3x5 vs 5x5 the pros and cons

[StrongIslander,NY]

there are some of us ,like myself who found Rip thru stronglifts.com. i would just like to know the difference between a 5x5 scheme vs 3x5 still doing all the compound lifts. wouldnt more volume in the beginner stage or novice be better?

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

My guess is if Rip thought 5x5 was better for the novice program he would have designed it that way. 5x5 seems suited more towards the advanced novice or intermediate.

[nisora33]

If Rip, based on his extensive training and experience, thought 5 X 5 would be better, wouldn't he have written the program that way?

These questions have been coming up a whole hell of a lot lately, and the thing is, none of these questions (or fewer of them) would come up if everyone would just read the books (especially Practical Programming, which discusses programming, the whats, whys, whens, wheres and the hows of it, very thoroughly). Right now, a lot of the posters here are expecting the rest of us, who've spent the time reading, understanding and putting into practice the things written about in the books, to spoon feed them the answers, when you should go to the trouble of digging them out yourselves.

-Stacey

[StrongIslander,NY]

dude- i read ss 2nd ed and pp 1st ed. i understand ye are from the church of Rip almighty. but what i am asking why did ppl like reg park bill pearl value 5x5. i know the 3x5 is rip's pov and experience. im trying to think out of the box a little.

[Mr.City]

You have to look at the volume of both and the effect on the tonage of the workout. Novice can grow on 3x5 and 5x5, however the question is, how long can each be sustained?

[nisora33]

dude- i read ss 2nd ed and pp 1st ed. i understand ye are from the church of Rip almighty. but what i am asking why did ppl like reg park bill pearl value 5x5. i know the 3x5 is rip's pov and experience. im trying to think out of the box a little.

Being from the "church of Rip" has nothing to do with it.

S.

[Platus]

but what i am asking why did ppl like reg park bill pearl value 5x5

I am guessing that the extra volume might have been more advantageous for bodybuilders. Also, I presume that training methods for the above named individuals represent programming for elite competitors at the peak of their status.

[nisora33]

You have to look at the volume of both and the effect on the tonage of the workout. Novice can grow on 3x5 and 5x5, however the question is, how long can each be sustained?

And the answer is the 3 X 5 progression can be sustained longer. And it's a conclusion that anyone, having given it some thought, should be able to arrive at with the help of Practical Programming. This is what bugs me.

-S.

[BryanM]

Many 5x5 programs aren't sets across. They're ramped.

With the warmups, SS pretty much emulates this.

[Kyle Schuant]

Right now, a lot of the posters here are expecting the rest of us, who've spent the time reading, understanding and putting into practice the things written about in the books, to spoon feed them the answers, when you should go to the trouble of digging them out yourselves.

I think of it as like going into a restaurant and sitting down with a plate and calling out asking everyone else to bring you a bit from their plate, instead of just ordering your own damn lunch.