Workout of the Week #72

Welcome to Workout of the Week, number 72. This time we have a four-day-a-week modified StrongLifts 5×5 beginner workout. It’s a bit unusual because the four-day-a-week StrongLifts workout is usually more for the intermediate athlete. Anyway, I think beginners can do it too. So I modified it and did a four-day-a-week program for the beginner athlete as well.

So training goal: As with all StrongLifts 5×5 workouts, it’s to build strength.

The training variables: We go from 75% to 80% of the one-rep max for the main exercises, and 65% to 75% of the one-rep max for the assistance exercises. Here you’ll already see a bit how I deviated from the original StrongLifts 5×5 training intensities. You can go back and watch the introductory series and see my reason why I chose a bit of a higher training intensity than in the original program.

Rep ranges: So the main exercises, 5 reps. The assistance exercises, 6 to 10. The exertion is moderate to hard. The effort is a repeated effort.

The exercises: Yeah, we have squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, and barbell row. And for the assistance exercises, we have a pull-up, dips, hanging leg raises, and back extensions. Exercise order: we go from the squat to the upper body to the deadlift to the assistance exercises.

If we look at more training variables, four days a week. It’s a station training, including some complexes.

How does it look? Here we are, and we’ll jump right into it.

Here we are inside the modified workout. Download—you see an overview of the workout. You can see the weekly setup. So Workout One, Workout Two, one day of rest, Workout One, Workout Two. Yeah, it is an upper-lower split. So you can see here, Workout One is lower body: back squat, deadlift, plus two assistance exercises. Assistance exercise—excuse me, it’s assistance exercise. If you want to be really precise, assistance exercises and accessories are not the same.

So five sets of five at 75% of the one-rep max for the squat and the deadlift. For the body weight exercises, hanging leg raises is three sets of eight, and then it progresses from week to week. The inter-set rest: five minutes between the squat and the deadlift. The hanging leg raises and back extensions are organized in an antagonistic complex. So you get one minute after the hanging leg raises and two minutes after the back extensions.

If we move to Workout Number Two, so now we have the upper body. We do bench press, bench row. This time as standalone, not a complex. And then we do pull-ups and dips as assistance exercises. Same setup here: five sets of five at 75% for the main lifts, and then we do three sets of 10 at 65% of the one-rep max for the assistance exercises.

If we go to Workout Number Three, again we have our squat and a deadlift. This time, I would prefer a variation of the deadlift, not the regular deadlift twice. So I would suggest the trap bar or the RDL. You could also think about the sumo. Intensity: 75% of the one-rep max for five sets of five for the squat and the deadlift. In the original program, the exercise order is reversed—deadlift before squatting. That is something I just really don’t like. So I prefer having the squat first and the deadlift second. Yeah, criticize me for that, but it is a deliberate modification of the original program.

And then again, hanging leg raises and back extensions: three sets of eight, organized in antagonistic complexes.

Workout Number Four: We have the bench press and the overhead press. Also, for me, these are two pressing exercises. I would probably change it a bit, but I thought if I deviate from that setup, then it’s not going to be the StrongLifts 5×5 program anymore. Then it’s a Christian program—that is just, yeah, it’s a Christian program. Anyway, so enough rambling here.

Five sets of five at 75% of the one-rep max for the main lifts. Three sets of 10 at 65% for the assistance exercises, which is the barbell curl and the skull crusher.

You download the PDF. You get a glossary explaining the terms. You can read a bit about myself if you like to. You can read what other people have to say about me—my former athletes, my former colleagues, my mentees. And last but certainly not least, you can sign up for the membership. Inside the membership, you get the four-week periodized program. So this is just the first week. If you want to get the four-week periodized program, sign up for the membership.

So let’s move back and finish this presentation. What are the next steps?

As always: download the workout, join the membership, like the video, and subscribe to the channel. So you can grab all previous workouts here. You can watch the previous workout. If you haven’t subscribed already, here’s your chance—last chance for today to do so.

Next week I’ll see you with a four-day modified intermediate StrongLifts 5×5.