Build To A Heavy 5

Greg busting out a new Backsquat PR @ 245# for 5 and with a smile!

You walk in the door looking at the white board before you can even take your shoes off. BUILD TO A HEAVY 5 FOR THE DAY is on the board and that's what you're going to do. 

What does that mean? When do I start counting? What weight should I use? Did I wear the proper compression undies for squatting? These are all great questions. 

5x5 (five sets of five repetitions) is a staple that we hit consistently here @ Starke. Building to your heavy five can be different from day to day depending on when the workout ends up in the week. If it ends up that we are doing a 5x5 Backsquat on Friday and it was a heavy leg week you might not be hitting your previous weight used for the 5x5 or you might be feeling like a superhero and surpass that weight. 

The only way you will know this is tracking your lifts and weight used. You should be able to look in your book and see "the last time I did backsquats @ 5x5 I used 300lbs". Now the appropriate build for this depending on how well recovered you are would be building up to that 300 and allowing your body to adapt to the weight along the way with some warm ups sets and focusing on proper technique for the squat and pressurizing the torso to support the load. 

Your 5x5 should be done at 300lbs if that's what you're capable of. If you start counting your first set @ 185#, second @ 225#, third @ 255#, fourth @ 285# and fifth @ 300# yet you were capable of doing all five sets at 300lbs you are limiting your strength gains and it's going to take much longer before you see your loads and max loads going up.

My suggestion is if you see 5x5 on the board for any exercise look and see what you did last time and see if you are up to hitting or surpassing it again. If you are a little run down and did all your sets @ 285# instead that still much better than the build I explained above. With that build that I explained that's still something I would potentially use as a build then start counting my first set once I hit 300# if I was up to it that day. 

Remember to keep full range of motion and never deviate from proper form for a new PR or to get that last rep in. Count it only if its proper!

Oh and for the compression underwear. Make sure you have the right pair on so they don't split in the bottom of that heavy squat. The more squats you do the tighter those baby's seem to get. #squatproblems

Paul