A while back some of the bros here skewered me for steering someone away from doing 5x5 as a method of weight loss.
I would like to say that i have now done 5x5 with a heart rate monitor, and done normal BB splits with supersets and find that i burn over double the calories when i do supersets and other types of complexes.
5x5 is for gaining strength, and mass. I did 5x5, and i got bigger and stronger. I also got fatter. So i changed things up.
I did multiple exercises at the 10-12 rep range with little to no rest between supersets. Typically a push, then a pull, or mix in a leg, or all 3.
5x5 usually takes me about 75 minutes to do a workout. I like longer rest periods for this. I would typically burn around 400-500 calories. My heart rate typically didnt break 140...even though i would feel light headed after what i felt was maximum effort for sets of 5.
Doing higher rep supersets and kettlebell or barbell complexes and a sled, my heart rate would be in the high 170's at the end of a set or push. Never letting my heart rate go below 130, my average is in the 150s for the duration of the workout...so even doing what i would call bullshit exercises like db curls or shoulder flys, it was better for my fitness overall.
5x5 is a good tool. It took my bench from 185 to 265, squat from non-existant to 315, DL from non-existant to 385....i think you guys just suggest it too much, as if it is a cure all. Its more for small guys to get bigger and stronger, or for football player types. IMHO, its not as effective a weight loss routine. For me anyway. If you already have a pretty good build and high metabolism, then just about anything will work. If you're an old fart like me, there's better things.
I would like to say that i have now done 5x5 with a heart rate monitor, and done normal BB splits with supersets and find that i burn over double the calories when i do supersets and other types of complexes.
5x5 is for gaining strength, and mass. I did 5x5, and i got bigger and stronger. I also got fatter. So i changed things up.
I did multiple exercises at the 10-12 rep range with little to no rest between supersets. Typically a push, then a pull, or mix in a leg, or all 3.
5x5 usually takes me about 75 minutes to do a workout. I like longer rest periods for this. I would typically burn around 400-500 calories. My heart rate typically didnt break 140...even though i would feel light headed after what i felt was maximum effort for sets of 5.
Doing higher rep supersets and kettlebell or barbell complexes and a sled, my heart rate would be in the high 170's at the end of a set or push. Never letting my heart rate go below 130, my average is in the 150s for the duration of the workout...so even doing what i would call bullshit exercises like db curls or shoulder flys, it was better for my fitness overall.
5x5 is a good tool. It took my bench from 185 to 265, squat from non-existant to 315, DL from non-existant to 385....i think you guys just suggest it too much, as if it is a cure all. Its more for small guys to get bigger and stronger, or for football player types. IMHO, its not as effective a weight loss routine. For me anyway. If you already have a pretty good build and high metabolism, then just about anything will work. If you're an old fart like me, there's better things.