I'm a big fan of the 5x5 program in regards to how it's laid out, but not the volume approach it takes -- not because I disagree with this approach, on the contrary, it's a time-proven program that gets excellent results -- I just find that at my age I can't recover from such a workload. That and the fact that I don't really wish to dedicate that much time to working-out in the morning but all this aside, it's a great program, absolutely.
What I like is the way it sticks to five solid movements that are essential to any strength-training program: squat, deadlift, bench, row and shoulder-press. I also like the way it has a bi-weekly program where Week 1 you do work-out A, Week 2 you do work-out B, Week 3 you do work-out A again, Week 4 you do work-out B again and so on. Bi-weekly programs are simple and straightforward and usually offer enough coverage so that you're not missing out on hitting musculature at an optimum amount.
As you can see from the above graphic, this is an easy program to follow. What I want to discuss is using the exact same lay-out in terms of days and exercises, but not the actual five-sets of five-reps straight across which the original program is based on -- hey, why reinvent the wheel? For those who want to know more you can follow the link above in the first paragraph in fact, you may want to give the program a go: I'm just not up to it myself but you may well be. Go on and knock yourself out, kemosabe.
I double-dare ya.
What I suggest (and use myself at times) is the following...
SQUATS (Week 1)
Because you'd be squatting three times per week, differentiate between emphasis by having light, medium and heavy days within the same week. This works great for us older guys. Week 1 Monday squats could be medium, Wednesday squats could be light, and Friday squats could be heavy. Thisaway you get a decent hit on Monday followed by a lighter, recovery-based session midweek Wednesday, then your heavy-ass session on the Friday giving you the weekend to recover.
Do you have to order it this way? No. You can order it any goddamn way you wish, fella. What you do want to do is to remember each time you're squatting (and remember, that's three times per week), you'll either be deadlifting once in the same week or twice. So you need to stagger your squats so as not to fuck yourself over as well as stagger your deadlifts I mean, doing max squats and deadlifts on the same day isn't necessary. Yes, it may kill you but more importantly, it's just not necessary. We can plan smarter than that.
DEADLIFTS (Week 1)
Which segues nicely into Week 1 deadlifts on the Wednesday: because you're doing a light mid-week squat session in Week 1 (which to me would be roundabout 70% of your 1RM give or take), you can do a medium deadlift session on the same day. You don't even have to warm-up due to squatting prior. The reason for a medium deadlift session Wednesday Week 1 is the following week you're doing two deadlift sessions so it makes sense to make one of these heavy and the other light, to get the most bang for your buck.
See how everything above overlaps nicely? I'd still keep my benchpress and barbell row to the usual set/rep scheme you're comfortable with, but by ensuring your squats and deads are arranged as shown, you won't blow yourself out. These are the big lifts and you want to ensure you've got fuel in the tank not just for each work-out during the week, not just through-out the week, but over the duration of several weeks. As to what constitutes a "light, medium or heavy day" is based on your own numbers and capabilities. These will look different for everyone.
SQUATS & DEADLIFTS (Week 2)
Squats for Week 2 would look different again. This time round Monday could be heavy, Wednesday could be light and Friday could be medium. The reason for this is simple: you're deadlifting twice through the week. On the Monday when you squat heavy you'll want to deadlift light. On the Wednesday there are no deadlifts but you're squatting light to ensure you're prepped for Friday. On Friday you're squatting medium weights which will provide the necessary switch/warm-ups for heavy deadlifts.
As you can see from the above, it's all pretty straightforward and again, you'll have the weekend to recover. You're still keeping a light day between heavy/medium squats but you're planning smart. The only other thing that comes to mind is when doing heavy deadlifts on Friday you can either go straight into one-set of five reps (which is the dose recommended in the actual program) or plateau up to your heaviest. Personally I still prefer increasing weight as I like to pull a heavy single rather than a set but again, it's exactly that: my own preference.
:: CONCLUSION
I'm a big fan of the above tweak just as I'm a big fan of heavier weight/less reps. For those interested, Mehdi who promotes 5x5 through his site stronglifts.com, also promotes a 3x5 routine once you've essentially done all you can on the program. This needs to be kept in mind: there's only so far we can go on any program till we either stall -- and thus switch them out for another program -- or reach our genetic potential. Once we reach our genetic potential the most we can do is maintain what we have.
However, I do think extremely small increases can be made still, but over a much longer time-frame.
...as in years, mate. Years.
Give the above a go if/when you need a change in programming. You may employ it for 2-3months only which is pretty much what I do. Once you start squatting three times per week it does become addictive though. I find I love doing this till I reach the point where I don't, so I'll rotate to another program (which could even be a rejig of this one. The possibilities are endless) and carry on. This is normal. Don't be afraid to give shit a go. Don't think you have to do one program and one program only forever. You don't. Kia ora whanau.
△
© ironkiwi.nz