The 5x5 method
Five sets of five on one main lift, adding weight only when all sets come out clean
One barbell lift per session, five sets of five, with a load you can handle without grinding. Early sessions often finish as fives, fours and threes. The weight stays put until all twenty-five reps are strong, then goes up a few percent. Sitting between strength and size work, it is heavy enough to build the first and long enough under load to add some of the second. Most lifters run it two or three times a fortnight per lift, with a lighter deload once the target is hit.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Pavel TsatsoulineRecommends
Strength coach · StrongFirst
He credits 5x5 to Reg Park and calls it one of the most reliable ways to build strength in existence. His version starts with a weight good for at least two strong sets of five, adds reps only when you are sure of them, and trains a lift three times in two weeks.
Source: StrongFirst: StrongFirst and the 5x5 Method
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