How StrongLifts 5×5 works
StrongLifts 5×5 is a hugely popular novice barbell program — a modern take on the classic 5×5. It's built on five compound lifts run three times a week, with the bar getting a little heavier every session. Two workouts, A and B, cover everything, and almost every lift is five sets of five.
The A/B workouts
- Workout A — squat 5×5, bench 5×5, barbell row 5×5
- Workout B — squat 5×5, overhead press 5×5, deadlift 1×5
You alternate them across three non-consecutive days a week — Mon A, Wed B, Fri A, then the next week opens with B (Mon B, Wed A, Fri B) and so on. Squat appears in every session, bench and press trade off with their pulling partners, and only the deadlift drops to a single set. This calculator shows both workouts with your current weights loaded.
Progression
Add 2.5 kg / 5 lb to a lift every session you complete all the prescribed reps. Because squat is trained every workout, it climbs roughly twice as fast as the lifts that only appear in A or B — that's expected. The deadlift is a single heavy set of five, so one set is enough stimulus without wrecking your recovery for the next squat session.
Stalling and deloads
When you miss reps, repeat the weight next time. If you fail a lift three workouts in a row, deload it by about 10% and build back up — the run at lighter weight lets you punch through the sticking point with momentum.
A note for novices
This is a novice program, and adding weight every session only works while you're new. Those linear gains are finite; once the deloads stop buying you new progress, it's time to move to an intermediate program with weekly rather than per-session jumps. Start lighter than your ego wants and ride the climb as long as it lasts.