Bill Starr's 5 x 5 program... Variation per Madcow2 (thanx) So here it is! K up now!

[Protobuilder]

Thanks for putting in the hard work, madcow. It's appreciated.

[Slyder190]

I am wrapping up the final week of 5x5. I am gonna do another run with it right away. How do I deload though after week 9 before starting up again?

[Numani]

I am wrapping up the final week of 5x5. I am gonna do another run with it right away. How do I deload though after week 9 before starting up again?

won't the first two weeks be with weights below your PR's and hence it will be a natural deload. of course a week out the gym might help if you feel a very fatigued at this point.

[Slyder190]

won't the first two weeks be with weights below your PR's and hence it will be a natural deload. of course a week out the gym might help if you feel a very fatigued at this point.

I appreciate your reply, but I'm lookin for madcow or Blutwump to hit me up on this one.

[Madcow2]

I appreciate your reply, but I'm lookin for madcow or Blutwump to hit me up on this one.

Assuming you peaked out with weeks 8/9 of heavy records in the triples training 3x per week - a lot of people need a moderate week or so before pushing hard again. See how you feel, if 1 week of light training is enough then move back into the volume phase. There's really so much you could do and it really depends on just how beat up you are and what it takes to beat you up/recover.

[Slyder190]

Assuming you peaked out with weeks 8/9 of heavy records in the triples training 3x per week - a lot of people need a moderate week or so before pushing hard again. See how you feel, if 1 week of light training is enough then move back into the volume phase. There's really so much you could do and it really depends on just how beat up you are and what it takes to beat you up/recover.

Well I'm still on a cycle right now. What I wanted to know though was what your recomendation would be if I were natural regardless. Basically, what do mou recomend for a moderate week? Do I go back to doing 5 sets of 5 and 1 max set of 5 like in the volume phase, but with a reduced weight percentage like 80%? Or what is the deal exactly? What should the deload week or two after week 9 look like? I'm not sure what the workouts should look like or what the weights should look like.

[Guinness5.0]

What should the deload week or two after week 9 look like? I'm not sure what the workouts should look like or what the weights should look like.

At some point you're gonna have to figure out what it feels like to be fatigued and how to go about transitioning from one phase to the next. Try it and see. If it's too much and you have to deload early, then you'll inow for the future. If you step right back into volume and run the whole thing w/out issue, then you'll know that you'd be unlikely to need an extra 'recuperation/deload' week.

Just do something and learn from it. You can't learn everything by reading.

[TheOak84]

ive been deloading every 3-4 weeks by doin speed work so my 9 week of 5x5 is actually 12 weeks.

on the deloading i work out 2x a week, so itll be like

mon:

box squats - 9x3
dip - 4x4
speed bench 9x3

thurs:

speed deads/cleans - 9x3
ohp 5x5, 3x3 (w/bands)

then continue about the regular 5x5 week

[Slyder190]

At some point you're gonna have to figure out what it feels like to be fatigued and how to go about transitioning from one phase to the next. Try it and see. If it's too much and you have to deload early, then you'll inow for the future. If you step right back into volume and run the whole thing w/out issue, then you'll know that you'd be unlikely to need an extra 'recuperation/deload' week.

Just do something and learn from it. You can't learn everything by reading.

Guninnes, solid advice as always my friend. it's a tough call right now, because I'm still on my cycle. I could have busted out more than 3 reps for bench and 3x3 for squats for sure in this final week. (2 more workouts left). Could I go right back into a volume phase? Maybe. While I do like to take advantage of the benefits of my cycle, I still like to take a little deload or down time all the same to give my body a "rest", shall we say (or shall we just say deload). I know my body well enough to know that (at least naturally speaking anyway) A deload here would do me good. Hopefully madcow can chime in here and give me an example. K 2 ya Guiness. And even though I don't think Oak hit the nail on the head for me, K to you as well for lending advice from your personal experience.

[blut wump]

There are more ways of deloading than dropping down to two workouts per week.

My own way of judging when loading is happening is that the sets and reps become more a matter of willpower than of strength. Whether you get loaded this week is mostly a matter of how hard you pushed yourself last week to make new 3x3 and 1x3 PRs and how hard you push this week. You might even finish the week not loaded in which case you have the choice of going to a tenth week or diving sraight back into a fresh week 1 and new program.

Assuming you do finish this week loaded, then it makes sense to take a recovery week. The essence of any recovery week is that you aren't working as hard as before it. That might involve dropping down to doubles rather than triples or it might involve dropping the weights down to 50% and doing some speed work.

Personally, I like to take a chance to work on some exercises I've missed out on for a while. Maybe do some front squats or incline DB work and a bit of arm work, which I tend to neglect usually. Maybe take a chance to work on some cleans. You get the idea.

Like madcow says, it entirely depends on how deeply you're into loading from the intensity phase and how long you, personally, take to recover from these last two weeks of the program. Given the enhanced recovery from being on a cycle, I'd expect that one week of lighter 8-10 rep work and some fresh exercises over two or three days as you see fit would leave you ready to dive straight back into a fresh run.