Sets and Reps for Strength EXPLAINED 

I do fives because that's as high as I can count.

In 1969 the strongest guy I personally knew told me for bench and squats to do 5 sets of 5s. When you could do 5 sets of 5 you increased weight It worked. (We all still managed to overtrain, though)

I heard doing no reps or sets is best. And dieting is a myth.

I like 3s with just more sets It allows me to push it more on the weight and focus more on explosiveness versus the grind of the fourth and fifth rep.

I'm much more fond of the pyramiding principle going from 12 to 1. I actually can lift more on that 1 than if I started with the 1.

I don't agree with everything Rippetoe has to say but this was a good explanation for the logic of using "fahves." Nice Rippe impression in the beginning.

I feel reps should be as high as possible with 1 set. It improves growth - high reps = more pressure so more growth + 1 set = faster recovery which supports growth

Totally agree about the fives. 5 sets of 5 for 3 different lifts (flat, incline, decline bench as an example) worked wonders for me. In my prime I was 182 benching 400+ squatting 500+ and dead lifting 600+. All raw and lifetime drug free!

That intro single handedly cured my depression for AT LEAST 30 minutes! Nice!

A discussion about training with the liquor bottles on the mantle (Classic)

This intro is beautiful.

5 sets, 5 reps, 5 workouts - shoulder press, bench press, squat, dead lift, weighted-pull-ups. That’s all you need. You can do some planks and crunches as well, but you really don’t need all the other silly exercises.

Liked for the rip impersonation

Great quality of content and delivery.

@ 4:50 - I was almost positive he said, "seven seconds of crying" which can also be the case...

I skipped the intro and then was annoyed with the way he was speaking. Then read the comments and went back and watched the intro.... makes the whole thing hilarious, well done!

You say this but have you done it? I have. My fkn legs grew when they had long since decided they didn't want to any more. Now it's a staple for me. I'll tell you what else. I began using high rep sets as finishers for weak body parts. And you know what ? They grow too. And I'm far from the only person to try this with these results.

The logic makes sense, but ultimately we have to take your word for it that 5's work better than 4's or 6's. Can you site some sources/studies that provide some empirical testing of this? Is there actually a wealth of peer-reviewed data suggesting that 5's are truly "in the middle" between 1's and 20's, as opposed to 4's or 6's being "in the middle"? I'm not doubting it, it's just that I've never actually seen any sources cited. I've only seen Rip and others say "we've done it this way for a long time and it works".

0:16 after that i expected some Vsauce music

That was Rip's voice dubbed-in, right?

Hi I'm a newbie and loving this channel. So am i correct in thinking its 5 ×5 sets x

What, no bulge?

Came to be educated but was also entertained. Bravo 🤣🤣

I like the couch sets and remote control reps ❤😂

I feel like I'm getting stronger every day. I lift weights every Monday. Yesterday, the cleaning lady was at the house. Mommy told me to bring down the vacuum cleaner so the cleaning lady could vacuum the stairs. I carried the vacuum cleaner downstairs. Over a week ago, I carried a bag full of Applebee's food into my house. Mommy asked me if the bag was heavy. I said no. A couple of months ago, my little brothers ordered a practice sword. They wanted to be like my ancient ancestors, who were knights. When I went outside to fetch the mail, I found a tall package. It said my little brother's name on it. I brought it into the house. It was very heavy, but I was able to carry it up the stairs. When I went to the boys' room, I opened the package and put the practice sword on my little brother's bed. On August 31st, 2023, I was in the emergency room because my ear was killing me. I had to hold Mommy's and her best friend Reuben's hands when I was getting my ear irrigated. It hurt, so I squeezed their hands as hard as I could. Reuben, being a military man and a commissoned officer in the Navy, said, "Hannah, the doctor said to squeeze my and Mommy's hands, not break them." On September 12th, Mommy had to take me to the ENT Doctor to get my earwax vacuumed out. It felt weird, so I had to hold Mommy's hands. Since it felt weird, I squeezed her hands. When she was driving me home after the appointment, she told me that it was good that I was becoming stronger. Today, I was walking to lots of places, such as the mailbox, Wawa, CVS, and the UPS Store. After I mailed my letters, I went to Wawa and bought a Diet Coke bottle. Right after Wawa, I walked to CVS. I bought three shampoos and three bags of peppermint candy. Right after CVS, I went to the UPS Store. I bought more envelopes and more stamps. When I was waiting in line, I saw a young mother put her baby on the floor. The baby was crying. I decided to cheer the baby up, which I did. The mother thanked me, took her baby, and left. I bought envelopes and stamps. Right after the UPS Store, I walked all the way home. My Wawa bag was heavy, but I managed to get home in time. When I got home, I went up to my room so Mommy wouldn't yell at me. I opened two bags of candy and dumped them into my Minnie Mouse lunch box. I will give the candy to whoever wants it. When I was talking to my youngest brother, I asked him if he liked peppermint candy. He said yes. I told him that I had lots of it in my room and asked him if I could get him any. He said yes. I got him two handfuls of peppermint candy. He put them all in his pocket, thanked me, and continued watching TV. Everyone's impressed on how strong I've become.

The human torch was denied a bank loan!! 🤣🤣

Fives is a good baseline and great for novices but an intermediate is going to need more variety of volume. I would also argue that triples are better for athletes or individuals who are gifted with more fast twitch muscle fibers. And I have to add that there are grinds for a one rep that do last 7 seconds but most come much faster than that. A long grind could mean it is your max potential but it also could be because of a host of different things such as sleep, nutrition, and recovery.

I'm a new lifter so just want to confirm is it 5 sets of 5 reps? And can beginners start with heavy weights?

I recently learned why some Southerners say hhhwhy and hhhwhere, etc. It is very old English. I mean it predates the Norman period back in the 1000s. Brits have noted we do indeed speak it.

Great video 😎👍 but what about sets? It s just about reps. How many sets are here commended? I read everywhere 5 sets, but why 5 sets? Thanks 💪

More of this guy!

Did 3x5 front Squats yesterday and my quads are sore af

Annnnd what was missed is that in progression with rep schemes, the intent is to do five reps for say 5 sets and then add weight then. Fives are heavy enough but not so heavy that adding a rep each outing is very feasible. If not to all sets then to at least one. This means there can be a progression if incrementing a rep or more leading to adding weight. Try that with single's ... Doing so with 8s works well too. But indeed 5s are a good strength building range. Then there is the whole 5/3/1 or even 8 schemes.

That was a great Rip impression.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts on working up to a 5 rep max (1set) then dropping maybe 20% and doing a backdown set for as many reps as possible maybe in the 6-10 range ?

Good video. Thanks alot

So 5x5 for every workout?

hello, I have a question, I want to do deadlift, squat, bench and overhead press, should I do them every day or should I spread them over different days?

Is doing 25 x1 the same as doing 5x5?

This is great info just what I needed.

very informative

I experienced some incredible gains going from 3 x 12 to 5 x 5.

could you provide an example from start to finish of the weight requirement.

Funny you say you're not related to Rip because you've picked up his cadence and some of his maneurisms.

So 5x5 as in 5 working sets right? And then 3 warm up sets before you start your working sets..

I currently do 7 work sets of 5 with 3 progressive warm up sets, is this too much?

I once did 15 reps … with that I mean a sett with 5s then 2 more sets.

Brent Carter with the low key over the shoulder bourbon flex. LOL.

it eould be nice to see some before and after pix to actually prove whether this works or not

Does that mean if I want to only become stronger and not bigger, that I should do 1 rep maxes and 5 minute break, then 1 rep max again?

As my Texas Tech relatives would say “Guns Up” Great video

Is 5 sets of 3 reps good for SBD? And accessories?

Yes! Representing Monster Sunrise.

Neanderthal man was jacked....Work....Farmer strong...Work and your body will adapt..then do more

what's the formula for being tight and compact (not caring much about size).. ie , tyler durden (fight club) or micky (snatch) or bruce lee? how many reps /sets ?

What about tempo on positive and negative motion?

Very good video.

that was a funny and spot on intro.

Great vid

How to relax muscles after training? Rolling? Streaching ? Something else?

I've never times how long it takes to get my 1rm. I know its definitely not longer than 7 seconds, but what it I do it in 4 seconds, try to ad 5 lbs because I did it too fast, but fail?

I wonder what " Tom Platz" has to sey abut this 🤔

Subbed simply for the whiskey shelf

What could possibly be a reason to train for muscle size? Im already a naturally muscular guy and i dont want to gain a lot of muscle. Should i still trian in Fives?

This is an AMAZING video, filled with explanation, definitive reasoning & proof that 8-12's are the best range of time under tension. Sometimes it's what's taken from information given as opposed to what's presented. Jordan in NC

I like Mike but you folks explain thing's better

So 5 sets of 5 reps?

This is interesting. For me, I take the weights I can possibly lift without tapping out two reps later and do 10-12 reps in sets of 3-5, depending on the exercise. I'll keep this tip in mind next time I workout. Good stuff. Subscribed.

For how many sets though?

Geometric mean

0 is less than one. Next week differential calculus.

So, the numer is not 10 because that would maketh the weithgt factor a Zero.

But what about the resting time in this case? How much between sets?

Hmm I don't agree bro I'm 240lbs waist 36 5'11 with big muscles and I do a lot of high reps training in fact 20 reps is my goal per set. So bottom line each body is different do what works for you!

I laughed when he said "taking the load." Sue me

This guy is a genius lmfao

young Mark Rippetoe

So 1x5 is better for strength than 5x5

Coach Brent is so funny.

What about sets (sorry if i missed it in the video)? :)

Is 2reps × 2 sets enough

Why are the people here not shredded unlike other youtubers?? I really wonder

light loads with reps out to 30 produced much the same hypertrophy as trad % and reps.

Do your 5s 😀

Why watch a Brent Carter video when there's no bulge?

He sounds like a computer or how it’s made voice over

This guy is like Rhett without link

@3:57, are those squats or good mornings?

i increase my sets, never reps, because weight needs to be dropped significantly for just one rep

Everything more than five is cardio.

If you watch it at 2.0 speed, his speech rhythm reminds me of the "weird Arby's guy".

You must have not worked really hard on 20 rep squats and deadlifts?

^^ whts goin on in the intro bro ? dose it snow or wht ?

Hey Mark how the hell are you

Any rep range is good as long as you work at it. There is no magic in any rep range!

This is what Eddie Hall will look like in a smaller frame

All just a theory... 5 works, but so does anything between 3-20. There are no studies which show 5 to be a magical number. Purely opinion based.

It's obvious the way you say why and "chwhy". ;)

Intro 🤣🤣🤣

Too many big words for me didn't understand anything