5×5 Workout Programs Compared: Five Versions, Side by Side
A 5×5 program is about as simple as strength training gets: five sets of five on a few barbell lifts, three days a week, a little more weight each time. The named versions differ less than their names suggest.
The depot.fitness library has five programs with 5×5 in the name. All run three days a week for 12 weeks, and between them they hold 35 of the library's 56 prescriptions of five sets of five. The other 21 are spread across 11 programs, none with more than four. Four are rated beginner; Madcow 5×5 is rated intermediate. These are the library's own versions of well-known public templates, not official copies, so this guide describes what the library prescribes, set by set.
The five, side by side
| Program | Level | Sets a week | Accessories | Rest on main lifts | Weight goes up | On a stall |
|---|
| Classic 5×5 Strength (free) | Beginner | 41 | None | 4 min; row 3, deadlift 5 | 2.5 kg, every lift, every session | Take 10% off, work back up |
| StrongLifts 5×5 Refined | Beginner | 41 | None | 3 min; deadlift 4 | 5 lb every session | 10% off after 3 failures at one weight |
| Strength 5x5 Linear Progression | Beginner | 50 | Plank, face pulls, hyperextensions | 2½–3 min; deadlift 4 | 5 lb a session, if every set was completed | Repeat the weight |
| Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 | Beginner | 58 | Curls, triceps extensions, shrugs, hyperextensions | 3 min; row 2½, deadlift 4 | 5 lb on the compounds, every session | Not stated |
| Madcow 5×5 | Intermediate | 39 | None | 2–4 min, by day | 5 lb lower body, 2.5 lb upper body, weekly | Not stated |
For scale, the library's median program carries 58 working sets a week, and the median beginner program 47.
Same barbell core, different extras
Strip out the accessories and the four beginner versions are identical: the same five lifts in the same places, 41 working sets a week.
| Lift | Four beginner versions | Madcow 5×5 |
|---|
| Squat | 5×5 in every session | Mon 5×5, ramping to a top set; Wed 4×5, lighter; Fri 5, 5, 3, 8 |
| Bench press | 5×5 in sessions 1 and 3 | Mon 5×5; Fri 5, 5, 3, 8 |
| Barbell row | 5×5 in sessions 1 and 3 | Mon 5×5; Fri 5, 5, 3, 8 |
| Overhead press | 5×5 in session 2 | Wed 4×5 |
| Deadlift | 1×5 in session 2 | Wed 4×5 |
Two details catch people out. The deadlift is not five sets of five: in all four beginner versions it is one working set, 5 reps a week against 75 on the squat. And the listed week is A, B, A, repeated, so the bench and row get two sessions a week and the press and deadlift one. Some lifters alternate instead, running B, A, B the next week.
What separates the four is everything around that core.
- Accessories. Classic 5×5 and StrongLifts 5×5 Refined have none. Strength 5x5 Linear Progression adds one per session (planks, face pulls or hyperextensions), 9 sets a week. Ice Cream Fitness 5×5, which the library describes as a StrongLifts variant with more arm and back work, adds two: curls and triceps extensions at 3×8 on A days, shrugs at 3×8 and hyperextensions at 2×10 on B. That is 17 extra sets. Every accessory rests 60 seconds.
- Rest. Classic 5×5 rests 4 minutes on the squat, bench and press, 3 on the row and 5 on the deadlift. StrongLifts 5×5 Refined rests 3 minutes on everything but the deadlift. Added up after every working set but the last, Classic's A session holds about 52 minutes of rest and StrongLifts' about 42, before warm-ups. With an hour of gym time, that gap matters more than the name.
- Units. Classic 5×5 is the only one written in kilograms. Its 2.5 kg jump is about 5.5 lb.
How the weight goes up, and what happens on a stall
The four beginner versions add weight every session. With the squat in all three sessions, a 5 lb jump asks for 15 lb more on the squat each week (7.5 kg on Classic 5×5). Madcow adds weight once a week: 5 lb on the lower-body lifts, 2.5 lb on the upper-body lifts. On the squat, that is 15 lb a week against 5: the gap between the beginner versions and Madcow in one number.
The stall rules differ too. Two of the five write a reset, one says to repeat the weight, and two say nothing:
- Classic 5×5 Strength: when you stall, take 10% off and work back up.
- StrongLifts 5×5 Refined: fail the same weight three times, then take 10% off.
- Strength 5x5 Linear Progression: add weight only if every set of five was completed; otherwise repeat the weight. No reset is named.
- Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 and Madcow 5×5: no stall rule is written.
For the three without a reset, borrow the usual answer: repeat the weight, and after two or three failed sessions take about 10% off and build back. Progressive overload covers stalls and what to check first.
Small jumps need small plates: 5 lb is 2.5 lb a side, and 2.5 kg is 1.25 kg a side. The plate calculator shows what goes on each side, in either unit. Madcow's 2.5 lb upper-body jump is 1.25 lb a side, which needs fractional plates. Not every gym has them, and the calculator's pound plates stop at 2.5 lb.
Madcow 5×5: the version for after the stall
Madcow is the only one built for weekly progress; the library's description says it is for lifters who stalled on StrongLifts. Its days are named Monday, Wednesday and Friday:
- Monday, heavy: squat, bench and row at 5×5, with the squat marked "ramping to top set": each set heavier than the last.
- Wednesday, light: a lighter squat, then overhead press and deadlift, each at 4×5.
- Friday, PR: squat, bench and row for four sets of 5, 5, 3 and 8 reps.
Only 3 of its 9 prescriptions are true 5×5s. It has the fewest sets of the five, 39, and the least rest across the week as written, about 104 minutes: 38 on Monday, 25 on Wednesday and 41 on Friday.
It gives no starting weights. A common approach is to start a little under where your beginner program stalled, so the first weeks have room to move. The 1RM calculator turns a recent set of five into an estimated max for reference.
Which one to run
- First barbell program: Classic 5×5 Strength or StrongLifts 5×5 Refined, which prescribe the same sets and reps. Classic for kilograms, longer rests and a program that is free in full; StrongLifts for pounds and shorter sessions.
- Some core and back work: Strength 5x5 Linear Progression. It is also the only one of the five with rest days written into its schedule, one between each session.
- Arm work from day one: Ice Cream Fitness 5×5, at 58 sets a week. Bring your own stall rule.
- The per-session jumps have stopped, even after a reset: Madcow 5×5. Moving earlier trades a faster rule for a slower one.
Run one at a time, until its rule stops moving the lifts. Strength training for beginners covers the beginner stage itself: warm-up sets, how heavy to start and when the stage ends.
FAQ
StrongLifts or Madcow: which should I run?
They come in sequence. StrongLifts 5×5 Refined is a beginner program that adds weight every session; Madcow 5×5 is rated intermediate and adds it weekly, with the same five lifts, three days a week. Run the beginner version until its 10% reset no longer gets you past the stall, then switch.
How long should I run a 5×5 program?
All five are written for 12 weeks. On a beginner version the better test is the rule, not the calendar: keep going while the weight still goes up, and move on when the lifts stall again after a reset despite normal sleep and food.
Is 5×5 good for building muscle?
For a beginner it is a reasonable start: four of the five are tagged for muscle gain as well as strength, and compound lifts that get heavier every session work most of the body. But the volume is low. Classic 5×5 and StrongLifts carry 41 sets a week, against a median of 47 for beginner programs and 58 for the library. If size is the priority, Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 adds arm and trap work, and a higher-volume program makes more sense once beginner progress slows.
Try one
Classic 5×5 Strength is one of the five free programs, every session included: start day 1, no account needed. Day 1 of the other four runs without an account too, including Madcow 5×5 for when the beginner version runs out. Every set, rep and rest is written out.