Work out routine change

[Noname81]

I have been doing the 5x5 program for awile now. I have been able to add to my lifts concisely. I think this program may not be for me anymore. My recovery time will be much less time on a cycle compared to natural. I think sticking to a 5x5 routine may hold me back. What are you thoughts on this routine

The 5x5 program

Work out A
Squat
Deadlift
Bent over row

Work out B
Squats
Bench press
Shoulder press

Rotate between work out A and B Monday Wednesday Friday. Next week start with workout B

[Noname81]

5x5 is a very basic program. How long have you been training? What are your goals? If your training is this basic, you probably shouldn't be thinking about cycling.

I found my body respond very well to this program. I have gained a lot of muscle and strength . I am at a place were I have plateaued on all my lifts except squats.I have done the Madcow 5×5 which is an intermediate to advanced version of 5x5 stronglifts.com/madcow-5x5. This program is all about gaining strength and mass. It gives a person a great foundation to work off of. I have half pound plates. Every time I go to the gym I always add more weight onto the bar. The micro plates make this possible. Like I said the weight is no longer being added to the bar now. That is why I am making a big change

I like this routine also because it is very systematic. I always had a plan. I knew exactly how much I was going to put on the bar. I kept track of every rep and set with the 5x5 app. I really enjoyed this program. This program is more geared around a calorie surplus and lots of rest. Hence the program is only 3 days a week. But squatting every work out for 1-5 rep max is super taxing on the body. The rest is required being natural. I am also 38. The rest was necessary.

My goal is to break through this plateau and continue adding weight to the bar. I will never give up these compound lifts. They will always be the core of any routine I do.

[Noname81]

I don't have a problem with medhis program for beginners. IMHO, the big compound lifts should absolutely be the core of any STRENGTH program. That said, this particular program is only appropriate for beginners or maybe maintenance.

If you want to make some progress, especially in strength, give 531 a hard look. If you like the Big 4, squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, you will enjoy 531.

Personally, I would not be thinking about cycling until after at least 2 years of straight of solid, consistent, and disciplined training, nutrition and rest. You can get a LOT done natty if you dial those factors in. At your age, in a few years you will likely be thinking about trt... At that point, you will have a solid base and can blast and cruise.

And this concludes my way overpriced 2 cents on the topic.

Thanks for the response. Greatly appreciated

[Livinlean]

It might be a good idea to switch to more of a bodybuilding program for a bit to mix things up. The body building program will focus more on mind to muscle and recruiting max muscle fibres. When you go back to strength training, it should feel easier.

None of this is from first hand. I've never really done strength training programs other than a basic 5x5 program. I heard Larry Wheels and Mike O'tren talking about this concept in a video a little while ago.

[Windex]

I found my body respond very well to this program. I have gained a lot of muscle and strength . I am at a place were I have plateaued on all my lifts except squats.I have done the Madcow 5×5 which is an intermediate to advanced version of 5x5 stronglifts.com/madcow-5x5. This program is all about gaining strength and mass. It gives a person a great foundation to work off of. I have half pound plates. Every time I go to the gym I always add more weight onto the bar. The micro plates make this possible. Like I said the weight is no longer being added to the bar now. That is why I am making a big change

I like this routine also because it is very systematic. I always had a plan. I knew exactly how much I was going to put on the bar. I kept track of every rep and set with the 5x5 app. I really enjoyed this program. This program is more geared around a calorie surplus and lots of rest. Hence the program is only 3 days a week. But squatting every work out for 1-5 rep max is super taxing on the body. The rest is required being natural. I am also 38. The rest was necessary.

My goal is to break through this plateau and continue adding weight to the bar. I will never give up these compound lifts. They will always be the core of any routine I do.

This is a common misconception. People start the gym with a program and think that they respond well to that specific program. In reality, it's because they are even in the gym creating muscular stress which is giving results, not a cookie cutter program.

You could've started at the gym swinging kettle bells like a monkey and put on some level of muscle.

Think of it this way : Jimmy picks up golf as a hobby to get time away from his crazy wife. It doesn't matter what golf clubs he uses (training), or his swing (lifting form), eventually he will get the ball into the hole. He can continue playing golf like this forever, but he's never going to make par or a birdie (plateau).

If you want to get to the next level then you need a proper bodybuilding program. It would have hypertrophy focus, with a scheduled deload phase among other elements

[HoldMyBeer]

This is a common misconception. People start the gym with a program and think that they respond well to that specific program. In reality, it's because they are even in the gym creating muscular stress which is giving results, not a cookie cutter program.

You could've started at the gym swinging kettle bells like a monkey and put on some level of muscle.

Think of it this way : Jimmy picks up golf as a hobby to get time away from his crazy wife. It doesn't matter what golf clubs he uses (training), or his swing (lifting form), eventually he will get the ball into the hole. He can continue playing golf like this forever, but he's never going to make par or a birdie (plateau).

If you want to get to the next level then you need a proper bodybuilding program. It would have hypertrophy focus, with a scheduled deload phase among other elements

That.
Also, people are usually doing the same thing for a while, then start a program which illicits novel stimulus, so they think it's working better than the last program was (and it is, but the reason why is different than what they believe)

[Noname81]

This is a common misconception. People start the gym with a program and think that they respond well to that specific program. In reality, it's because they are even in the gym creating muscular stress which is giving results, not a cookie cutter program.

You could've started at the gym swinging kettle bells like a monkey and put on some level of muscle.

Think of it this way : Jimmy picks up golf as a hobby to get time away from his crazy wife. It doesn't matter what golf clubs he uses (training), or his swing (lifting form), eventually he will get the ball into the hole. He can continue playing golf like this forever, but he's never going to make par or a birdie (plateau).

If you want to get to the next level then you need a proper bodybuilding program. It would have hypertrophy focus, with a scheduled deload phase among other elements

OK definitely need to look into a new routine.

[GearHeaded]

whats your primary goal? whats your weakest link or weakest body part? I design exercise programming for a living, its a huge part of my job and I can tell you for certain, its very very person dependent and goal orientated. cookie cutter programs only work for newb lifters, who will make gains no matter what just cause they are new to the gym and not because of the actual program itself

[Noname81]

whats your primary goal? whats your weakest link or weakest body part? I design exercise programming for a living, its a huge part of my job and I can tell you for certain, its very very person dependent and goal orientated. cookie cutter programs only work for newb lifters, who will make gains no matter what just cause they are new to the gym and not because of the actual program itself

My plan was to do this 5x5 program to build a foundation. I have now go to a place were I am finding it hard to progress on my lifts. I do deload a few times a year. My deload is a week off. I then come back with about 80% of the weight I was using pre deload. This has worked on breaking through some of the plagues. The reason why I was doing the 5X5 for such a extended period of time is because I was able to continually add over the course of the last year. I liked the idea of knowing exactly how many reps I did last work out and know exactly how many I am shooting for for every set I did. I dont play any competitive sports . I do this because I enjoy it. I like the idea of progressing in the gym and looking bigger and stronger while doing it.

So in a nut shell my goals is to keep progressing in the gym by adding weight to my lifts and becoming stronger( Very broad goal but it is a goal) I was looking at something like this (see Below). Now it is just about determine the correct volume and intensity. The split below seems like I could really focus on a body part since there are 5 workout a week.

For my diet I was going to start at 3000 Calories/day. My protein intake will be around 250 g a day. Is the diet plan the same idea on cycle or off cycle? I was doing 5x5 in a surplus of 300 calories a day . Could I dial
that number back a bit while using Test? Maybe prevent adding on extra fat gains



Day 1: Legs/Abs.
Day 2: Chest.
Day 3: Back/Abs*
Day 4: Rest.
Day 5: Shoulder/Abs*
Day 6: Arms.
Day 7: Rest

[Ashop]

If you have stopped making progress, then its time to change up your routine.

[Noname81]

If you have stopped making progress, then its time to change up your routine.

Yes I was actually thinking of a 3 day split push/pull/legs. I am still working on the amount of volume I should have for each workout. Because I am working the same muscle 2 times a week can I half the volume for each workout. Or do people go with the regular volume for each work out? I dont want to over train or under train. The best thing to do is probably trial and error for the first few weeks.

[Noname81]

After doing a bit more research on this split the total volume for the week is divided into each workout. I like this idea. With this layout the total weight lifted will also increase.

[Windex]

Yes I was actually thinking of a 3 day split push/pull/legs. I am still working on the amount of volume I should have for each workout. Because I am working the same muscle 2 times a week can I half the volume for each workout. Or do people go with the regular volume for each work out? I dont want to over train or under train. The best thing to do is probably trial and error for the first few weeks.

I can promise you that you don't need to worry about overtraining. People vastly underestimate how far you have to go for overtraining to occur.

I use to think I trained at a 9 until I trained with my former coach for the first time. It was a complete wake up call.

Some of The best things you can do in the gym are:

- Hire a very experienced and established coach to help with your form.

- Make a journal and log your progress until you are completely in synch with your body

- Leave the ego in the locker room. Be open minded. There's no rule that you have to squat or deadlift. There's no rule you have to use cables in a chest routine. Etc etc