Can you do 5X5 program if your gym only has a smith machine and weights?

Asked by: Imran Durflinger

I am wondering if one can do the 5×5 program effectively with just the smith machine. I get the bench press and incline for your chest, but what about squats and deadlifts and rows? Short answer, it won’t be effective. You will gain strength, but you will have to deload when you have a free weight barbell available.

How much weight should you use for a 5×5 workout?

To be as conservative as possible, for every 2-week cycle, increase your squat and deadlift weight 5–10% or 10 pounds (4.5 kg) (whichever is less), and 5–10% or 5 pounds (2.3 kg) (whichever is less) to all of the upper body movements.

Can 5×5 be done with dumbbells?

When designing your 5X5 routine with dumbbells, select exercises such dumbbell squats and lunges, overhead presses, dumbbell chest presses, bent-over dumbbell rows and deadlifts.

How do I progress my 5×5 workout?

If you know what your one-rep max on the big lifts is, start 5×5 with around 65 percent of that max. After the first week, bump the weight up 5-10 pounds for the following week, and again the week after. That may not sound like much, but it’s enough to keep you progressing!

What percent should you do 5×5 with?

Calculating Your Ideal Training Weight
At this point, you may be wondering about the best “percentages of your percentages” when doing your 5×5 workouts. The most common figure I see is that a 5×5 workout is best done with about 81% of your 1RM. That works out to about 90% of your desired 90% intensity.

Is 5×5 enough for hypertrophy?

Thus, if strength is your primary goal, you will love cluster training. Regardless, the volume is the same as a regular 5×5 program making the 5×5 cluster training program an excellent option for hypertrophy training as well. To further induce hypertrophy, just decrease the breaks in between each cluster.

How many times a week should you do 5×5?

How It Works. The StrongLifts 5×5 Program alternates between two workouts, three times a week with at least one full day of rest between workouts. All exercises are performed in straight sets with anywhere from one minute to five minutes of rest between sets.

How long should a 5×5 workout take?

With all that said, you can expect a workout with two or three exercises done 5×5 style to last anywhere from 30–60 minutes. One popular method of employing 5×5 is to do three exercises in a session, using 5×5 to train the whole body.

What to do after training 5×5?

Option 1: Bodybuilding/Hypertrophy style training
A classic, proven approach is 4x per week training using an Upper/Lower Body Split. *Choose this option if you want to do something different after stronglifts 5×5, adding some muscle size and keeping your training fresh.

Can you do 5×5 everyday?

A classic muscle- and strength-building training protocol gets a considerable upgrade with this 5-day full-body routine. Even the best, most tried-and-true training techniques can use a tweak every now and then. The classic 5×5 scheme is no exception.

Is 5×5 enough volume?

In short, you should be using both the 5 x 5 workout and the German Volume Training workouts. Here’s why: There’s no doubt that GVT is designed to build bigger muscles, but it’s unlikely you’ll see much in strength gains. The 5 x 5 workout can be a much-needed complement to GVT.

How effective is the 5×5 workout?

This will free up time for additional exercises for the muscles that StrongLifts neglects. Overall, doing five sets of five reps will do a decent job of building muscle, as well as increasing strength gains relative to higher reps and lighter weights.

Is 5×5 better than 3X10?

5X5 vs 3X10: Which Is Better For Muscle Growth? What is this? While both rep schemes are used in programs to grow new muscle, 3×10 is the best answer when hypertrophy is the goal. That said, this is only true if you are properly controlling for volume, frequency, consistency, and intensity.