Proven program, faithfully implemented
5BX
Eleven minutes, no equipment, six charts you climb one level at a time.
About the program
Created by: Royal Canadian Air Force (Bill Orban) — RCAF pamphlet 30/1, 5BX Plan for Physical Fitness, 3rd edition, 1965 — public domain.
Who it's for
- Best for: A short daily routine that needs no equipment and no gym, climbing a ladder of standards rather than following a weekly plan.
- Experience: Beginner upward — Chart 1 level D- is deliberately gentle, and Chart 6 is described by its own authors as champion-athlete territory.
- Time: Eleven minutes a day, every day. Two minutes on the first exercise, one each on the next three, six on the stationary run.
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Every set here is bodyweight — Iron Forge tracks the level you are on and moves you up when you have earned it.
5BX
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
5BX — Five Basic Exercises
- Toe Touch with Backward Bend — 1×2
- Sit-Up to See Heels — 1×3
- Alternating Single Leg Raise (Prone) — 1×4
- + 2 more exercises
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Six charts of twelve levels, D- to A+. Five exercises in a fixed order, one set each, inside per-exercise time boxes of 2/1/1/1 and 6 minutes — eleven minutes in total.
Start at Chart 1, level D-. Move up a level when you can complete the required count for every exercise inside the eleven minutes, and only after you have spent the minimum number of days at that level — four at 30-39, seven at 40-49, eight at 50-59, ten at 60 and over.
⚠ The five exercises change on every chart. They are not the same five getting harder: the push-up leaves the knees at Chart 2, and the sit-up gains a twist at Chart 5.
5BX in Iron Forge
FAQ
- How long does a session take?
Eleven minutes. Two minutes on the first exercise and one each on the next three, then six minutes on the stationary run. The time box is the point: you do as many as you can inside it.
- Where do I start?
Chart 1, level D-, whatever your training age. The charts are ordered and the first one is deliberately gentle.
- When do I move up a level?
When you can complete the required count for every exercise at your present level inside the eleven minutes. The source also asks you to spend a minimum number of days at each level, and that minimum rises with age — four days at 30-39, seven at 40-49, eight at 50-59, ten at 60 and over.
- Why did the exercises change?
Every chart has its own five. The movement gets harder as you climb, not just the count — the push-up leaves the knees at Chart 2, and the sit-up gains a twist at Chart 5.
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