What is a 5×5 Workout?
A 5×5 workout comprises compound barbell movements like squats and deadlifts using heavy weights and lower repetitions per set. As the name implies, a 5×5 workout usually involves 5 sets of 5 repetitions.
The goal is to build strength in compound movements by adding weight every time you work out. You will only do these 3 times a week as the rest days between workouts are crucial to encouraging muscle growth.
The barbell movements are as follows:
- Barbell back squat
- Barbell bench press
- Barbell deadlift
- Barbell overhead press
- Barbell row
The combination of these movements works most of the large muscles in your body.
5×5 Workout Structure
For each workout, you will perform three of these movements.
Barbell back squats are included in every workout, while all other exercise cycles every week are performed either once or twice per week, depending on whether you are on week 1 or 2.
The only exception to the 5×5 rule is deadlifts, of which you will only perform 1 set of 5.
This is because heavy deadlifts are one of the most demanding exercises, and doing them too often can easily lead to overtraining.
They are also performed last in the workout to avoid fatiguing the core and stabilize that are needed for other movements.
Exercises for a 5×5 Workout
You might need clarification on the comparatively small number of tasks available. The majority of training programs contain a lot of machine, dumbbell, and isolation movements.
These five barbell exercises were chosen because, in the end, barbells enable the highest amount of total weight to be lifted, which promotes the most significant degree of strength and muscular development.
Additionally, these barbell motions target the most crucial muscles in your body for functional performance in both athletic activities and daily life.
According to research, exercises like barbell deadlifts and squats significantly increase athletic skills like jumping and sprinting.
One of the most practical strategies to strengthen your core and prevent injuries is stabilizing your spine while lifting heavy objects.
5×5 Workout Weekly Program
The 5×5 program consists of 3 sessions, except the deadlift, which receives a 1×5 working set, with each movement receiving a 5×5 set and repetition scheme.
There are two workouts (A and B) each week. Workout A is done on Monday and Friday, and workout B is done on Wednesday. Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday will be your rest days.
Of course, as long as you follow the general pattern of workouts and rest days, you can schedule any session for any day of the week. There are two separate weekly cycles to provide for an equal quantity of each exercise when added together throughout the course of an 8–12-week program.
Benefits of the 5×5 Workout Program
The 5×5 program offers many benefits to maximizing your overall growth and development in the gym.
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Building Maximal Strength
Because of the short repetitions, you will be lifting hefty weights compared to your present strength level and body size.
Because of the intense training, your nervous system learns to engage every muscle fiber as much as possible, allowing you to gradually exert more force with the same muscle fibers.
Given that the same load will eventually make up a considerably smaller percentage of your 1RM, this significantly improves your overall strength, including both 1RMs and the capacity to quickly move lighter loads.
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Packing on Lean Muscle Mass
Research reveals that weights of 5 repetitions or even lower lead to significant improvements in muscle tissue and strength, even though this is lower than the standard 8–12 repetition range frequently used in muscle growth.
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Revving Up Your Metabolism
It takes energy to move large objects. Your metabolism must increase during and after exercise to heal your muscles and flush away the waste products by exerting yourself.
Furthermore, keeping additional muscle demands more energy.
Therefore, even with the same calorie intake, the 5×5 program can help you burn many calories over time, which can help you reduce or maintain your body fat.
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Practice Using the major Lifts
Despite the enormous benefits of barbell exercises, mastering them requires patience and experience. As a 5×5 beginner, you perform many repetitions each week, giving you lots of practice with the movements.
However, because each set only contains a small number of repetitions, you will stay energized and maintain your ability to maintain proper form, which keeps the quality of your repetitions high even with a large number of total repetitions.
Lastly, by spreading out the workouts throughout the week, you’ll be doing the moves frequently and with plenty of rest.
The same holds for the barbell movements; you wouldn’t anticipate learning a musical instrument or a talent with just one practice session per week. Perfection comes from consistent, good practice.
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Athletic Performance
Numerous athletic strength and conditioning programs are built around barbell lifts. For the same reasons you should, strength and conditioning coaches make their players perform these workouts.
The barbell lifts translate very well to many different sports, and a wealth of evidence supports their usage to enhance athletic performance.
