play” workouts that virtually guarantee results. More accurately, there aren’t too many programs that promise and actually deliver on those results. The 5×5 workout does, and it has a 60+ year track record of success with a trail of strong, muscular, athletic bodies to show for it.

5×5, or five sets of five reps, was first popularized in the 1960s and has developed a reputation as one of the most reliable routines in the long history of weight training. Hit the gym three days a week and do 5×5, eat plenty, and you almost can’t fail.

There are a few exceptions and details, of course, but the 5×5 workout is generally recognized as one of the most dependable ways to build size and strength nearly simultaneously. It’s the original “powerbuilding” workout. Here’s what to know about getting the most out of this classic mass-building program.

The 5×5 Workout

History of the the 5×5 Workout

5×5 isn’t some flash-in-the-pan routine. It’s been delivering results for decades, due in part to its simplicity and to its focus on some reliable training fundamentals — big exercises and heavy weights. Here’s a closer look at some of this program’s hallowed backstory.

Reg Park Built the Austrian Oak

Arnold Schwarzenegger might have the physique that launched a million gym memberships, but what about the bodybuilder who was Arnold’s biggest inspiration? Surely, the person who motivated the person who motivated generations of people to hit the gym should get some recognition.

Reg Park is the classic bodybuilder who inspired a young Arnold to reach for the muscle-building stars. Park won several bodybuilding competitions from the mid-1940s into the 1970s, including three Mr. Universe titles. Park also gained a degree of mainstream popularity starring as the legendary Hercules in several films in the early 1960s.

Park’s powerful, well-muscled frame was a step up from the top bodybuilders of the day. His strength-focused training reflected his ability to “show and go” and it allowed him to become the first bodybuilder to bench press 500 pounds. This contrasted with his bodybuilding contemporaries who often focused on lifting moderate to light weights for relatively high repetitions.

Like some successful bodybuilders of his era, Park published a series of training catalogs and programs to guide hopeful gym-goers along the muscle-building path. One of his books, “Strength and Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders,” was published in 1960. This appears to be one of the first widespread recommendation of a structured 5×5 workout, even though using five sets of five reps featured in some parts of “Training for Power,” written by Park in 1954.

In “Strength and Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders,” Park advocated for three workouts each week. In each session, three fundamental exercises — the squat, bench press, and deadlift — are performed for five sets of five repetitions. Every training session featured a relatively minimalist approach:

Weighted Back Extension — 3 x 10
Squat — 5 x 5
Bench Press — 5 x 5
Deadlift — 5 x 5

The back extension was considered essential for strengthening and warming up the lower back. Park recommended a specific approach to each of the five sets. The first two sets were progressively heavier warm-up sets, for example, 135 pounds for five reps and 155 pounds for five reps. The three final sets for each exercise used the same weight, for example, 175 pounds for three sets of five reps.

Park also advised a whopping three to five-minute rest between each of those three working sets. This may sound like an eternity for lifters accustomed to fast-paced workouts, but such long rest intervals have been shown to allow optimal performance when lifting heavy weights. (1)

Park suggested following the basic 5×5 workout plan for three months before progressing to either a “bodybuilder’s workout,” featuring additional exercises like calf raises and barbell curls, or a “weightlifter’s workout” which incorporated lunges, power cleans and other sport-specific movements.

Bill Starr: The Strongest Shall Survive

There used to be a widespread myth among mainstream sports that “lifting weights creates unathletic, muscle-bound bodies.” While we now know that well-designed weight training programs can build stronger, faster, more durable athletes, many professional athletes and coaches used to believe this urban legend whole-heartedly. Until Bill Starr.

Bill Starr was a competitive weightlifter, editor of Strength and Health magazine from 1966 to 1972, and one of the first NFL strength and conditioning coaches as he worked with the Baltimore Colts beginning in 1969. Notably, the Colts won their first Super Bowl in 1971 while under the guidance of Starr’s weight room coaching, landing a significant blow against the “muscle-bound myth.”

Starr was also an advocate of simple and effective basic, heavy lifting. In 1976, he wrote “The Strongest Shall Survive: Strength Training for Football.” The plan laid out a three-day-per week training plan centered around what Starr referred to as “The Big Three” — three exercises which build muscle, strength, and explosive power throughout the entire body.

These priority exercises were the bench press done with a relatively close-grip (hands shoulder-width apart), the power clean (which he called “the athlete’s exercise” for it’s practical carryover to the playing field), and the back squat descending as deep into the bottom position as possible.

The program also incorporated leg extensions and leg curls to warm-up the quadriceps and hamstrings, respectively, as well as sit-ups and leg raises to address core strength. These exercises were done with fewer sets and higher repetitions to avoid excess fatigue. Once a week, the overhead press was also suggested in place of the bench press for athletes looking for even more upper body strength and power.

One cornerstone of Starr’s 5×5 program was a circuit-style approach, where each of the three primary exercises were performed in a superset-style — one set of power cleans, followed by one set of the bench press, followed by one set of squats. This was intended to help build cardiovascular conditioning along with strength and power.

Starr, unlike Park, increased the weight on each of the five sets for every exercise. He also incorporated varied loading parameters on each day. While the 5×5 format was kept constant, the first workout of the week was “heavy” using near-maximal weights. The second workout was “light,” using 80% of the weights moved in the previous workout. The third workout of the week was considered “medium” and called for 90% of the loads used during the heavy workout.

This type of “daily undulating periodization” allowed more efficient recovery because training intensity was adjusted throughout the week. It also encouraged increased power output since relatively lighter weights can be lifted with more explosive power. (2)

How to Program the 5×5 Workout

Setting up a 5×5 workout can be simple, but it’s not quite as simple as just performing five sets of five reps on a few random exercises. While the sets and reps are one defining feature, an effective 5×5 plan also requires several other programming factors.

The Sets and Reps: 5×5

Just like you can’t do a kettlebell swing without a kettlebell, you can’t do a 5×5 workout without focusing on five sets of five. Whether it’s five progressively heavier sets, like Starr’s approach, or multiple sets with the same weight like Park recommended, aim for five total sets per exercise.

Use a load that achieves muscular fatigue within four to six repetitions while performing no more than five repetitions per set. If a load only allows you to complete only four reps before reaching muscular failure or compromising exercise technique, repeat the weight the following week. Basic strength adaptations should allow you to reach the five-rep mark.

Any training with higher rep ranges should be kept to a bare minimum to maintain focus on the 5×5 portion of the workout. Limit additional sets/reps to one or two exercises per workout, at most.

Those exercises should either be single-joint movements such as curls or lateral raises or they should be less strenuous movements like dumbbell rows or split squats. These strategic choices will keep physical and CNS (central nervous system) stress to a relative minimum, allowing overall recovery.

Or, as Park showed the world, you can certainly perform only 5×5 movements in every workout without supplementing higher repetitions. This keeps the program rooted in its primary focus — emphasizing hard work by going “all in” for five sets of five repetitions.

Five-rep sets allow a heavy enough weight to trigger significant strength gains without the high degree of neuromuscular fatigue that can accompany one, two, or three-rep maximums. Performing five sets per movement allows the involved muscles to be put under significant total volume, which is necessary to stimulate muscle growth.

Three Full-Body Workouts Per Week

The nature of 5×5 workouts requires a single exercise per body part. Performing 5×5 for multiple exercises per body part — for example, training several bench press variations for 5×5 in each workout — would likely lead to overtraining by moving too much weight for too much volume with too few muscle groups.

Using multiple exercises per body part per session would also not allow an efficient weekly workout split since only one or two body parts could be trained in each workout. Because the 5×5 is the core programming concept, the workout forgoes multiple exercises per body part. Because a single exercise per body part is used in each session, more muscles can be trained in a given workout.

This is why a full-body approach is the only effective and efficient way to plan a 5×5 workout. Centering the training routine around three weekly full-body sessions, also creates “built-in” rest days to allow muscular growth and recovery. Three workouts mandates four non-training days.

Repeating these types of full-body workouts several times per week also allows a high frequency of training, which has been shown to be more beneficial for strength gains than training once per week. (3)

Multi-Joint Barbell Exercises

Multi-joint (compound) barbell exercises are the preferred movements to accommodate relatively heavy sets of five. This is a matter of efficiency, practicality (barbells are much simpler to load heavy weight), and safety.

Dumbbell exercises can become dangerously unwieldy when using very heavy weights due to the stabilizing muscles needed to control each individual dumbbell. Heavy bodyweight exercises, similarly, can overload stabilizing muscles before the target body part is sufficiently worked.

Focusing on multi-joint exercises, like squats, deadlifts, and presses rather than single-joint exercises like curls or extensions allows you to recruit more muscles with each lift. This creates greater training efficiency while also allowing you to move more overall weight.

In each workout, include a squat, a press (either overhead or a bench press variation), and a “pull” whether it’s a type of deadlift or something that more directly recruits your back muscles like a barbell row.

This will ensure relatively balanced training of both your upper and lower body as well as your “pushing muscles” (chest, shoulders, and triceps) and your “pulling muscles” (back and biceps). With proper exercise selection, your core will likely receive sufficient stimulation without needing direct training.

Simple, Effective, Timeless Training

Like many recipes in the culinary world, great strength training programs don’t need to be overly complicated to deliver an optimal end result. Mastering the basics — whether it’s the perfect omelet or simple, heavy barbell training — builds an effective foundation for beginners. This pared down program can also be a reliable fallback for experienced lifters, under the right conditions, who need a short-term, general purpose plan to refresh their size and strength gains.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use non-barbell exercises for 5×5?

The primary concept of the program is to use one big compound lift per body part, limiting the session to three key exercises per session. The exercises must be able to be safely and efficiently loaded to a four-to-six rep maximum, while recruiting as many muscle groups as possible.
Many barbell exercises meet this criteria. However, the case could also be made, for example, to use the trap bar deadlift (as seen in the sample workout above) or the leg press. Certain machine exercises, like a machine chest press, T-bar row, or Smith machine squat, likely cannot be safely performed with the necessary load.
Use your judgment but, when in doubt, try to maintain the focus on barbell lifts. There are plenty of variations of basic movement patterns (squats, deadlifts, and presses) and you likely don’t “need” to stray too far off-course.

Can I use 5×5 with barbell isolation exercises or single-leg exercises?

No. Any type of five-rep isolation (single-joint) exercise, like a heavy barbell curl, triceps extension, or calf raise, gets further from the primary focus of the 5×5 workout — recruiting as many muscle groups as possible per exercise. Unless you’re interested in doing cheat curls (which can be high risk and low reward) to recruit your back and hips into the movement, it’s best to avoid programming isolation movements for 5×5.
Single-leg exercises, like the split squat, or single-arm exercises, like dumbbell rows, will limit the weight you can use relative to a two-leg or two-arm barbell exercise. The added time and energy needed to train both sides will also increase overall fatigue.
Unilateral (single-leg/single-arm) exercises also increase overall stress on your core musculature, especially when moving heavier weights. This can further reduce focus on the target muscle.

References

de Salles, B. F., Simão, R., Miranda, F., Novaes, J.daS., Lemos, A., & Willardson, J. M. (2009). Rest interval between sets in strength training. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 39(9), 765–777. https://doi.org/10.2165/11315230-000000000-00000
Rhea, M. R., Ball, S. D., Phillips, W. T., & Burkett, L. N. (2002). A comparison of linear and daily undulating periodized programs with equated volume and intensity for strength. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 16(2), 250–255.
Grgic, J., Schoenfeld, B. J., Davies, T. B., Lazinica, B., Krieger, J. W., & Pedisic, Z. (2018). Effect of Resistance Training Frequency on Gains in Muscular Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 48(5), 1207–1220. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0872-x
Schumann, M., Feuerbacher, J. F., Sünkeler, M., Freitag, N., Rønnestad, B. R., Doma, K., & Lundberg, T. R. (2022). Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 52(3), 601–612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01587-7

Featured Image: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock

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