Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. So you wanna be big and strong, huh? Well, as you gentlemen know, there's more than one way to skin a cat. No doubt about it, somewhere along the lines you've probably had what you thought was a productive conversation or two at your local Gold's Gym with someone who might be referred to as a "gym expert". Surveys say that that expert probably is NOT truly educated in the health & fitness industry and is NOT a ceritfied fitness professional of any kind. But in the end, you listened to him anyway, because the guy is kinda jacked and he reads a LOT of Flex Magazine. A word of advice: GET THE HELL AWAY FROM THAT GUY!!! He will get you nowhere fast. And worse, he can get you injured. Sorry, those guys really piss me off, and I went on a little tangent there. It had to be said though. In regards to putting on some size and coupling it with solid strength, there's an old fashioned program that has stood the test of time: the 5 x 5 program.
The good ol' 5 x 5 program is an old school program that has been recommended and popularized by world renowned strength training professionals such as Reg Park, Bill Star, Dr. Lon Kilgore (my college professor), Glenn Pendlay (my collegiate Olympic weightlifting coach), and Mark Rippetoe (one of my weightlifting mentors). These guys aren't exactly like that "gym expert" you've been chatting it up with by the pec-deck machine at 24-Hour Fitness. The concept behind the 5 x 5 routine is to train your core exercises (bench press, deadlift, squat, & overhead press) for five sets of five reps at 80-85% of your one rep max (1rm). I'm not going to sugarcoat it guys, the 5 x 5 program is tough! If your idea of a good workout involves spending the majority of your time in the gym chit-chatting, screwing around, and eye-humping every chick in the aerobic kickboxing class, then this program is definitely NOT for you!
Here's a couple of things to expect from using the 5 x 5 routine:
- Size & Strength. You can lift faster & lift more weight using 5 reps. Lifting fast recruits more muscle fibers and allows you use heavier weights. Lifting heavy stresses your body more, thus increasing hypertrophy (building more muscle).
- Shorter, More Efficient Workouts. The 5 x 5 method utilizes multi-joint, compound exercises that hit several body parts at the same time. This keeps the workouts brief, but extremely intense. Great if you’re short on time like me.
This particular program can be implimented on a three-day split (Mon., Wed., and Fri., for example). As mentioned before, use the 5 x 5 @ 80-85% intensity for your major exercises such as squats, deadlifts, bench press (or incline press if you prefer), and overhead press. For your auxillary exercises, I suggest keeping the rep range at 10 to 6. As an example, this is one way I would structure my own program:
Monday
Bench Press (or Incline Press), 5 x 5 @ 80-85% 1rm
Barbell Row, 3 x 10, 8, 6
Incline Dumbbell Press, 3 x 10, 8, 6
Weighted Pull-ups (or Lat Pulldowns), 3 x 10, 8, 6
Crunch, 3 x 15-25
Wednesday
Back Squat, 5 x 5 @ 80-85% 1rm
Romanian Deadlift, 5x5 @ 80-85% 1rm
Lunges (or Step-ups), 3 x 10, 8, 6
Glute Ham Raise (or Leg Curl), 3 x 10, 8, 6
Hyperextension, 3 x 15-25
Friday
Standing Overhead Press, 5 x 5 @ 80-85% 1rm
Close-grip Bench Press (or Weighted Dip), 3 x 10, 8, 6
Barbell Curl, 3 x 10, 8, 6
Triceps Rope Pushdown, 3 x 10, 8, 6
Dumbbell Curl, 3 x 10, 8, 6
Reverse Crunch, 3 x 15-25
(I like to superset triceps and biceps exercises with one another in order to increase the intensity of the workout. Not to mention, it helps me save a little bit of time as well.)
I can tell you from my own experience that you can expect to see some outstanding results using this program, provided that you remain consistent and eat properly. I can also say that this program is not for the weak at heart. Each repetition during each set feels as though it will be your last. But you have to grind it out and overcome your own mental obstacles if you want to thrive. This would also be a good time to mention the importance of having a willing training partner or spotter available. For anyone who decides to use this routine, hit me up. I'd love to hear of your progress.
Now, what are you going to do?
CAS
