The 5×5 training system: strength and mass
The 5×5 training system is simple: pick a basic exercise and do 5 sets of 5 repetitions each. If all of the 5×5 comes out clean, add weight bit by bit next time, usually 2.5 kg, or 2.5 – 5 kg in some exercises.
Translated by Janar Rückenberg
Why does the 5×5 training system work?
5×5 is not a new fad. It has been used in gyms for a long time because the idea is easy to grasp and easy to measure. If you can do 5 sets of 5 repetitions with the same weight, your body has received a clear signal: next time the training load needs to go up a little.
At the heart of this method is progressive overload. In practice, this means the stress on your muscles increases week after week. Not in a leap, but in steps. That difference matters.
If you added 2.5 kg every week, the yearly gain in the basic exercises could in theory be 130 kg. If you added 2.5 kg every two weeks, the yearly improvement would be approx. 65 kg. On paper that sounds big. In real life, though, you have to factor in recovery, sleep, food and technique, and the fact that progress stops being so linear as the weights get heavier.
The simple truth: at the beginning, adding 2.5 kg can keep pace with the weeks. Later, once the barbell already carries a lot of resistance, that may no longer happen. At that point it makes no sense to make the barbell heavier at any cost. It makes sense to stay at the same weight until you can complete the 5×5 on your own strength and with proper technique.
5×5 works well for building strength and muscle mass, because the main emphasis is on big basic exercises. These are the squat, deadlift, bench press, close-grip bench press, standing barbell biceps curl and the Military Press, i.e. a barbell press from the front on a bench set at approx. 45 degrees. The choice of exercises can vary a little, but the principle stays the same: one main movement gets most of the attention.
How do you set up a 5×5 training system?
For each muscle group you choose one basic exercise, which is done as 5×5. In addition, you can pick 2 more exercises for the same body part, 2 sets each of 8-10 repetitions. This gives you a strong strength block and a little more volume for the muscle at the same time.
For example, a chest workout in the 5×5 system could look like this:
- Bench press 5×5
- Incline dumbbell press 2 x 8-10
- Dumbbell flyes 2 x 8-10
It is important to start with a lighter, moderate weight. This isn’t cowardice. It is part of the system. A lighter start gives you time to fine-tune your technique, find your rhythm and perform the repetitions cleanly. If you start too heavy, you hit a wall quickly and leave much of your potential for progress untapped.
Suppose you bench press 100 kg for 8-9 repetitions. A sensible starting point for 5×5 could then be, say, 87.5 kg. At first it feels light. But if the sets are controlled, the tempo is moderate and the technique is clean, the workout delivers a good training load and your body gets to adapt to the new work.
If 87.5 kg comes out as 5×5, next week can be 90 kg, then 92.5 kg, and so on. If at some point you can no longer get 5 repetitions in every set, stay at the same weight. If needed, use a training partner’s help only for safety, not so that they do half a repetition for you. Another option is to start increasing the resistance in 1 kg steps.
So what actually happens if you raise the weights too fast? You hit the barrier sooner. Every system reaches a plateau at some point, 5×5 included. But abrupt jumps bring that point forward. If 5×5 no longer works out with any formula, you can take active rest, try another program, such as 3×3, and start again later.
Sample plans and Starr’s 5×5 variations
Below is a 5×5 variation adapted for bodybuilding. Here each basic exercise and muscle is trained 1 time per week. It suits those who want to keep the extra volume that muscle mass requires in their training alongside strength.
Monday – Chest/triceps/cardio
- Bench press 5×5
- Incline dumbbell press 2×8-10
- Incline dumbbell flyes 2×8-10
- Close-grip bench press 5×5
- Weighted dips 2×8-10
- Seated one-arm dumbbell triceps extension 2×8-10
- 25 min cardio
Tuesday – Back/traps/abs
- Deadlift 5×5
- Pull-ups or underhand-grip cable pulldowns 2×8-10
- Seated row, wide overhand grip 2×8-10
- Shrugs 3×8-10
- Leg raises 3×15-20
- Sit-ups 3×8-10
- Crunches for the obliques 3×8-10
Thursday – Shoulders/biceps/cardio
- Seated behind-the-neck barbell press 5×5
- Standing dumbbell lateral raise 3×8-10
- Bent-over dumbbell lateral raise 2×8-10
- Standing barbell biceps curl 5×5
- Seated alternating dumbbell biceps curl on an incline bench 2×8-10
- Concentration curls 2×8-10
- 25 min cardio
Friday – Legs/abs
- Squat 5×5
- Leg press 2×8-10
- Leg curls 2×8-10
- Stiff-leg deadlift 2×8-10
- Standing calf raise 5×15
- Sit-ups 3×15-20
- Crunches for the transverse abdominal muscles 3×15-20
- Leg raises at the edge of a bench 3×15-20
Translator’s note: there are many variations of 5×5 training, at least 5-6. In my opinion, the version above suits bodybuilders better, because reps of up to 8-10 have been added to the training.
The original 5×5 focuses mainly on basic compound exercises, and some of them are done 2-3 times a week. A classic week might look like this:
- Monday: Squat, Close-grip bench press, Bent-over barbell row
- Wednesday: Squat, Military press, Deadlift, Pull-ups
- Friday: Squat, Bench press, Bent-over barbell row
On Monday you do squats 5×5 with the same weight, close-grip bench press 5×5 with the same weight and bent-over barbell rows 5×5 with the same weight. You can add a small amount of volume for the triceps and abs.
On Wednesday you do squats 5×5 with a weight 15-20% lighter than Monday’s, or front squats 5×5. In addition come Military press 5×5 with the same weight, deadlifts 5×5 with the same weight and pull-ups 5×5. If you can deadlift 2.5 x your body weight, do the deadlift for only 3×5.
On Friday, for the squat you can use Starr’s first variation, where the weight is increased with every set until you reach the target set and do 5 reps with it. Bench press 5×5 can be flat or on an incline bench, and bent-over barbell rows stay at 5×5 as well.
Coach Bill Starr popularized the 5×5 system back in the seventies in his book The Strongest Shall Survive. It was designed for football players and their gym training, but the principle suits other strength sports and bodybuilding too.
Training system and choosing weights
Starr described two variations of 5×5. The first suits beginners better. In it, the exercise is done for 5 sets as a pyramid. The weight added to the barbell after each set is constant. The last, or fifth, set is the top set.
For example, the squat:
- 80 kg set – 5 x
- 100 kg set – 5 x
- 120 kg set – 5 x
- 140 kg set – 5 x
- 160 kg set – 5 x
With this variation, you first need to determine your 5 RM, the weight you can lift for only 5 reps. In the example it is 160 kg. Once you know it, you can work out the other weights as you move down the pyramid. Here the weight rose in 20 kg steps, but you can also use steps of 15 kg or 25 kg. What matters is that the jump is neither too big nor too small.
If you complete all five pyramid sets for 5 reps, 2.5 or 5 kg is added to the weight of every set:
- 80 kg set – 5 x + 2.5 kg
- 100 kg set – 5 x + 2.5 kg
- 120 kg set – 5 x + 2.5 kg
- 140 kg set – 5 x + 2.5 kg
- 160 kg set – 5 x + 2.5 kg
The fifth set is the deciding one. If you get 5 reps with the heaviest weight, all 5 sets move up. Because the first sets are lighter, a beginner can learn technique and get a better feel for the exercise at the same time.
For the advanced lifter, Starr recommended the classic 5×5 system: after the warm-up, all 5 work sets are done with one weight.
For example, squat warm-up sets:
- 60 kg – 5 x
- 85 kg – 5 x
- 100 kg – 3 x
- 125 kg – 2 x
- 140 kg – 1 x
Working sets:
- 155 kg – 5×5
If you complete 5×5 at 155 kg, you increase the barbell weight by 2.5 – 5 kg. The next goal might be 157.5 kg – 5×5. Honestly, this is the point where many people rush ahead too early. If you got 5 x, 5 x, 5 x, 4 x, 3 x, stay at the same weight until you hit 5×5.
A lighter squat session on Wednesday may be necessary for recovery. If you squatted 5×5 with 100 kg on Monday, on Wednesday you can do 5×5 with 80-90 kg. It works like active recovery. If your recovery is very good, you can sometimes continue with the full training load, but as a rule, 5×5 tends to cause recovery problems.
Translator’s note: in my opinion, using Starr’s first variation on Friday doesn’t have to be mandatory. You are free to do 5×5 with the same weight on both Monday and Friday. Wednesday could be a lighter recovery session or, in some cases, skipped altogether. If you completed 5×5 squats with 150 kg on Monday, you definitely shouldn’t increase the load on Friday yet. On Friday, stay at 150 kg and only try 152.5 kg next Monday.
Rest periods are rarely discussed with programs like this. Since these are heavy compound exercises, the rest interval between sets can be about 2 min. For lighter exercises and smaller muscles, 1.5 minutes is often enough.
Practical tips for beginners starting the 5×5 program
Don’t start close to your max. This is the most common mistake. The goal of 5×5 is not to prove how strong you are in the first week. The goal is to build a system in which you can keep progressing for a long time.
Keep the volume within the prescribed limits. If the program says 5×5, do 5×5. If an accessory exercise is 2×8-10, don’t suddenly turn it into 5 sets. The same goes for training frequency. If you start adding sets, repetitions and training days on your own, your recovery can quickly fall apart.
A 4-day split, where each muscle and each compound exercise is trained once a week, may suit a bodybuilder. A more driven trainee can also use a rolling schedule of 2 workouts, 1 day off, 2 workouts, 1 day off. From a recovery standpoint, 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off is the safer choice.
Squatting 3 times a week, every other day, is a heavy training load. In the long run it can lead to overtraining, especially if your sleep and nutrition aren’t in order. For many people, 2 times a week is more realistic, for example on Monday and Friday.
Many athletes have gotten very good results with this system, but they don’t have to come right away. You may notice more serious changes after about 4-6 weeks. If your goal is to stay within a weight class, be careful, because well-executed 5×5 can add a lot of mass.
All in all, the idea is simple. Pick a weight with which you can do 5 sets and 5 repetitions in each set. When you complete 5×5, add 2.5 kg at the next workout. Later, it may take 2-3 weeks to complete the same 5×5. That’s normal, not a sign of failure.
The 5×5 training system FAQ
Is 5×5 suitable for beginners?
Yes, if you start conservatively and learn the technique. The pyramid variation is especially suitable for beginners, because the first sets are lighter and give you time to get a feel for the movement.
When should you add weight?
Only when all 5 sets and all 5 repetitions in each set come out clean. If you end up with 5 x, 5 x, 5 x, 4 x, 3 x, keep the same weight.
Does 5×5 build more strength or more mass?
Done well, both. Heavy compound exercises develop strength, while accessory exercises with 8-10 repetitions add the volume needed for muscle mass.
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
