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Using the 5x5 System to Build Muscle
By Jason Ferruggia
The 5x5 system is one of the oldest muscle building programs in the book
and has stuck around forever. 5x5 is good and 5x5 is bad; it just
depends on the situation. There are a few ways that the 5x5 muscle
building system is implemented.
The first way that people use the 5x5 system to build muscle is that
they warm up to a weight and then stick with that weight for five sets
of five. So you need to choose a weight that you can handle for that
many sets. In essence, the fifth set will be the only set that is quite
difficult. This is a decent method to build muscle but largely a waste
of time for anyone but a beginner. There is too much volume at an
intensity that is too low building muscle. For beginners and early
intermediates, I think the 5x5 system is a good one. When you are
neurologically inefficient, you seem to respond better to a few more
repeated efforts. I still don’t know if five sets are really necessary
though; 3x5 is probably better in most cases.
The next way people employ the 5x5 system in an attempt to build muscle
is by starting with a heavy weight that they can barely get five reps
with and then lowering the weight with each significant set. Again, I
think this is too much. The only set that was worth doing was the first
and maybe the second. This is not the optimal way to build muscle.
The third way I have seen this system employed to build muscle is to
work up to a heavy weight that you can barely get five with and then
keeping that weight for the next four sets, no matter how many reps you
get. Progression is made each week by trying to get more reps in the
subsequent sets. This is a favorite of one particular egomaniacal
strength coach and like everything else he recommends, is total crap.
The last way that the 5x5 system is used to build muscle is by doing
five increasingly heavier sets so that only your last set is tough.
Basically the other sets are warm ups so you are really just warming up
to a five rep max or very close to it. If this is the case, it’s really
1x5 and not 5x5. It’s a bit of a misnomer. But if I had to pick one,
this would be the best method.
Working up to a five rep max and then a down set at 90% of your best is
an even better option for building muscle. Or you could do a very heavy
set of five but leave a little something in the tank and then go for
broke on the second set. There is some evidence which shows that this
second option may even be the better choice simply because the body may
not function optimally during the first heavy set. This is due to the
laws of homeostasis and various things of this nature. The first set
causes shock and certain protective mechanisms may set it which prevents
the first heavy set from actually being the best set. The job of the
first heavy set may be to provide neural arousal and prepare the body to
go all out on the second set. This is something that people have to play
with on their own and see what approach helps them build muscle fastest.
For more information on how to build muscle fast, please visit
http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/
Jason Ferruggia is a world famous fitness expert who is renowned for
his ability to help people build muscle as fast as humanly possible. He
is the head training advisor for Men’s Fitness Magazine where he also
has his own monthly column dedicated to muscle building. For more great
muscle building information, please visit
http://www.musclegainingsecrets.com/ |
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