MIssing Reps on 5x5

It has almost happened on a couple workouts and yesterday finally did. I am 4 weeks into a 5x5 and my bench press stalled out on set 4 yesterday. First 3 sets were cake, but on set 4 hit 4 reps and for set 5 kept the weight the same and only hit 2 reps. Not sure why, maybe diet on Sunday wasn't what it shoud be intake wise.

Any thoughts? Bench has always been lagging for me....always!

I always did 5x5 like this


2 sets of 5 for warmup


3 working sets - is that what you are doing??

The Shadow said:

I always did 5x5 like this


2 sets of 5 for warmup


3 working sets - is that what you are doing??

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i think hes following a 5x5 plan, that has periodilation method for putting weight on the bar.

I failed yesterday on my 5 set of 5, with 210. I only failed because i lost my pump and mentally wasnt tight or focused. But if you KEEP missing i would re-do the bench numbers

There are a lot of different "5x5s" in addition to the 5 sets at the same weight version. Dan John has an article on it (on T-Nation in addition to his site) if anyone's interested.

Regardless, the "rule" with the 5x5-style training is not to increase the weight until you get all of the reps.

It sounds like you're doing a ramped version to a single top set (correct me if I'm wrong), which makes it odd that you failed on your fourth set. Do you think you might've overestimated your bench max when setting up the program?

Here are a couple things that might be worth trying:
1. Try a less aggressive ramp if your wamups are leaving you with nothing in the tank for the top set.
2. Make a smaller jump over your previous PR (since this was week 4, I assume it was your first attempt at a new PR).

You could also just keep the bench portion of the workout identical next week if you think it might've just been an off day or whatever.

And mm, lack of focus or mental mistakes can cause you to miss a lift. Lack of pump can't.

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showpost.php?p=81043&postcount=20

^^ a great post about how to approach a 5x5

5 sets with the same weight isn't the greatest idea

Tweakle said:

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showpost.php?p=81043&postcount=20

^^ a great post about how to approach a 5x5

5 sets with the same weight isn't the greatest idea

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Agreed...but imo - neither is doing a semi-pyramid to a top end set....to me that isnt a 5x5 as the volume is too low

See the 2nd quoted piece. There is no static right or best way and certainly not one for every experience level (for all programming not necessariuly 5x5 specific), but this gives some insight into a more macro process of progression, how programming is altered, where ramped sets of 5 might be used and what comes when stalled. http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4658227&postcount=235. Probably best to consider either of the two templates I've provided as frozen snapshots in time that I've put together to fit most of the people who come to BBing forums to provide a generic starting point and a good frame of reference for learning about programming.

Of course, if someone was using my linear template and bombed out on their 4th set in week 4 - they need to rethink their 5RM, whether it is actually viable with the initial sets and added volume (i.e. something that is too individual and training age related to account for in a generic template) along with rest periods between sets. If this one was in the periodized template with 5 straight sets of 5 and 4 week loading block - no big deal as week 4 should be pushing near or at the limit and during heavy loading one can see performance decrease - and you are going to be deloading immenently anyway. But if this was the linear, it should have been cake until now with only the top set i.e. last set of the 5 in week 4 being challenging. No real way to tell without more info.

You're back madcow??? Good info everyone

Thanks to everyone that replied. I appreciate the knowledge base that replied...I was pumped to see the first few replies and then shocked to see the man behind my program..Madcow!

So I am doing a linear 5x5. My calories are down, round 2500-2700 daily. I get 3 meals in before I lift. Diet is clean, carbs are coming from oats brown rice and Gatorade, protein is mostly chicken and whey, little steak. I am trying to cut down some BF right now but wanted to do a 5x5 to work on core lifts. When my BF is down another 6-8% I will be visiting the dark side for 10 weeks.

Do cardio on off days - usually a spin class in the AM and Boxing/Jiu-Jitsu in the PM. Run on Saturdays.

There are several issues. The first is discussed explicitly on my site: http://www.geocities.com/elitemadcow1/5x5_Program/Linear_5x5.htm

Impact of Weight Gain/Loss and Experience Level:

I will also note that weight gain can be considered a tail wind to the progression. Meaning, you will have an easier time getting stronger and making a longer progression if you are eating enough to drive bodyweight upward during the program (i.e. also known as bulking or trying to add muscle, see caloric excess). This does not however mean that you should start heavier simply because you are planning to gain weight. The effect is typically not that strong and this is the best way to blow this program up - always better to take more time than less. Another tailwind would be experience level, someone much closer to their ultimate potential is going to run out of steam and have to settle for shorter progressions than someone with 6 months of training under their belt.


A headwind would be dieting or cutting. If you are really making an effort to lose weight and using this program you might want to start significantly lighter or make smaller jumps week to week (i.e. take 6 weeks to reach your current 5RM rather than 4 weeks). Basically the same 200lbs 5 rep max squat at a bodyweight of 200 is a stronger lift at a lighter bodyweight. So if you are dropping bodyweight, you probably want think about starting lower because your 5RM estimates won't be accurate as your bodyweight changes and to get a reasonable shot at progression you don't want to be starting too high (that said, the less experienced the lifter they might have enough tailwind from their junior amount of experience to override a fair degree of headwind from bodyweight dropping).

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The second issue is that people flat out do far far far more benching than pulling or rowing or squatting. Meaning they come to the program having put in a lot of time on the bench and they have a harder time pushing that lift up simply because it's been trained so much more already and likely chest/pressing has been an overwhelming focus so workload for presses and chest is flat or decreased while squatting and pulling is increased. It's not only a pure workload issue, just people being a lot more used to benching a lot where almost no one is really pounding 15 sets of squats a week and 10 sets of rows (specificity facilitates the adaptation and you work specifically on several very effective movements, unfortunately people's previous training is drastically out of balance).

Third issue. People put in a true heavy 5RM (i.e. minimum warmup and volume beforehand) and that spreadsheet assumes you will equal it with 4 ramped sets beforehand by week 4. For most people this isn't an issue. For every lift besides the bench, this hasn't been an issue. But for bench - it comes up because people like to put an absolute best case scenario number there.

Forth issue, combined with all the rest most people are still trying to make 5lbs jumps in Bench PRs every week rather than use the right percents. That just doesn't work all that well when you take all the other factors above into account.

This is stuff I probably need to address (I've already handled the weight loss/cut). If people get stuck early on a lift it's always the bench, never ever, even once have I seen an instance where it's anything else. This is the fault of current culture rather than programming.