FYL
Strength 5×5
The classic linear-progression strength program: two alternating barbell workouts, three days a week, five sets of five, adding weight every single session. Brutally simple, and the fastest way for a new lifter to get strong.
Workout A
Workout B
Progression
Alternate A and B across three weekly sessions (A-B-A, then B-A-B). Add +2.5 kg / 5 lb to every lift each session — +5 kg / 10 lb on deadlift — for as long as you complete all 25 reps. Fail a session? Repeat the weight. Fail three times? Deload that lift 10% and build back up. Warm up to your work weight with the bar and 2–4 ramping sets.
Substitutions
Equipment taken, or a movement doesn't suit you? Swap within the pattern — press for press, row for row, hinge for hinge. Every muscle page in the exercise directory lists alternatives, and the 1RM calculator converts your numbers when you change lifts.
FAQ
What weight should I start 5×5 with?
Start humbling-light: the empty bar or ~50% of your 5-rep max. The +2.5 kg-per-session march catches up within weeks, and starting light buys you months of easy progress while your form settles.
Why only one set of five on deadlift?
Deadlifts are trained heavily by the squat volume already, and five heavy sets of them per session out-costs their benefit for a beginner. One hard top set progresses just fine.
Is 5×5 good for building muscle too?
It builds plenty of muscle in the first months — strength and size travel together early on. When hypertrophy becomes the main goal, graduate to a PPL or upper/lower split with more rep-range variety.
Build it in FYL in one tap
Recreate this program as a routine in FYL and every session logs itself against it — sets, PRs, estimated 1RM and weekly volume per muscle. Free on iOS, or build it on the web.
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