Your ‘New 5 x 5’ article analyzing 5 x 5 is awesome. I love how you combined triphasic with 5x5 to make up for lost muscle recruitment. That’s genius. My only complaint about 5x5 is it takes too long! I can devote one hour per day though it is possible to get one hour plus a shorter session for two-a-days. But still this looks like it works out to somewhere near 1.5 to 2 hours for a solid warm up, ramp up, and rests between sets for me to do. I think I’m going to put this in the queue for future programming in some modified form of two-a-days three days a week and maybe use only two lifts at a time (AM one lift PM another).
If you have done this program or the Texas Method (similar program), how much time does it take per session?
I DIDN’T COMBINE TRIPHASIC…
I was using the three contractions YEARS before Triphasic came out. And even wrote about it almost 10 years before the book came out.
I’ve always used eccentric and isometric methods with athletes… started doing so 21 years ago.
My system is detailed in my second book “Theory and Application of Modern Strength and Power Methods” which was written 6 years before Triphasic.
And I even wrote articles about it in a few articles on T-nation.
Here’s one that dates back to 2003, 9 years before triphasic was written:
Heck, I haven’t even read the Triphasic book.
My original inspirations for using the 3 types of contraction were Jean-Pierre Egger (coach of Werner Gunthor) and Gilles Commetti.
You can also read:
All written close to 10 years before Triphasic… GOD I’m so tired of the triphasic thing
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I must second the “it takes too long” aspect of 5X5 training too. So you’re telling me, I have to do my bench, squats, and deadlifts all in one day? I can see how it may help beginners who are not using very heavy poundage yet but as you get more advanced, I feel like the warm-up/ramp-up sets for just bench could last for 30+min. After that I still have to squat and dead lift?
Training that way just isn’t for me I guess. I would rather focus on 1 big compound lift per training day.
I’m not saying the program is bad but it may be too much for me to handle.
It absolutely depends on your own preferences. I do train plenty of clients, including pro athletes who are very strong, using a whole body approach with 3-4 big lifts per workout. That’s also how olympic lifters train.
And the competitive powerlifters that I train, train all three lifts at every workout. Which sucks at first, but it prep them well for their competition.
One girl I train just hit 230kg x 2 (506lbs) on squat, 115kg (253lbs) x 2 bench and 215kg x 2 (473lbs) on deadlifts in the same session. (she competed as a 67kg)
But it’s not for everyone.
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Indeed not everyone is on SARMs or other anabolic…
It could just be that someone would have to build their work capacity to handle that kind of training. It seems like such a monumental feat.
I do love total body training as I think it works really well for the “every man”. Personally, I enjoy focusing on 1 big lift for strength per day that I can go “all in” on. Then after that I could hit the rest of the body but for higher “pump work”.
I may have to give it another shot however as you seem to be getting great results out of your clients with that approach.
I personally don’t use 5 x 5 for 3 lifts, I feel that it is too much work for most. When I do it I normally only do two hard sets of 5. The other sets are part of a ramp.
For example if I’m shooting to squat 445 x 5 I’ll do something like:
135 x 5 (warm-up)
225 x 5 (warm-up)
315 x 5 (warm-ip)
345 x 5 (work set ramp)
385 x 5 (work set ramp)
415 x 5 (work set ramp)
445 x 5 (hard work set)
445 x 5 (hard work set)
Very well then. That makes complete sense. I’d be happy to use 315lb as a warm up. I’d be lucky to do that.
wow… any picture ? it’s human or not ? 
You can follow her on instagram at naomisheppard … I do the programming and her husband (and also T-nation contributor) Tom does the coaching in the gym.
Has anyone tried doing 2 a day style with this? So AM session 5x5 lower, then PM 5x5 upper.
Or maybe do the lower body first…take a “snack”/rest session of 20-30 minutes then do the upper body?
Wondering if these temporal breaks can help improve performance / maybe results