Since everyone is probably skimming until they get to this portion (hopefully to come back and study the rest later), I'll get to the program.
The following rules must be followed:
1) You must do all of the exercises prescribed.
2) You
CANNOT add extra exercises and expect any additional gains with the exception of maybe a few sets of calves training. If you add additional work you'll likely OVERTRAIN.
3) YOU MUST take at least 2 days off (weekend) following the "Friday" or "Day 3" session of Bench, Squat, and Rows. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've busted guys who did their "B,S,R" workout, and only took 1 day off since they were so excited to continue. You might get away with it at first, but if you continue to neglect your rest, YOU WILL OVERTRAIN. PERIOD.
Don't give me a migrane headache guys....PLEASE follow instructions!
4) YOU MUST rest at least 5 minutes before attempting your top set of an "Intensity" workout/bodypart and about 5 minutes between sets during a "Volume" workout. "Intensity" is defined as 5 sets where you'll pyramid to one heaviest set. A "Volume" workout is where you'll do 5 constant-weight sets after a brief warmup. For example, if you have to do 135x5x5 for squats, you MUST rest at least 5 minutes between sets. Again, guys will fail to complete their reps, and then I'll later find out that they didn't rest enough between sets. Very simple gentlemen (and ladies)...your goal is to complete the sets and reps. No more, no less.
5) IF YOU DON'T GET THE SETS/REPS (as in you get 4 reps instead of 5 on your 5th set) STOP! STOP! STOP! DO NOT try to be a hero and try to attempt 8 sets in a silly effort to prove to me or yourself that you can do it. Even if you do it on the 8th set, you are still an IDIOT for trying. When I write something, consider it a direct order, and to be a disobeyence of a direct order if you try anything "extra". If you are in need of this program, it means that you are NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO THINK FOR YOURSELF YET WITH RESPECT TO PROGRAM DESIGN!!! SO DON'T THINK!!! That is my job! Are we clear everyone?
I'm not a bad guy....just don't piss me off!
To ensure that you complete the sets and reps, you MUST observe the following final rule:
6) This is the most important rule. If you don't follow it, don't expect much. This applies ESPECIALLY to the guys who have a hard time gaining weight: EAT! If you are a stick-boy, you should be eating enough to gain AT LEAST 1lb per week. And I'm not talking about the 5lbs you'll gain in the first week that is mostly water weight gained from extra carb intake. After this initial 5lbs, you'll need to add another 1-2lbs for the duration of the program. Whatever fat you add, you can always lose later and still retain most of the muscle. As it has been written in our "Training for Men" article linked from the homepage, you DO NOT get to see models and actors in the off-season when they are preparing for movie roles. They get FAT in many cases. If you've ever seen fat actors in tabloids, and later they starred in "Fight Club" or "Ali", now you know what they were doing. They were bulking and gaining muscle. While I don't recommend that you become obese, you should still strive to gain about 10-15lbs of scale weight during this phase of training.
A final message...consistancy is the key, and you should be training 3 times per week, every other day, if you expect to get progress/results. If you miss a day or two, it won't kill your program. But don't make this a habit. Just continue where you left off. If you DO miss a week, you'll need to go back AT LEAST a week in the weights you are using. If you miss 2 weeks, START THE PROGRAM OVER FROM THE BEGINNING.
Oh yea...another bone-headed thing that some guys do....if you are going to miss a day, for example, you are going to the provinces on Friday and won't be able to do your workout then, DO NOT...DAMMIT....DO NOT DO TWO CONSECUTIVE WORKOUTS, AS IN WEDNESDAY AND THEN THURSDAY WITH NO DAY OFF!!! For all of those laughing at what I've written, you'd be surprised at how many doctors, med-students, engineers, and others who are highly-educated will do the things above even when I've told them this stuff already....especially the part about "follow the program exactly" and "you must rest 1 day after each workout and take the weekends off after 3 every-other-day sessions". At least it's in writing here so at least I'll have SOME peace of mind as to adherance to what I'm saying
So away we go:
Cliche...Drum roll....
THE BILL STARR 5x5
Monday (Perform them in this order)
1) Bench Press
2) Squats
3) Dynamic rows
Wednesday (Perform them in this order)
1) Military Press
2) Deadlifts
3) Squats
4) Pull-ups
Friday (Perform them in this order)
1) Bench Press
2) Squat
3) Dynamic Rows
So how does this work:
First, you'll find the most weight that you can do,
for 5 reps for:
Bench press
Squat
Dynamic Rows
Pullups (if you can't do even one, don't worry about it)
STANDING Military Press
Deadlifts (sumo or conventional depends on you)
Now you'll begin your progression as follows:
Monday (Perform them in this order)
1) Bench Press - Pyramid to approximately 95% of your top 5 weight over 5 sets. Each previous set should be approximately 15-20% less than the first. Note that this will be very loosely followed when the weights are light. Rest 5 minutes before performing your last set.
2) Squats - After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform 5 sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for squats. Be sure to rest 5-7 minutes here.
3) Dynamic rows - After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform 5 sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for squats. Be sure to rest 5 minutes here. If the weight is less than 155lbs, don't bother with warm-up sets.
Wednesday (Perform them in this order)
1) Military Press - After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform
FOUR sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for STANDING Military Press. Be sure to rest 3-5 minutes here. If the weight is less than 85lbs, do not bother with warmup sets.
2) Deadlifts - After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform 5 sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for Deadlifts. Be sure to rest 5-7 minutes here.
3) Squats - Here you will perform 15-25%
less weight than you did on Monday. For most guys, I've found that 15% is sufficient. This is assuming that you are less than 35 years old. For older individuals, you might need a larger reduction in weight.
4) Pull-ups After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform 5 sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for Pullups. Be sure to rest 5 minutes here. If you cannot do 5 pullups per set, don't worry about it. They grow stronger as your deadlift and dynamic rows grow stronger.
Friday (Perform them in this order)
1) Bench Press - After maybe 1-2 warmup sets of 3 reps, you will perform 5 sets of 5 reps with approximately 90% of your top 5 weight for Pullups. Be sure to rest 5 minutes before attempting each set.
2) Squat - Pyramid to approximately 95% of your top 5 weight over 5 sets. Each previous set should be approximately 15-20% less than the first. Note that this will be very loosely followed when the weights are light. Rest 5 minutes before performing your last set.
3) Dynamic Rows - Pyramid to approximately 95% of your top 5 weight over 5 sets. Each previous set should be approximately 15-20% less than the first. Note that this will be very loosely followed when the weights are light. Rest 5 minutes before performing your last set. If you could not do more than 135lbs on your top 5 test, you'll simply add 5lbs more than you did on Monday and do 5x5 with a constant weight instead. This will be the case for most new lifters or non-athletes.
Now that you know the basic instructions, and do's and don'ts, I'd recommend that you study them THOROUGHLY. An ounce of prevention is worth TONS of cure, or slapping yourself in the forehead ala Homer Simpson later when you realize you did something dumb.
Some real examples, based on theoretical Top 5 weights will follow next to illustrate.