Thought I would contribute to this thread. by re-posting the program and an explanation by Glen Pendlay himself.
http://www.midwestbarbell.com/totalelite/index.php?showtopic=498&st=20
Hi,
actually there are two different 5x5 programs. One is the quoted from Matt Reynolds (I hope this is correct), and the other is from "Madcow".
Matts 5x5:
Monday (heavy)
Squats 5x5, same weight
Bench 5x5, same weight
Rows 5x5, same weight
Wednesday (light)
Squats 5x5, same weights, but weight is about 20-30% lighter than monday
Military Press 5x5, same weight
Deadlifts 5x5, same weight
Chins 5x5, same weight
Friday (medium)
Squats 5 sets pyramiding up, the last 1x5 with max weight
(other) Bench 5x5, same weight
(other) Rows 5x5, same weight
You start with about 80% from the 5RM on mondays. Progress over the weeks and set new records at the 3rd or 4th week.
Then you switch to the 3x3 and 2 days per week (where only monday and wednesday units are done, perhaps on monday and thursday).
Example:
1st week, 5x5, 200 lbs
2st week, 5x5, 205 lbs
3rd week, 5x5, 210 lbs
4th week, 5x5, 215 lbs
5th week, 3x3, 220 lbs
6th week, 3x3, 225 lbs
7th week, 3x3, 230 lbs
8th week, 3x3, 235 lbs
After that you can start again with the 5x5 and more weights, perhaps 210, or you can peak out with triples, doubles, singles. That is described in the link.
Madcow:
Monday (heavy)
Squats 5x5, same weight
Bench 5 sets pyramiding up, the last 1x5 with max weight
Rows 5 sets pyramiding up, the last 1x5 with max weight
Wednesday (light)
Squats 5x5, same weights, but weight is about 20-30% lighter than monday
Military Press 5x5, same weight
Deadlifts 5x5, same weight
Chins 5x5, same weight
Friday (medium)
Squats 5 sets pyramiding up, the last 1x5 with max weight
(other) Bench 5x5, same weight
(other) Rows 5x5, same weight
5x5 for 4 weeks, 1 week 3x3 with the last 5x5 weights, and then 3x3 for 4 weeks.
Example:
1st week, 5x5, 200 lbs
2st week, 5x5, 205 lbs
3rd week, 5x5, 210 lbs
4th week, 5x5, 215 lbs
5th week, 3x3, 215 lbs
6th week, 3x3, 220 lbs
7th week, 3x3, 225 lbs
8th week, 3x3, 230 lbs
9th week, 3x3, 235 lbs
And then start over, or peak out with triples, doubles, singles.
Both handle with the delayed long term effect, so that the major growth and strength increases come at the 4th till 8th week.
explanation of different 5 sets of 5 program.
there are really so damn many ways to squat, even to squat with 5 sets of 5, or 6 sets of 4, or 4 sets of 6, or any similar thing, that there is not really any one program... im always hesitant to even write it out as a "program" becasue i dont really know what we will be doing in 4 weeks when we start such a thing... it kind of adapts as it goes.
but there seems to be some confusion as to the pyramid version or the non-pyramid version, so ill try to briefly explain the differences.
the EASIEST method we use for squats, and the one which rip used for beginners, is a simple pyramid program, the weights are pyramided BOTH monday and friday... and another leg exercise is used for wednesday, usually front squats for the young and athletically minded, sometimes leg press for the old and feeble.
say a person tests at 200lbs for 5 reps on their initial workout. well then monday they might do the following sets for 5 reps, 95, 125, 155, 185, 205. fairly equal jumps, ending with a 5lb personal record. if the last set is successfull, then on friday they will go for 210 on their last set, with adjustments on the other sets to keep the jumps about even as needed.
the average beginner can stay on this exact simple program for anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months, as long as they continue to improve at least 5lbs a week, most can do this for quite a while.
when they stop improving, the first thing he does is to drop a couple of the "warmup" sets down to one or two reps, to decrease fatigue and allow a few more personal records on the top set... so that 200lb top set of 5 workout at this point would at this point have the 155lb set at maybe 3 reps, and the 185lb set at one or two reps, then try for 5 at 205.
this change usually lets people get new personal records for another 2-3 weeks, sometimes more.
at some point, of course, this doesnt work anymore. so now we change the monday workout to 5 sets of 5, still with heavy front squats or for some lighter back squats on wednesday, and the same pyramid on friday, trying for one top set of 5. the 5 sets on monday with the same weiight will be some amount less than the current personal record for one set of 5.
usually with this raise in volume, the weights are set somewhat lighter than they were, and people are given a few weeks to work back to their personal records, then try to go past them, invariably they will pass them, and invariably eventually they will stall again...
at this point we usually lower the volume of training, raise the intensity, in some form we will go with lower reps, lower amounts of sets, cut out a day of squatting, something to allow a raising of the numbers... again, the numbers will raise for a while, then stall again.
a this point, another raise in volume is needed, and at this point we will go to the program that most usually associate with the "5 by 5"... squatting 5 sets of 5 with the same weight 3 times a week, lighter on wednesday and heavier on mon and fri. you are all familiar with this i think, we raise the volume for 2-4 weeks, then slowly cut the volume aned intensity of most workouts, going for a big workout every 1-2 weeks, might be a single, a single set of 5, or even one big 5 sets of 5 workout. with people cycling down for a big contest at thsi point we might go for lower reps and try for the big singles.... with someone not at a place where a big peak is needed, its just cycling down to less sets but keeping the reps at 5, and trying to make a pr on a set of 5. this can be repeated several times over and over, but at some point you have to have a period of lower intensity training for a while in between cycles.
i will add that often, for the people with higher goals who want to really train hard, i will start right in with the 15 hard sets a week version, but with weights low enough that they can endure it, and when they get in condition and get used to the volume, will then go back and start at the normal place where rip starts right from the beginning. i find that people who have been athletically active, who have been training on other programs, etc, usually do well with an initial 4-8 weeks of high volume lower intensity training to get them mentally and physically used to this sort of training, get their form changed to a good squat, etc.
this post describes as much as a year of training for most people, with some that adapt well it is stretched to two years.... two years from when they start their initial "pyramid" workouts, or their initial month or so of conditioning with 15 moderate sets a week to when they get through their first real cycle with heavy weights and 15 sets a week cycled down to a peak.
it seems simple. it is.
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Try it with a very light weight, say 100 lbs. or so, and knock out 15-20 smooth reps just to get the feel of the thing. 
