Workout A
Monday- Back squat100 kg5 × 5
- Barbell bench press75 kg5 × 5
- Barbell row70 kg5 × 5
StrongLifts 5×5
Two alternating full-body workouts of five sets of five. Add weight every session.
Not sure it’s for you? See programs like it, ranked for you →Your numbers
Worked out for an example lifter who squats 100 kg × 5, benches 75 kg × 5, deadlifts 130 kg × 5 and presses 50 kg × 5. Change any number to see your own.
Starting weights
StrongLifts starts light: the empty bar for most lifts. Weight goes up every session.
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Details
The program’s usual settings
Week by week
Every workout, as Catalyst would give it to you from the example numbers.
Workout B
Wednesday- Back squat102.5 kg5 × 5
- Barbell overhead press50 kg5 × 5
- Conventional deadlift130 kg1 × 5
Workout A
Friday- Back squat105 kg5 × 5
- Barbell bench press77.5 kg5 × 5
- Barbell row72.5 kg5 × 5
Where it takes you
Each lift’s heaviest set, workout by workout, over the first 12 weeks, if every set is done as written.
A forecast, not a promise: it assumes every set is done as written. In the app, what you actually lift decides what comes next, by the program’s own rules.
What it trains
Working sets in the first week for each muscle, counted once for each muscle an exercise trains.
| Muscle | Main mover | Helping |
|---|---|---|
| Gluteals | 16 | 0 |
| Quadriceps | 15 | 0 |
| Latissimus dorsi | 10 | 0 |
| Pectorals | 10 | 0 |
| Scapular retractors | 10 | 0 |
| Triceps | 5 | 10 |
| Deltoids | 5 | 0 |
| Hamstrings | 1 | 0 |
| Spinal erectors | 0 | 16 |
| Adductors | 0 | 15 |
| Serratus anterior | 0 | 15 |
| Anterior deltoids | 0 | 10 |
| Biceps | 0 | 10 |
| Posterior deltoids | 0 | 10 |
| Upper trapezius | 0 | 5 |
The schedule
3 workouts a week, on Mon, Wed, Fri.
| Week | Mon | Wed | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A | B | A |
| 2 | B | A | B |
Then it starts again from week 1, carrying on from the weights you reached.
How it works
The program’s own rules, as Catalyst runs them.
Increase a lift only after completing all its work successfully. After its first two failures, repeat the weight; after the third, reduce it by ten percent. Start counting failures again from zero after success or a reduction. Warm up before working sets. Assistance is optional and up to you. Leave at least one rest day between workouts and keep alternating them when you change dates.
What you need
Everything its exercises call for. Missing something? The app suggests swaps that train the same thing.
- Barbell
- Flat bench
- Squat rack
Not sure it’s the one?
See every program like it ranked for what you want, how often you train and what you have, each with why it fits and what doesn’t. Compare any three side by side.
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