Proven program, faithfully implemented
StrongLifts 5×5
StrongLifts 5×5 is the simplest barbell start there is: five sets of five on five lifts, two alternating workouts, weight added every session. It differs from Starting Strength in shape rather than principle — five working sets instead of three, and you squat in every single session.
About the program
Created by: Mehdi, StrongLifts — StrongLifts 5×5.
Who it's for
- Best for: A first barbell programme with almost no decisions to make.
- Experience: Beginner. Start deliberately light — squatting three times a week means the weight climbs fast and the volume arrives before you expect it.
- Time: Three days a week. Sessions get long once the 5×5s get heavy.
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Iron Forge fills in the exact weights for you from your maxes.
Linear progression
Workout A
- Barbell Squat — 5×5
- + 4 more exercises
Workout B
- Barbell Squat — 5×5
- + 4 more exercises
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
StrongLifts 5×5 is a beginner barbell programme built on five sets of five reps. You train 3 days a week alternating two workouts. Workout A is Squat 5×5, Bench Press 5×5, Barbell Row 5×5. Workout B is Squat 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5, Deadlift 1×5. You squat every session, warm up with ramping sets, then do your working 5×5 (deadlift is a single heavy set of 5). Add a little weight every workout.
How the weight goes up
Complete all 5×5 and add weight next session: +2.5 kg (5 lb) on squat, bench, row and press; +5 kg (10 lb) on deadlift. Because you squat three times a week, squats climb fast at first. Start light — around 50% of your 5-rep max, or the empty bar — to bank easy sessions and drill form before the weights get heavy.
Deloads and stalling
If you fail to get all 5 reps on all 5 sets for three workouts in a row on a lift, deload that lift 10% and work back up. Repeated stalls mean you've gotten what a linear 5×5 has to give — switch to an intermediate programme such as Madcow 5×5 or 5/3/1.
StrongLifts 5×5 in Iron Forge
FAQ
- What weights do I start with?
Start light: roughly 50% of your 5-rep max, or the empty bar if you're new, so you can add weight for weeks and nail technique first.
- How often do I train?
Three non-consecutive days a week (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri), alternating Workout A and Workout B.
- Why 1×5 deadlift but 5×5 everything else?
Five sets of heavy deadlifts three times a week is too much to recover from as a beginner. One hard set of 5 gives the stimulus without wrecking your recovery for squats.
- What do I do when I stall?
Fail all 5×5 for three sessions on a lift → deload that lift 10% and climb back. It usually breaks the plateau; if not, you've outgrown the programme.
- Why barbell rows instead of more pulling volume?
Rows balance the pressing with upper-back work at a manageable dose; the deadlift already provides heavy posterior-chain pulling.
- When should I move on from 5×5?
When linear increases stop working even after deloads — typically a few months in. Good next steps are Madcow 5×5 (weekly progression) or Wendler 5/3/1.
- Why do I have arm and core work? StrongLifts is just the five lifts.
Those slots are the app's addition, not Mehdi's, and they are flagged as such rather than folded in quietly — three sets of curls or triceps work and something for the core, at the end of each session. They are optional. If you want the programme exactly as published, skip them; nothing about the progression depends on them.
- Why does next week look different from this week?
Three sessions a week alternating two workouts cannot come out even: you get A-B-A one week and B-A-B the next, then it repeats. So you squat every session, but bench and deadlift each land twice one week and once the next.
Start StrongLifts 5×5 for free today.
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