Part II: The Lean It UP 5×5 Workout Plan — The Simple, Beginner’s Guide To Strength And Muscle-Building

Moving Forward — Your Progression Scheme

Forward progression is one of the major keys to growth.

Now that you know how to figure out your starting weight, you’re ready to learn the progression scheme. First things first, you absolutely MUST keep a workout log. This program works only if you are constantly overloading your muscles with additional weight (remember back to progressive overload). If you don’t remember how much you lifted in your last workout then it’s not going to be possible to optimize your progression and push forward as efficiently as possible.

The progression is very simple and linear, as you will be adding weight each workout (by workout, I mean workout A or B). Here’s what it looks like:

• For barbell bench press, overhead press, and bent over rows you will add 5 lbs to the bar — that’s 2.5 lbs per side.
• For squats and deadlifts you will add 10 lbs to the bar — that’s 5 lbs per side.
• Note: On workout B you will squat with the same weight as the previous workout A.

As an example — if on Monday you did workout A and performed 5 x 5 squats with 95 pounds, bench press with 65 lbs, and rows with 45 lbs then the next time you do workout A (Friday) you would perform squats with 105 lbs, bench press with 70 lbs, and rows with 50 lbs.

For the remainder of the exercises that don’t use barbells it may be more difficult to progress in such small increments. Depending on the type of equipment available, attempt to add weight each workout using the smallest increment possible. For the overhead cable triceps extensions there are often small 5-pound magnetic plates that you can snap onto the stack of weights, rather than jumping an entire 10 lb plate.

Stalling and Plateaus

Inevitably at some point the progress will start to slow down and you will no longer be able to complete the desired number of reps for the workout. This is also known as a plateau.

After two consecutive workouts in which you’ve failed to reach the desired reps, back off, drop the weight by 10%, and resume your progression with the lighter weight. Failing to achieve the desired reps at some point is expected and completely normal — sometimes two steps back are integral to make one big jump forward.

This plan purposely does not take the majority of your lifts to muscular failure. Constantly training to failure requires more recovery time than allotted, which slows down the potential more maximal gains.

What About Abs and Cardio?

Abs

Although compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and barbell rows engage your abdominals, additional training is still necessary. Abs should be trained 2-3x per week, either by themselves or after workout A/B. Perform three exercises of three sets each containing 15-20 reps. Build your abs plan with one exercise to target the upper abdominals, one for the lower abdominals, and one for the obliques. Exercise ideas are available here.

Alternatively, you can use Lean It UP’s Slice and Dice Shredded Abs Workout.

Cardio

There is no cardio required, as it can actually be counterproductive. The primary goal of this program is to gain muscle and strength, which requires a caloric surplus as discussed in Part I. Since cardiovascular exercise burns calories, you’d need eat more to make up for those calories burned. If you enjoy doing cardio it does not have to be excluded, but keep the intensity and volume relatively low.

That means no sprints on the track or HIIT, but a light walk or jog is fine. The intensity of the cardio has to be kept to a minimum so that it doesn’t interfere with your muscle recovery.

What If I Have Limited Time?

Obviously you will get the maximum benefit from following this program exactly as outlined, but I’m also realistic and realize that sometimes you need to squeeze in a shorter workout. If you run into this predicament on occasion you can slightly modify the workout plan so you only do the first three lifts, which are all compound barbell exercises. If you end up doing less volume make sure to focus and really kill those weights!

In terms of scheduling, try as hard as possible to stick to the schedule and not skip workouts. As mentioned earlier, training frequency is absolutely key to the optimization of muscle protein synthesis, and ultimately rapid muscle growth.

Conclusion

While it’s not sexy, this is a simple and effective weight-lifting program, which when combined with proper nutrition can yield truly exceptional results. To stay on track, make sure to resist these two common mistakes that beginners always make —

1. Starting with a weight that is too heavy and thus stalling very early on
2. Modifying the workout (usually by adding more exercises) – you’re a novice, not an expert. Don’t mess with a program that has proven successful for decades.

Go hard, follow the rules, be patient, and the rest will follow.

• About
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Joshua Nackenson

Contributing Author at Lean It UP

Joshua Nackenson, CSCS, is a medical student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine with a passion for all things related to fitness and nutrition.

His primary athletic focus is powerlifting, where he competes in the 165lb and 181lb weight classes. In between powerlifting training and competitions, he stays fit by competing in local 5ks and Tough Mudder events.

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