I've been doing Stronglifts 5x5 for about 15 months and have really enjoyed it. Basic weight lifting routine with Workout A: bench, squat, bent over row. Workout B: overhead press, squat, deadlift. All done for 5 reps x 5 sets with the exception of deadlifts which is 1x set of 5x reps. There are additional exercises I supplemented with after about 6 months: weighted dips, pull ups, and chin ups.

I do some accessory lifts after I've completely the heavy lifts just to add hypertrophy and get a better pump :lifter

5x5 bench weight has gone from 185 --> 265 lbs

5x5 OHP weight 95 --> 145 lbs

5x5 row weight 135 --> 215 lbs

5x5 squat weight 95 --> 235 lbs

1x5 deadlift 185 --> 335 lbs

3x5 weighted dips. body weight only --> 120 lbs

Noting my starting weights weren't my 'max' when I started but a weight I knew I could do and not break myself or get overly sore so I could let the progression do it's work.

No secret or anything ground breaking to it. The app is simple and creates graphs and charts for all your progress so I enjoy it.

That's an awesome program.
From what I've heard, given consistent hard training and sufficient food, most healthy men of at least average height hit 1RM of about 300/400/500 in bench/squat(low bar)/deadlift within 2-3 years on that program.

After taking the winter off, this is exactly the program my son is starting.
He's working on squat mobility right now (high bar ATG squats), once that's grooved, he'll be on it.

The 5x5 program is similar to what I used during foundational strength building back in my mid 20s.
It was 5x5 for workout A and 5-3-2-1-1 escalating weight for workout B.

Did them for squats twice per week (A/B) and bench twice per week (A/B).
Progression was based on whether lifts were made on the B workout.

Did back work on bench days (or the day after) and shoulder work on squat days (or the day after).
Took my bench to a 1RM of 320lbs and my squat(low bar) to a 5RM of 385lbs in about 2 years, at a body weight in the low 180lbs range.

Plateaued there and had to change things up to simultaneously maintain different training goals.
5x5 barbell compound lifts make for an awesome foundational program.

Nice! Yea the 5x5 compound lift routine is certainly not new or complicated, just a great base. Helped me a lot in the transition from 'running, rucking, push ups, pull ups' of the infantry / old army PT mindset to becoming bigger, stronger, faster.

If I extrapolate out my 15 months to 3 years I should be roughly at the 300/400/500 splits even given the diminishing returns. Bench and dips sky rocketed way past everything else just due to experience with push ups, chest workouts in the past. I had really never done anything but body weight squats (and all wrong, I've re-worked my form with a weight lifting coach to go full high bar ass-to-grass now. Feels way better but definitely took a couple months of form and mobility practice) so my lower body has definitely progressed slower but I enjoy it.

That 5x squat max is extreme! Repping twice your body+ is a great goal. I'm definitely working towards it.

Not surprisingly, when I'm deployed and deprived of alcohol and other distractions my lifts make the biggest gains. Strange...

Good luck to your son! Once the form and mobility are there, the weight increases easily.

Nice thing about ATG squats and strict presses is that you're able to make big strength gains (which also transfer to other heavier lifts) while using lighter weights.
Safer, more real-world transfer, and you can train harder; it's good that they're included in that program.

IIRC, for someone who primarily trains high bar squats, and has good thoracic strength, the ratio of high bar/low bar is around 90%.
The ratio tends to be farther apart for those with weak upper backs.

I'm currently "Greasing the Groove" with pull-ups, as made popular by Pavel Tsatsouline.

I tested my max pull-ups then took that number and divided it in half. Then I perform a set of that number of pull-ups through out the day, every day. The key is never going to failure. I might do 10 or 15 sets during the day.

http://breakingmuscle.com/strength-c...t-work-for-you

We shall see. I'm only doing it because I can't get to the gym for a few weeks but do have a pull-up bar.

Lot of merit in that theory IMHO. A lot of the 100 push up prog. etc follows the principle. Also, one of the beneficial side effect is injury prevention. I do the same with dry fire/holding exercise, replacing the pistol with 15lbs wt

I started Brazilian Jiu Jitsu about six months ago. I get a fantastic workout and it help me deal with mobility issues. Fun stuff!

Love the Strong First website. I do Pavel's kettlebell workout several times a week. Also started swinging the mace once in a while...

I will not grow old gracefully.

Two weeks or so in and I have a little tendinitis in one elbow (never had it before.). I suppose its easy to go overboard with the volume. I've certainly done more reps with GTG than if I would have done a more typical pull-up program of 3 sets of 10 reps threemdays a week.

I've voodoo flossed it, which makes the elbow feel great but I'm not sure if flossing actually cures the tendinitis. If the tendinitis doesn't clear up I'll drop GTG. No sense developing a bad case of tendinitis.

Voodoo flossing = wrapping a bicycle inner tube very tightly around the elbow and then working the elbow through the range of motion. No one knows why it seems to work. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GZG_9O_mAgM

I've done a 180 on Pavel. I read some of his stuff 12 years ago and couldn't stand the "Comrade" and "Russians know best" shtick. Now I think he is the master of getting more out of less - which is great because the sad fact is that some of the masochistic workouts I did at age 30 are counterproductive at age 43. (And were probably counterproductive then too, but I really can tell now).

Cut the volume in half for about a week.
Week three is where most overuse injuries happen.

Another strategy employed by the Soviets/Russians with great success was volume variation.
I use it with everything and have no joint/tendon soreness or issues anymore.

In the case of my weight training, it's just alternating a low volume "core" workout with a progessive workout (progressing in volume and/or intensity).
Scheduled rest weeks (every six weeks or so) seem to help, too.

A way to do volume variation with pull-ups might go like this:

Figure out the total number of pull-ups you'll be doing over a period of training (say 4 weeks) allowing for progression by the end.
As an arbitrary example, call it 4000 pull-ups (number is probably more appropriate for a push-up program, but it makes the math easier).

Divide that volume into 4 unequal parts, with a zig-zag progression.
An example would be 700 for week 1, 1100 for week 2, 800 for week 3, and 1400 for week 4.

Then, within each week, do the same thing (except here, you can repeat the same volume on light days).
An example would be for week 1: 70 on days 1, 3, and 5, 140 on day 2, 160 on day 4, 190 on day 6, rest on day 7.

Do something similar with each of the remaining weeks.
This assumes all of the sets are of the about same size (IIRC, it's half your max on that program).

Take a rest week, test your new max somewhere near the end of that week, and program a new training schedule.

The Russians found that this volume variation was much easier on athletes' bodies and helped to avoid "staleness".
It's worked well for me in avoiding joint/tendon issues.

HTH.

Started a training experiment about a year ago.
Quit doing serious bench press training in late September 2015 (heaviest lift: 285lbs) and haven't done bench press at all since November 11, 2015.

After addressing various weaknesses and playing with the O-lifts through the winter and spring, it was back to somewhat standard training.
Did standing strict barbell presses, weighted chin-ups, and high bar squats using the progression scheme outlined in an earlier post.

Neglected direct stimulation of the lower chest (no bench presses of any sort, no flys, no dips, and fewer than 100 total push-ups in the last year).
The chest did get some indirect work from strict presses and chin-ups.

After taking several weeks off from the gym, decided to check the results of the experiment.
At nearly 45 years old, 6'2", 185lbs, and about a year of neglecting direct training, bench pressed 255lbs without much strain.

A six week dedicated training cycle would probably push that number much higher, due to neural efficiency (skill).
Basically lost no real foundational strength in a year, and probably gained.

Conclusion:
Not convinced the bench press is a required primary exercise for strength training, though it's certainly a useful accessory.
The push press, strict press, or weighted dip provide most of the same benefits plus other benefits.

MOO, YMMV.

I'm with you. I have found that push ups and dips maintain my chest strength really well. I bench occasionally to see where I am at but I have taken long stretches of time off of benching and found that I am around 90 % of my max by just doing body weight exercises. Usually now I choose dumbbell press over traditional bench anyway because I dont workout with a spotter.
A side benefit is I can do a lot more sets of dips in the time it takes to rack bench up. more intensity and less time spent at the gym.

Been back in training for a little over two years.
Pretty much "in shape" now.

Training is no longer quite as structured.
I'll still use the 6-week training cycle listed in an earlier post if there's something specific I want to develop.

Worked on standing strict press some through the winter.
Have strict pressed 185lbs on a few different occasions without much trouble (at a body weight of 180-185lbs).

Squat mobility is fantastic, and there is no pain in any joint in my body.
I don't ever max in the squat (or very often in other lifts), as the risk/reward ratio usually isn't worth it.

Boiled down training now to high-frequency volume accumulation doing power clean/push press and weighted chin-ups at an estimated 80% max.
Along with continued squat mobility work, this works the entire body quite effectively.

What I've learned:
-Most training should focus on compound exercises which use the largest possible safe range of motion and work the desired muscle groups.
-Intensity (weight on the bar) should usually be between 70-85% of 1RM for the given exercise.
-Do not train to failure except on rare occasions (always leave a rep or 2 in the tank).
-A break down in form/technique is failure.
-The most important training "measurement" is probably weekly training volume.
-Spreading out training volume over more days (i.e. 6 half-volume days vs 3 full-volume days) is more effective.
-If you usually feel great after training, and you're not making progress, do a little more volume.
-If you usually feel crummy after training, and you're not making progress, do a little less volume.
-Given sufficient training stimulus, the most important factors are food and sleep.
-Taking up to 3 weeks off at a time doesn't seem to affect long-term progress.
-If you can afford it, a good massage therapist is a wise investment.


Pretty happy with the journey thus far.
Have to decide how far to take it.

Even at this age, there's room for further strength gains (only weigh 180-185lbs at 6'2").
Just have to decide how much weight I'm willing to gain.

For the older guys out there, here's a pretty good link to some age-rated general strength standards:
http://lonkilgore.com/freebies/freebies.html

Yup, thanks for that link.