Is 5x5 good for beginners?

Yes. 5x5 is one of the best beginner-to-early-intermediate strength programs because it's simple, focuses on a few compound lifts, and lets you add weight every session while your body can still recover that fast. Once the every-session jumps stall, you move to a weekly-progression version like Madcow 5x5.

How do you progress on 5x5?

On a beginner 5x5 you use linear progression: hit all five sets of five, then add about 2.5 kg / 5 lb next session (a little more on deadlift early). When you fail a lift a few sessions running, deload roughly 10% and climb back. On Madcow 5x5 you progress weekly instead, adding a small percentage each week toward a weekly top set.

5×5 Workout: StrongLifts, Madcow & How to Run It

Q: What is the 5x5 workout?

5x5 means five sets of five reps on the main compound barbell lifts — squat, bench press, overhead press, barbell row and deadlift — with linear progression, adding a small amount of weight each session. It builds strength and size on a short list of big lifts rather than lots of isolation work.

Q: StrongLifts 5x5 vs Madcow 5x5 — what's the difference?

StrongLifts 5x5 is a beginner program with flat sets (five sets at one weight) and every-session progression — add weight each workout. Madcow 5x5 is an intermediate version with ramping sets that build to one top set, and weekly progression — you add weight once a week and chase a weekly PR instead of jumping every session. Madcow is where lifters go when StrongLifts-style linear progression stalls.

Q: Does LiftHero have a 5x5 program built in?

Yes — LiftHero includes Madcow 5x5 as a built-in program, free to run, alongside 5/3/1, Starting Strength, Push Pull Legs and Texas Method. To build your own beginner two-workout 5x5, you can save Workout A and Workout B as reusable routines and rotate them — routines and templates are free and unlimited, with no routine caps on the free tier — or copy a 5x5 program shared by a Hero member. Assembling your own 5x5 as one guided multi-week program in the custom program builder is a Hero feature.

What is 5×5?

5×5 is a strength-training method built on a single idea: pick a short list of the biggest compound barbell lifts, do five sets of five reps on each, and add a little weight every time you succeed. There's almost no isolation work and no complicated periodization — the whole program is a few movements and a rule for when to add weight.

The lifts at the center of nearly every 5×5 are the squat, bench press, overhead press, barbell row and deadlift. Training in the 5-rep range hits a useful middle ground — heavy enough to build real strength, with enough total reps to add size. That combination of simplicity and results is why 5×5 has stayed popular for over half a century.

How 5×5 works

The classic beginner setup is two alternating workouts run three days a week on non-consecutive days — think Monday, Wednesday, Friday. You squat every session, and rotate the other lifts:

Two workouts, A and B. Workout A: squat, bench press, barbell row. Workout B: squat, overhead press, deadlift. You alternate them, so across two weeks each workout runs three times.
Five sets of five. Do 5×5 on every lift except the deadlift, which is a single heavy set of five to keep recovery manageable.
Add weight every session. Complete all five reps on all five sets, and next session you add roughly 2.5 kg / 5 lb (a little more on deadlift early on). This is progressive overload in its simplest form — linear progression.
Deload when you stall. Miss reps on the same lift a few sessions in a row, cut that lift's weight by about 10%, and build back up. The lighter run-up usually breaks the plateau.
Graduate when the jumps stop. Nobody adds weight every session forever. When linear progression dries up for good, you move to a weekly-progression version like Madcow 5×5.

Warm up to your working weight with lighter ramp-up sets — those don't count toward the five working sets. Start lighter than your ego wants; the whole point of 5×5 is a long, unbroken run of small jumps.

StrongLifts vs Madcow vs the classic 5×5

"5×5" isn't one program — it's a family. The three versions worth knowing map neatly onto experience level: StrongLifts for beginners, Madcow for intermediates, and the original Bill Starr / Reg Park lineage they both descend from.

Version	Sets	Progression	Best for
StrongLifts 5×5	Flat — five sets at one weight	Every session (add weight each workout)	Beginners; two alternating A/B workouts, squat every session
Madcow 5×5	Ramping — build to one top set	Weekly (add a small % each week, chase a weekly PR)	Early intermediates who have stalled on every-session jumps
Classic 5×5 (Bill Starr / Reg Park)	Typically ramping to a top set of five	Session-to-session, heavy/light/medium days	The original lineage — strength and size for lifters and athletes

StrongLifts 5×5, popularized by Mehdi at StrongLifts, is the beginner on-ramp: flat 5×5, two workouts, add weight every session until you stall. Madcow 5×5 — inspired by Bill Starr's work and later refined and popularized around the lifting forums — replaces flat sets with ramping sets that build to a single top set, and swaps every-session jumps for a weekly percentage bump. The classic 5×5 traces to bodybuilder Reg Park in the 1950s and strength coach Bill Starr in the 1970s, whose 5×5 system for athletes is the common ancestor of everything above.

Who is 5×5 for?

5×5 is at its best for beginners and early-intermediates who want a no-nonsense route to strength and size. If you're new to the barbell, a beginner 5×5 lets you add weight almost every session — the fastest progress you'll ever make — while drilling the big lifts until they're second nature.

It's less suited to advanced lifters chasing peak numbers, or to anyone whose main goal is high-volume bodybuilding across many isolation exercises — that's where a different structured program or a Push Pull Legs split fits better. But as a first serious program, or a strength base to build everything else on, 5×5 is hard to beat. When the every-session gains stop, Madcow 5×5 or a percentage-based plan like 5/3/1 is the natural next step.

How to run 5×5 in LiftHero

LiftHero includes Madcow 5×5 as a built-in program you can run free, and you can build your own beginner two-workout 5×5 by saving Workout A and Workout B as reusable routines and rotating them — routines and templates are free and unlimited, with no routine caps on the free tier. (Assembling your own 5×5 as one guided multi-week program in the custom program builder is a Hero feature.) Here's how to get going:

Get LiftHero free on iOS and open the Programs section.
Start the built-in Madcow 5×5 program, or save your own beginner 5×5 as two reusable routines — squat, bench, row on Workout A; squat, press, deadlift on Workout B — and rotate them.
Train each session straight from the app — it walks you through your sets and rest, and logs every rep, weight and RPE.
Progress linearly: hit all five sets of five, then add about 2.5 kg / 5 lb next session. Deload roughly 10% when you stall.
Watch your working weights, volume and personal records climb over months in your progress charts.

LiftHero built-in 5x5 program — squat, bench and row logged set by set in the app — Madcow 5×5 built in and free in LiftHero — plus save your own 5×5 as reusable routines.

LiftHero logs and tracks your training and includes a full program builder — it doesn't auto-progress the bar for you or sync wearables, so you stay in control of every jump.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 5×5 workout?

5×5 means five sets of five reps on the main compound barbell lifts — squat, bench press, overhead press, barbell row and deadlift — with linear progression, adding a small amount of weight each session. It builds strength and size on a short list of big lifts rather than lots of isolation work.

Is 5×5 good for beginners?

Yes. 5×5 is one of the best beginner-to-early-intermediate strength programs — simple, focused on a few compound lifts, and it lets you add weight every session while your body can still recover that fast. When the every-session jumps stall, you move to a weekly-progression version like Madcow 5×5.

StrongLifts 5×5 vs Madcow 5×5 — what's the difference?

StrongLifts 5×5 is a beginner program with flat sets (five sets at one weight) and every-session progression. Madcow 5×5 is an intermediate version with ramping sets that build to one top set, and weekly progression — you add weight once a week and chase a weekly PR. Madcow is where lifters go when StrongLifts-style linear progression stalls.

How many days a week is 5×5?

Three days a week on non-consecutive days — a Monday / Wednesday / Friday schedule is typical. You alternate two workouts (A and B), so across two weeks each workout runs three times.

Does LiftHero have a 5×5 program built in?

Yes — LiftHero includes Madcow 5×5 as a built-in program, free to run, alongside 5/3/1, Starting Strength, Push Pull Legs and Texas Method. To build your own beginner two-workout 5×5, you can save Workout A and Workout B as reusable routines and rotate them — routines and templates are free and unlimited, with no routine caps on the free tier — or copy a 5×5 program shared by a Hero member. Assembling your own 5×5 as one guided multi-week program in the custom program builder is a Hero feature.

How do you progress on 5×5?

On a beginner 5×5 you use linear progression: hit all five sets of five, then add about 2.5 kg / 5 lb next session (a little more on deadlift early). Fail a lift a few sessions running and you deload roughly 10% and climb back. On Madcow 5×5 you progress weekly instead, adding a small percentage each week toward a weekly top set.

StrongLifts is a trademark of StrongLifts. LiftHero is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by StrongLifts, and describes the widely-used 5×5 method rather than reproducing any proprietary program. This guide is educational and not medical advice — consult a qualified professional before starting any program.

By Meitar Lazimi, founder of LiftHero · Last updated July 1, 2026.

The 5×5 Workout