The main lifts
These are the core barbell lifts the program is built on. Tap any one for a full guide with form cues.
How the program works
The two workouts
There are only two sessions and you rotate between them. Workout A: Squat 5×5, Bench Press 5×5, Barbell Row 5×5. Workout B: Squat 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5, Deadlift 1×5. 5×5 means five sets of five reps at the same weight — five real sets across, not ramping. Deadlift is the exception at 1×5 (one heavy set of five) because pulling it for five sets would wreck your recovery. Squat is in every single workout, so it gets trained three times a week.
Where to start
Start lighter than your ego wants. If you're new to the lifts, begin with the empty 20kg (45lb) bar on squat, bench, press, and row so you can drill form while it's easy, and start the deadlift around 40kg (95lb) since an empty bar sits too low off the floor. If you already train and know your numbers, start each lift at roughly half of a weight you could do for 5 reps. Starting light isn't wasted time — it buys you weeks of easy, momentum-building progress before the bar gets heavy.
Progression: add weight every session
This is the whole engine of the program. Add 2.5kg (5lb) to squat, bench, press, and row every time you complete all 5×5. Add 5kg (10lb) to the deadlift each session. Because squat is trained every workout, it climbs about 7.5kg a week early on. When the small jumps start feeling brutal, switch to fractional plates (1.25kg or 0.5kg pairs) so you can keep adding weight in smaller bites instead of stalling.
When you stall (the deload rule)
A 'fail' is not getting all 5 reps on all 5 sets of a lift. One bad day is normal — just repeat the weight next time. But if you fail the same lift three workouts in a row, drop that lift's weight by 10% and work back up. Climbing through weights you've already done builds speed and confidence, and you usually blow past the old sticking point on the way up. Deload each lift on its own; you don't reset the whole program.
Rest, warm-ups, and tempo
Rest as long as you need between the work sets: about 1.5 minutes when the weight is easy, 3 minutes when it's moderate, up to 5 minutes on the top heavy sets. Don't rush it — 5×5 lives or dies on you actually completing the reps. Warm up each lift with a couple of light sets ramping from the empty bar to your working weight before the first work set. Every rep is meant to be controlled and full-range, not grinding singles disguised as fives.
When linear progression runs out
Be honest with yourself about this: adding weight every session only works while you're a novice. Once you've deloaded a lift twice and still can't push past it, you've gotten what this program has to give. That's the point to move on — StrongLifts' own intermediate template (3×5 with an extra day) or programs like Madcow 5×5 and 5/3/1 are built for slower, weekly progress. Squeezing 5×5 forever past that point just leads to frustration, not strength.
The weekly layout
- Week 1 · Mon (A) — Squat 5×5, Bench Press 5×5, Barbell Row 5×5
- Week 1 · Wed (B) — Squat 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5, Deadlift 1×5
- Week 1 · Fri (A) — Squat 5×5, Bench Press 5×5, Barbell Row 5×5
- Week 2 · Mon (B) — Squat 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5, Deadlift 1×5
- Week 2 · Wed (A) — Squat 5×5, Bench Press 5×5, Barbell Row 5×5
- Week 2 · Fri (B) — Squat 5×5, Overhead Press 5×5, Deadlift 1×5
The program was popularized by Mehdi through StrongLifts.com and its app; FORMA didn't create it and just lays out the real protocol so you can run it.