5x5 in the Max phase

If you’re incorporating this into a GPP as part of a sprint program, Charlie would be the one to ask. It will depend very much on your training level and how this will fit into your overall plan. For posterior chain, I like squats, box squats, RDL’s (performed explosively) and GHR’s. Wide stance does hit the glutes and hams a little harder than narrow stance, but again, ask sprinters here for their opinion, as some believe wide squats may effect sprint mechanics.

5 x 5 should work if you limit the number of exercises to two, and yes full deadlifts would be difficult and not high on my list for a sprinter.

Then what lift would you choose instead of Deadlifts for a few month of working out balances and improving performance(since I’m anterior pelvic tilt and quad dominant)? I’m getting a good box for the box squat, just don’t know when yet though.

For the 6 week gpp keep the reps in 6-12 zone, for example:

wk 1: 3x12x50
wk 2: 3x10x55
wk 3: 3x10x60
wk 4: 3x8x65
wk 5: 3x8x70
wk 6: 3x6x75

Mon:
power cleans
clean pulls
back squats

Fri:
power cleans
back squats
rev lunges
rdl

Looks pretty cool. Though I’m not a big fan of squat in my position needing to fix my imbalances of quad and ham/glutes.

LOL, imbalances. Sorry didn’t mean to laugh.

Well, im from Sweden so my english isn’t like yours! :slight_smile: but still don’t see why that grammatically would be wrong, it’s off topic anyway!

I am from Bulgaria,my english is bad,but you understand me… the squad is very good exercise for all body,but this exercise is not so good for very hight people(188sm+…) deadlift to.because this exercises are very hard,they build big strenght,but are very dengerous when you do 2-4 reps,i have a problem with my back when i use deadlift,i do deadlift with 215kg x 4 reps because the position of my body is not like the position like somewone who is 172-179sm.its little difficult for me(i am 186) and just stop do deadlift,but i like do squad!!!

you dont thing this 5x5 are not to much?Take a bench press…if i do 5reps with 130kg this means for 1 set i do 650kg,for 5 set this is a 3 tons and 250kg(3.250)and this is for only one exercise…?

…And i want ask something.Why you do sets with weights 80%,how you build strenght with 80% of 8 reps or 14 i dont understand?,i do sets 100% of 3-15 dosnt mater how reps…but i do 100%…When i do 8 reps i do 8 and no more,for me this build very big strenght and muscles,only reps are important,the weightlifters do 1-3 reps and they not build muscles because they lift with CNS.The bulgarian coach Ivan Abajiev use this metod of lifting.We have one bulgarian lifter before who lift 3x bodyweight,yeah the bulgarians takes drugs but everyone on that level take,and Charlie now what do bulgarians(Seoul 1988-bulgarian scandal)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0rH854eubg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLNzd_FcThs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3W3mG7EuNI
This are 3 videos…

I’m not a big fan of TUT or total load, I think reps per set and total reps are a better way to judge work load and intensity. I don’t think 5 x 5 is too much if its something like…

Full Warmup
5 x 70%
5 x 75%
5 x 75%
5 x 80%
4-5 x 85%

…And i want ask something.Why you do sets with weights 80%,how you build strenght with 80% of 8 reps or 14 i dont understand?,i do sets 100% of 3-15 dosnt mater how reps…but i do 100%…When i do 8 reps i do 8 and no more,for me this build very big strenght and muscles,only reps are important,the weightlifters do 1-3 reps and they not build muscles because they lift with CNS.The bulgarian coach Ivan Abajiev use this metod of lifting.We have one bulgarian lifter before who lift 3x bodyweight,yeah the bulgarians takes drugs but everyone on that level take,and Charlie now what do bulgarians(Seoul 1988-bulgarian scandal)
I think I agree with some of this, and maybe disagree with some. If by saying you do sets of 100% you mean train to failure every set, then I would say this will last for a short time and you will definitely overtrain. For hypertrophy or strength endurance, going to occasional failure is fine…I never purposely train to failure when doing max strength, although it happens if I miscalculate. I agree that not much mass is built with reps under 4, which is why I suggested doing both low rep sets and higher reps sets, or the 5 x 5 which is a comprimise between the two.

The whole point is to create a strength development plan that is consistent with your current strength and training age. It will change pretty much every year as you go up until the strength level is high enough that greater strength in that one lift would be unlikely to contribute to overall development any further.

I wasn’t LOL at your english, I don’t understand the muscle imbalances issues.

I think he was saying his hams/glutes are underdeveloped relative to his quads. He wants develop glutes/hams while maintaining quads.

I know that and I’m saying squat while adding 1-2 additional movements for the under develop muscle groups.

The whole point is to create a strength development plan that is consistent with your current strength and training age. It will change pretty much every year as you go up until the strength level is high enough that greater strength in that one lift would be unlikely to contribute to overall development any further.

Two things Charlie, when you say “change”, do you mean a gradual subtraction of reps and sets as the athlete progresses? And also, at what point would you cut out the hypertrophy phases to add more muscle, and just stick to CNS training (i.e. what do you look for in an athletes size, strength, and performance to say “anymore size or strength training will inhibit his performance”)?

How does RDL differ from a full Deadlift in CNS recruitment? Cuz’ I’m probably just gonna work on RDL and skip the regular Deadlifts and Squats for a period of time. Maybe Charlie could fill this one in for me! :slight_smile:

Yes you are right,every training plan is very individual,i mean everithing are important for one strenght plan-age,strenght level,training age and offcource genetics.I hear some weightlifters do 60 tons of weight training per day,the coach Abajiev do 3 training sessions per day(but this is his metod of adaptation)Somebody tell this 3 trainings per day are to much but this athleetes take to much steroids,suplements,nutritional and they recovery very quickly…but everithing is adapted your body to this 3 trainings and weights in every training session!!(sorry for english again)

For me strenght its not= the muscle size,muscle size its not important for muscle strenght.For me they are diferent,when you training whith weight for 1-3 reps you training CNS and this muscle fibres for strenght not for muscle size,some bodybuilders just pumped weights and do 15 reps,they have big muscle but not to much strenght,Charlie is expert and make tell something interesting for this!:cool:

Yes you dont make do 5 sets with 100% of weights,because you not recovery creatine level if you do every set for 100%,but for 1 or 2 sets you need to do 100% set,maybe 1x5reps(60%),1x5(70%),1x5(80%),2x5(100%).I tell you again how you do max strenght ,when you not do set with 100%?!Whith reps under 4 you training CNS and your strenght,not your muscle size!IF you need muscles do 8-12 reps…:cool:

Thanks for the response :cool:
I’ll keep that in mind! Well, if you did not read the posts I wrote before, I said that I’ll have a 3 week GPP (3x10), Accum phase 3weeks (4x8) and a 7week (including 1recovery/unloading) Max Phase (5x5). Do you think it would be a good idé to do the first 3weeks of max with 5x5, and the second with maybe 5x3?
Cuz’ I’ve started 5month ago with squats, bench and so on. But this summer I did almost everything under 5reps and heavy loads. This was probably not the best choice since I’m quite new to lifting, and thats why I’m periodizing it like I just wrote, to accelerate gains and get some more muscles.