Madcow 5x5

An intermediate barbell program written up by Madcow (Madcow2), adapted from Bill Starr's 5x5 by way of the Deep Squatter site, and shared free on his training pages and lifting forums. It suits lifters who have outgrown session-to-session linear progression such as StrongLifts or Starting Strength and now need a week to recover and add weight.

Weekly structure

Three full-body sessions a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

• Monday (medium): squat, bench press and barbell row, 5x5 each, ramping up to one top set of 5. Assistance: 2 sets of weighted hyperextensions and 4 sets of weighted sit-ups.
• Wednesday (light): squat 4x5, repeating Monday's first three sets and then the third set again. Incline bench press (or overhead press) and deadlift, 4x5 each, ramping to a top set of 5. Assistance: 3 sets of sit-ups.
• Friday (heavy): squat, bench press and row each repeat Monday's first four sets, then a heavy triple 2.5% above Monday's top set, then one set of 8 with the third-set weight. Assistance: 3 sets of weighted dips (5-8 reps), 3 sets of barbell curls and 3 sets of triceps extensions (8 reps).

Ramping sets

Only the last set of 5 is heavy. The earlier sets climb toward it in jumps of about 12.5% (anywhere from 10-15% is fine, rounded to plates you have). With a 200 lb top set, Monday runs about 100, 125, 150, 175, 200. On Wednesday's 4x5 ramps, start one step higher: 125, 150, 175, 200. Titan has no load for these sets. The ramp is keyed to that week's top set rather than a fixed 1RM, so each exercise's notes give the steps as a share of the top set. Rest 2-5 minutes between work sets, up to 5 after the hardest ones.

Progression

The top set goes up about 2.5% a week. Friday's triple is next Monday's top set of 5, and the Wednesday incline and deadlift top sets rise by the same 2.5% each week.

To set starting weights, put your current 5-rep max as the week 4 top set and work backwards 2.5% per week to weeks 3, 2 and 1. The first three weeks are a deliberate on-ramp, and new records start in week 5. Start conservatively, especially on bench. Starting too heavy is the usual way this program fails.

If you miss reps, keep the weight the same next week until you get them. If one lift stalls for several weeks, reset that lift back a few weeks and build up again. When most lifts stall, reset the whole program and spend about 4 weeks working back up to your records.

How long to run it

This layout covers 12 weeks: a 4-week on-ramp and 8 weeks of records. It is not a fixed-length program, so keep going as long as the weekly records keep coming.