Stronglifts 5x5 works with a progressive overload to get you stronger. This means you increase the weight lifted in little increments from workout to workout. This article explains the principle in more detail and shows alternatives. 

 

At the heart of Stronglifts 5x5 and any other strength training program is progressive overload. Progressive overload means that you expose your body to more weight over time so that it adapts to the bigger challenge. This increase in weight is linear from workout to workout until you fail to lift the weight 5 times for five repetitions for the exercise. In the long run, this makes you stronger. The best way to get familiar with the program is to play around a little with the free Stronglifts 5x5 App. 

 

 

The linear progression makes you scale quicker than other programs. This can be done with beginners as they usually recover from workout to workout. This is based in the fact, that you make gains due to improved motor patterns and that the weight is little. Intermediates and advanced lifters progress week over week or even quarter over quarter. The programming comes in waves with peaks that are a week or quarter apart. Experienced lifters are not able to recover any more from workout to workout. Once you have done your first 5x5 with 200kg on your back you'll understand that you will not go back two days later to do the same.

 

 

Stronglifts operates right in the middle of most commonly accepted lifting theory. At one extreme is strength optimized training. This usually works with three sets for three repetitions at an intensity of 80% to 95% of your one repetition maximum. Sometimes there are fewer sets and repetitions sometimes a little more depending on the program. At the other extreme is hypertrophy training. This is aimed at building as much mass as possible. Here you work with 8 - 12 repetitions per set for three to 8 sets. There are many in between programs, but this is a general idea. Stronglifts places itself right in the middle.

 

You have to keep in mind that with this approach you neither get incredibly strong or incredibly muscly. You are traveling the middle of the road. 

 

 

Stronglifts was my entry into the world of lifting. I started in 2014. The idea was and still is to create a body that can run a marathon in under three hours and thirty minutes and lift 500 pounds afterward.

 

 

Testing my first Crossfit workouts in 2014 I realized I was too weak to do them with the benchmark weights. At that point in time, my endurance was good enough. I had enough steam but not enough horsepower. When I am writing this article in 2018 it is probably reversed. 

 

 

I did Stronglifts 5x5 for a year. At the end of it overuse injuries in the lower back and elbow showed. I paused for two months and returned to lifting with the Wendler 531 protocol. I liked Stronglifts because of its simplicity to execute and measuring progress. I think it is a solid program for anyone with a general interest in strength. 

 

 

There are three programs which I know as alternatives to 5x5. If you are a beginner these are:

 

 

Starting Strength is the most popular alternative to Stronglifts. It was designed by Mark Rippetoe and the book with the same name is a classic among strength coaches. Generally speaking Starting Strength and Stronglifts work with the same assumptions. The big difference is that Starting Strength introduces you to the clean. The clean is a lot more technical than the lifts in Stronglifts. This has the benefit of more explosiveness and the disadvantage of higher injury risk when executed incorrectly. In addition, I find the Stronglifts instructions a lot easier to follow than Rippetoe’s writing. I would recommend this program for footballers who start to lift.

 

 

Candito training is a specialized powerlifting program by IPF record holder Jonny Candito. It is a great program which is more niche. Follow his YouTube channel to get more insight into whether this program is or you. I would recommend this program to aspiring powerlifters who like to have constant content updates.

 

 

Powerliftingtowin is a website that analyses different lifting programs. The content is thorough. If you are just beginning to learn about programs this is a website you should definitely bookmark. There is less visual content than with candito. At times it also feels a bit outdated to me. Based on their research powerlifitngtowin developed their own program for beginners. Stronglifts gets a very bad review there and their own program is presented as an alternative for you. 

 

Stronglifts 5x5 is a solid program for beginners. It applies progressive overload which is a sound strategy for all lifting programs. The linear progression takes advantage of the quick capability of beginners to improve. Some will argue that it does not take enough advantage of this effect. Once you get into optimal and suboptimal loads things get complicated. In my opinion, keep the five across of Starting Strength it Stronglifts. If you get hooked, look into more advanced options.