Bench every other day?

Originally Posted by zoco

Yeah those training programs work great on paper,but the picture is not so bright in reality,even though you're not lifting max weights every session(Even 70%of the max of an advanced weightlifter can be a pretty big number-twice or more of their bodyweight).I've seen bad results and even injuries on lots of people.That's why trainers tend to split the program on upper body/lower body/upper body one week and lower/upper/lower the other.

P.S. Not to disrespect anyone with this post.

Really? Hmmmm....I've never had a client injured by training this way. I've only had them make impressive improvements. They actually do better than I do since I'm working against the damage done by MS to my own body so like Sisyphus, from mythology, I'm constantly starting over... And it's been proven successful over and over again for building strength for sports since it's inception.

Bill Starr's program ideas working great on paper but not in the gym? I don't know...since it's still used by professional sports trainers, collegiate sports trainers, high school sports trainers, and oh yeah, even some bodybuilders as the basis of their routines.

Is it the end all/be all for everyone perfect program? Not at all...but then none is. No program, no routine, no split can claim that. Even CrossFit can't, although it's pretty close. But to say it works great on paper but not in real life is simply...untrue.

That's why we have to be always open, always ready to learn, always ready to improve. I've even adapted my own 5x5 program for my own personal use to be more like a CrossFit workout. Now if I just wasn't too lazy to get out and do my walking/running/sprinting each day.

[zoco]

Originally Posted by .V.

Really? Hmmmm....I've never had a client injured by training this way. I've only had them make impressive improvements. They actually do better than I do since I'm working against the damage done by MS to my own body so like Sisyphus, from mythology, I'm constantly starting over... And it's been proven successful over and over again for building strength for sports since it's inception.

Bill Starr's program ideas working great on paper but not in the gym? I don't know...since it's still used by professional sports trainers, collegiate sports trainers, high school sports trainers, and oh yeah, even some bodybuilders as the basis of their routines.

Is it the end all/be all for everyone perfect program? Not at all...but then none is. No program, no routine, no split can claim that. Even CrossFit can't, although it's pretty close. But to say it works great on paper but not in real life is simply...untrue.

That's why we have to be always open, always ready to learn, always ready to improve. I've even adapted my own 5x5 program for my own personal use to be more like a CrossFit workout. Now if I just wasn't too lazy to get out and do my walking/running/sprinting each day.

Sorry,being a bodybuilder,my thinking always revolves around bodybuilding and powerlifting.I didn't say Bill Star's program is not good (actually it is a great program for beginners and sport athletes),just that it doesn't work for advanced weightlifters.It's simply too much for someone who squats and deadlifts 2,5 to 3 times his bodyweight and bench presses 2 times his bodyweight.

Lets say that you weigh around 180 lbs and you squat 400 lbs X 5 reps on Monday.Then on Wednesday you squat 320 lbs X 5 and on Friday you squat 360 lbs X 5.Do you think that you can squat 405,410 or even 400 lbs the next monday?

The bodybuilders that taught it to me do... And they are a hell of a lot bigger than me. Of course I only lift to improve myself, for my health, and for daily strength...and everyone is bigger than me but still... Yeah, it works for many. Always has, and it always will.

Do other things work? Sure they do.

Your numbers are a little off though for light and medium day. A 400lb squatter will only 30 280lbs for light day if he's following the program as designed. He will only do 340 on medium day. Then after a couple of days off, he should have no problem actually increasing his weight the next week.

The body isn't as fragile and it has much more recovery ability than bro-knowledge would lead us to believe.

Is 5x5 optimal for the advanced bodybuilder? Perhaps not...but the vast majority of lifters will do just fine with it.

[BuildChest]

To the original poster, it depends what your goals are. For hypertrophy (muscle building) its not a good idea at all.

If you are a strength athlete like a powerlifter, then it could be argued that there's nothing wrong with lifting so frequently. Olympic weightlifters do the same monstrously heavy compound exercises on an almost daily basis.