Yo was up bros! I was wondering if the 5x5 training scheme works well for bulking up? thanks for the help
Quest for Massiveness…if Nate Diggity Dogg hasn’t helped ya out by now, look at the thread titled The Foundation started up by Krak (pipe). The Dogg lays out some nice points there and his 5x5 workout, which he’s made some great progress on. Also, check out the Scrawny Bastard Support Group thread, Nate and others have made several suggestions and laid out programs for getting huge…remember though, work hard in the gym and eat huge! The eating is the key, bro.
Lazy.
If you respond to low rep, high intensity training the yes it works well. I think Nate Dogg has used 5x5 more than me so I’ll let him chime in. outlaw
Like Timbo said, you can see my current split for 5x5 training in the other two posts. As for gaining size, I think it is possible as long as you train hard and eat well. Remember, almost any training program will work if you eat enough and train hard enough. And like Outlaw said, it does depend on if your body responds to lower reps. Take into account that the longer you have trained the less reps your body will need to grow. Ian King mentions this in his books and training sessions.
I have used the 5x5 method once before (1995-1996), and made great progress on size and strength. It’s interesting that after all these years of training (about 8 yrs), and many years of not making progress, I’ve finally figured out what works best for me. And have learned how to put it together with proper nutrition as well. I’ve made more gains in the last 6-8 weeks than the past two years. There are a few things that have contributed to my recent success. 1) I learned a lot at the Orlando seminar from Ian King and also from reading his books 2) I finally got my nutrition and protein intake to where it needed to be 3) Motivation. I have had a lack of motivation for a long time. But realizing why I wasn’t making progress and designing a program based on my recovery and imbalances has made a huge difference. Also, John McCallum’s “The Complete Keys to Progress” has been an awesome motivator for me to lift hard and heavy. 4) Injuries. I suffered a knee injury and shoulder injury last fall. I went through PT and that did not help as I had hoped. I was extremely frusturated and lost motivation, strength and size. I started getting deep tissue massage, and that helped after a few months. I also noticed that typical bodybuilding exercises with higher reps only kept aggravating my injuries. Once I focused on one exercise per bodypart and used heavier weights and lower reps, I immediately began feeling better. I rarely have pain now. I’ve figured out that bench presses are the sole cause of my shoulder problems, and will be taking them out of my routine soon. I only put them back in when I started doing 5x5. Last week was the first time I did a heavy (for me) set of benches and it reaggravated my shoulder. Also, my knee is on and off. Icing helps tremendously, and I’m careful when I squat and deadlift. I also stretch often.
Now I don't use everything that Ian King believes. I've used his programs before and have found that there is too much variety for me. I seem to respond better to three training sessions a week (mon, wed, fri), with lower reps, higher weight, more sets and more rest. I have also used the same exercises for the past 8 weeks of 5x5. I have next week off, and then I resume with four weeks of Poliquin's 6x2(4) before taking a week off and then resuming training with Staley's Convergent Phase Training. And yes, I copied the program and made changes so the program will suit me and my imbalances.
So part of what you need to do is find out what works best for you. Have you been training long? If not, higher reps may be better for you. Are you looking for size or strength increases? The reason I chose 5x5 is because I'm interested in functional strength and power. Also, I believe that strength = size. So if you can lift a lot, your muscles will grow. I've been trying to get leaner (using more cardio, T2 and MD6) for the past month and have made noticeable progress within the last week. At the same time, I have not actually lost any weight. So I may actually be gaining muscle and burning fat at the same time. Let me know if you have any questions. I hope that helps.