POST 5X5...what next

So next week is week 9...and all i can say is that the 5X5 is an awesome awesome program that i will deff keep in my bag of treats...but what next....i have gained lean mass and gotten alot stronger and im very happy with my results...but where do i go from here...i know how to train.....but looking for something different now..

Heh, I was gonna post the same thing as i'm on the last week myself. 5x5 was awesome for me. I was thinking about doing another, but not sure. I wonder if I do another 5x5 if I should do another deload week or take time in between??

Why change it if it works so well? nothing puts mass and strength on like a 5x5 routine. Are you looking for different results?

no not different results per-se but right now im on the 3X3 phase of the program and the weights ARE taxing but at 3 reps i feel like im doing nothing, even though i know i am....im not sure if i want to run another 5X5 when im done with this one..

I'm no expert, but people run 5x5's back to back quite often (I think that's the SF 5x5 version), with maybe a "deload" week in between.

Also, people run DFHT after their 5x5. I think Madcow2 lays that out somewhere.

swordfish151 said:

no not different results per-se but right now im on the 3X3 phase of the program and the weights ARE taxing but at 3 reps i feel like im doing nothing, even though i know i am....im not sure if i want to run another 5X5 when im done with this one..

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ahh, i know what you mean. you miss the worked out and pumped feeling that bodybuilding style workouts give you. I like that too, you feel great and like you really accomplished something in the gym. Am i right? youll come back to 5x5 when you realize how superior the gains are .

take a week off, then lift with 65-75% of 1RM... cut the frequency and volume down for 2 weeks. then do 5x5 again if u enjoy it.

If your joints are hurting, do some lighter rep work for a week or two.

Otherwise, deload or take a week off if you feel loaded again, and then start on the volume phase once more, bumping up all your weights 5-10% - whatever you can manage with your new PRs. The 3x3 phase is more conducive towards strength than hypertrophy, and though triples are often taxing to the CNS, they lack the feeling of accomplishment for some, as bossman said.

Goals determine the path. Experience/Current Condition determines what exactly you need to do next and in the near future on that path.

A cookie cutter program is just a point - if one is lucky it's somewhere near his path and at least moves him forward by some margin. Training has to evolve with the lifter and move him consistently forward on the path toward his goals.

Most cookie cutters are designed to be "accessible" from a workload perspective so to speak and not kill anyone. They will always be suboptimal in some way (i.e. closer to path = better and forward = better) but for this reason they will never really carry one for very long toward the goal because a point by its nature is static and a lifter is constantly evolving and hopefully moving forward (which tends to be exceedingly rare in commercial gyms). Think of a lot of points clustered around the beginner/new-intermediate area, any choice for a beginner will move him forward even if the choice is in left field somewhere, for an intermediate it's necessary to be more discerning as many points don't allow progression (or you go to the anabolic board and increase the dosage until you start gaining from any old thing again). For someone deep in the intermediate phase there are much fewer cookie cutters that will move him forward. For an advanced lifter, there's generally nothing there.

So, better than people throwing out more cookie cutters maybe clarify the goal and try to evaluate how your training has changed or progressed over time and most recently, where you've been most successful (i.e. moving at a fast rate toward your goal) and what exactly you would like to change (optimally the purpose behind which should be to move even faster toward that goal).

Keep in mind, the goal needn't be big lifts, strength, athletics, or a lot of muscle. It might be a healthy, balanced activity. It might just be fun in which case that's a tougher path because you have to determine what you 'like' to do and what one 'likes' tends to change as people get bored very quickly and want to swap stuff around.

Good morning gentlemen...i see what you guys are saying...yeah i remember my old "typical" BB style of lifting, felt taxing and rewarding..but i must say if i reflect on the 5X5 it did wonders for me, not only strength but lean muscle mass...it is a great program...i might just take a week off and start a new one right back up...but at what point does squating 3X a week become counter productive..keep in mind my goal is not necessary for strenght (it is a plus) but for the defined, muscular hard look most bbers posses