StrongLifts 5x5 Review: Is It Still Worth Running?
Yes, if you are new to the barbell or returning after a long break. Two alternating full-body workouts, five sets of five on the big lifts and weight added almost every session make it one of the simplest ways to learn the lifts and get strong fast. It stalls by design, because adding weight three times a week cannot last. After two resets, move to weekly progression instead of running it again.
Asking because your progress stalled? The program is rarely the whole story. The diagnosis reads how you train, eat, sleep and recover, and ranks what is actually holding you back.
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StrongLifts 5x5 is still worth running if you are new to the barbell or coming back after a long break. It is a three-day program built on two alternating full-body workouts, five sets of five on most lifts, and weight added whenever you complete every rep. That simplicity is its strength and its limit: it works until adding weight every session stops being possible, which for most people is a matter of months.
What is the StrongLifts 5x5 program?
Two full-body workouts, alternated three times a week with a rest day between sessions, most often Monday, Wednesday and Friday (StrongLifts):
| Workout A | Workout B |
|---|---|
| Squat 5×5 | Squat 5×5 |
| Bench press 5×5 | Overhead press 5×5 |
| Barbell row 5×5 | Deadlift 1×5 |
New lifters start with the empty bar on squat, bench and press, and 30–40 kg (65–95 lb) on rows and deadlifts; lifters with some experience start at a weight they could lift for about 10 reps. After each successful session you add weight, typically 2.5–5 kg on squat and deadlift and 1.25–2.5 kg on the upper-body lifts.
If you miss reps, you repeat the weight next time. Miss it three times and you deload: cut the weight by about 10% and work back up (StrongLifts failure guide).
Does StrongLifts 5x5 work?
Yes, for the people it is built for. No study has tested StrongLifts itself, but its ingredients match the evidence for new lifters. The ACSM recommends 2–3 training days a week for novices (ACSM, 2009), and a meta-analysis of 140 studies found untrained people gained the most strength training each muscle three days a week, with about four sets per muscle (Rhea et al., 2003).
StrongLifts squats three times a week for 15 working sets, and the frequent practice is what makes a beginner's squat climb so quickly. Its bigger hidden benefit is behavioural: there is nothing to decide. You know exactly what to lift and how much, every session.
How fast should it go at first? For a comparable linear program, Starting Strength's own guide expects healthy men aged 18–35 to add 40–50 lb to the squat and 15–20 lb to the press and bench in the first one to three weeks, with women and older lifters progressing in smaller steps (Starting Strength). Treat that as an upper-end expectation, not a target.
Why does StrongLifts 5x5 stop working?
Because the progression is too fast to last. StrongLifts' own plateau guide does the math: adding 5 lb three times a week for a year would take an empty-bar squat to 825 lb (374 kg), a weight almost nobody lifts (StrongLifts plateau guide).
So every StrongLifter eventually misses reps. The first stalls are usually fixable with smaller jumps or better sleep and food. But if you have deloaded twice on the same lift and stall at roughly the same weight, you are no longer a novice on that lift. Repeating the cycle a third time mostly repeats the stall.
Is StrongLifts 5x5 good for building muscle?
It builds some, but it is a strength program first. The plateau guide counts the average weekly working sets: 15 for the squat, 7.5 each for bench, press and row, and 1.5 for the deadlift (StrongLifts plateau guide).
| Lift | Weekly working sets |
|---|---|
| Squat | 15 |
| Bench press | 7.5 |
| Overhead press | 7.5 |
| Barbell row | 7.5 |
| Deadlift | 1.5 |
Muscle growth rises with weekly sets, about 0.37% for each extra set in a 15-study meta-analysis (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). StrongLifts gives the legs plenty, the chest and shoulders a moderate dose, and almost nothing direct for arms, upper back or hamstrings. If size matters to you, add a few sets of pull-ups or chin-ups, dips and curls after the main lifts.
How long should you rest between sets on StrongLifts?
About three minutes between work sets, and up to five after a set where you barely got five reps. StrongLifts recommends 1–2 minutes after easy sets, about 3 for most work sets and 5 after hard ones, with warm-up sets done back to back (StrongLifts).
The research backs the longer rests. In 21 trained men, three-minute rests built more squat and bench strength and more thigh muscle over eight weeks than one-minute rests (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). Cutting rest to save time is the most common way StrongLifters fail reps they could have made.
Who should run StrongLifts 5x5?
New and returning lifters, and nobody who has already stalled twice on the same weights. Here is how it fits different starting points:
| You are | Run it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Brand new to barbell training | Yes | Simple, frequent practice on the big lifts |
| Returning after a long break | Yes, starting lighter | Quick way back to your old numbers |
| Lifting for 1–2 years, still progressing on most lifts | Maybe, for a few months | Only on lifts that still move session to session |
| Stalled twice on the same weights | No | You need weekly progression, not another reset |
| Mainly after size, not strength | Only with added accessories | Low upper-body and arm volume |
What should you do when StrongLifts stops working?
Slow the progression before you change everything. The StrongLifts plateau guide suggests smaller jumps with fractional plates and, eventually, squatting twice a week instead of three times (StrongLifts plateau guide). After that, move to a program built for weekly progress:
- Madcow 5×5: the StrongLifts team's own suggested next step, three days a week with ramping sets and weekly weight increases (StrongLifts Madcow guide).
- Texas Method: a volume day, a light day and an intensity day each week.
- GZCLP: keeps linear progression but changes rep schemes before resetting.
- 5/3/1: slower monthly progression that can run for years.
How does StrongLifts compare with Starting Strength and GZCLP?
All three are linear programs for new lifters; they differ in volume and in how they handle stalls:
| StrongLifts 5x5 | Starting Strength | GZCLP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main sets | 5×5 | 3×5, deadlift 1×5 | 5×3 with a last set to near failure, plus 3×10 |
| Days per week | 3 | 3 | 3 or 4 |
| Extra lifts | Barbell row | Power clean, chin-ups | Lat pulldown, rows and other accessories |
| When you stall | Repeat, then deload 10% | Smaller jumps, then an intermediate program | Drop reps per set, then retest |
Starting Strength's details come from its official program page (Starting Strength); GZCLP's from its author's original post (GZCL, 2016). See Starting Strength and GZCLP for the full reviews.
Stalled on StrongLifts and not sure why?
A program stall is often not about the program. Short sleep, too little food, sets that end far from your limit or a sudden jump in life stress stall every program. The full diagnosis checks those before you blame the spreadsheet.
FAQ
How long should you run StrongLifts 5x5?
Until session-to-session progress stops after smaller jumps and two deloads, usually a few months. Some lifts, like the press, stall much earlier than the squat.
Is StrongLifts 5x5 good for beginners?
Yes. It teaches the main barbell lifts with frequent practice and a progression rule you cannot misread.
Can you build muscle with StrongLifts 5x5?
Yes, especially in the legs, but upper-body and arm volume is low. Add pull-ups, dips and curls if size is a goal.
Can you run StrongLifts 5x5 while losing weight?
Yes, with a moderate deficit and plenty of protein. Expect the weights to climb more slowly, and use smaller jumps sooner than you would while eating at maintenance.
Is StrongLifts better than Starting Strength?
Neither is clearly better. StrongLifts has more volume per lift (5×5 versus 3×5) and includes rows (StrongLifts); Starting Strength adds power cleans and chin-ups. Pick the one you will follow.
Written and maintained by LiftDecode. Training and nutrition education for healthy adults, not medical advice — if you have a health condition or an injury, talk to a professional who can examine you.