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3×5 Workout: The Only Strength Training Program You Will Ever Need

Updated by Rich

The 3×5 workout is a weight training program designed to build strength with the following guidelines:

  • perform strength training three days a week, every other day
  • traditionally Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
  • take the weekend off to recover

What is the 3×5 Workout Plan?

The meat of the program is the full-body compound barbell exercises:

These barbell exercises will target all the muscles of your body.

3×5 refers to the set and repetition scheme of the program: 3 sets of 5 repetitions for the main work sets of the program.

Mark Rippetoe popularized the 3×5 workout in his classic book on basic barbell training Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition

The Basic 3×5 Workout Plan

The squat, bench press, and deadlift are the foundation of the 3×5 workout plan. These exercises are also the only competitive lifts in the sport of Powerlifting. As a result, with these three lifts, you target all the muscles of your body. Instead of focusing on strength gains in a smaller muscle group, like your biceps, or triceps only.

Smaller muscle exercises will result in less muscle strength gains than large muscles. And the full-body compound lifts like squats and deadlifts work the largest muscle groups of your body.

You will immediately understand why the 3×5 workout is so useful for athletes and anyone who wants to build muscle mass and improve health and fitness. In a typical gym workout, you might spend thirty minutes to an hour walking on the treadmill or elliptical and then do some bicep curls, tricep press downs with dumbbells.

Even some leg presses, but then you finish up, leave the gym, and wonder why after years of working out like this, your body did not change much!

However, the 3×5 workout routine will stress the muscles of your entire body, which is then forced to adapt and grow.

And it is not only your skeletal muscles that get stronger, but also your ligaments, tendons, bone strength, cardiovascular health, and endurance as well.

3×5 Workouts A and B

There are two workouts, A and B:

Workout A

  • Squats – 3 sets of 5 repetitions of your work sets (aka 3×5)
  • Overhead or military press – 3 sets of 5 reps
  • Deadlift – 1 set of 5 reps

Workout B

  • Squats – 3×5
  • Bench press – 3×5
  • Deadlift or power clean (as you get more comfortable with pulling weight from the floor) – 3×5

You alternate workout A and workout B on your strength training days. For example:

  • Mon – Workout A
  • Wed – Workout B
  • Fri – Workout A, and continue the Monday of next week with Workout B

There are other modifications of the 3×5 workout, for example, Phraks Greyskull LP and LP Variant.

3×5 Workout Spreadsheet Comparison

3x5 workout vs. Phraks Greyskull LP vs. Phraks Greyskull LP Variant
3×5 workout vs. Phraks Greyskull LP vs. Phraks Greyskull LP Variant

As always, take the CSEP PAR Q; Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire and seek professional medical advice before starting any 3×5 training program.

Linear progression

A critical component of the 3×5 workout is to increase the weight for every exercise, every training session. Even if you only increase your work set by half a pound, that is another personal victory for you.

Every day that you can push, press, or lift more weight, means that you are adding muscle and strength. Just as high-quality real food is your friend, so too is your muscle mass, because muscle keeps you functional and mobile as long as you live.

A powerful multijoint exercise like the deadlift can even help rehabilitate older people who suffer from mobility problems. For a dramatic illustration, see the story of the powerlifting grandma, Shirley Webb, who can now stand up unassisted from the floor, because she started deadlifting at the age of 75. That’s right, Shirley is far stronger at age 81 than when she began deadlifting at 75.

It is never too late. Progressive resistance training can help improve your mental and physical health and fitness, no matter what your age.

Squats, deadlifts, press, bench press, and power clean are remarkable movements because they target the largest muscle groups of your body. For this reason, these exercises, along with additional assistance exercise, form the foundation of the 3×5 workout plan.

Order of Exercises

The foundation of the 3×5 workout is the squat.

The purpose of squats first, and then press, is that once you get to the deadlift, your legs are warmed up for the deadlift.

Recovery

Built into the 3×5 workout is the primacy of recovery:

  • perform a 3×5 training session three times a week with a rest day in between, and weekends off
  • so that your muscles will recover from the stress of the previous workout
  • you run the risk of a chronic injury like tendonitis if you do not moderate training volume
  • recovery also means that you eat quality food and get good sleep 

3×5 Workout Equipment – Recommended Gear

Another advantage of the 3×5 workout is that you only need a minimum amount of weightlifting gear. As a result, you can build a garage gym or home workout area and save money on a gym membership, and time.

Here are the essential pieces of equipment you need for the 3×5 workout:

1. Power cage with weight bench combo

An excellent choice for a home gym is the Fitness Reality 810XLT which serves as a safe workout station for squats and bench press.

2. Deadlift mats

Protect your floor and weights, and reduce noise in your home with these heavy duty mats.

3. Beginner Powerlifting Barbell

This CAP Barbell “Boss” Power bar is 7 feet long, weighs 20 kilograms (44 pounds), and is an excellent beginner powerlifting barbell for squats, deadlifts, and the bench press.

However, this center knurling version of “The Boss” barbell is not intended for Olympic lifts. Instead, use this CAP Barbell silver-zinc “Boss” with no center knurl for Olympic weightlifting.

4. Bumper plates

These AMGYM Olympic Bumper plates meet the IPF and IWF standard 450 mm (17.72″) diameter are a good start to building a home gym with plates that will protect your floor and minimize noise.

5. Olympic Fractional plates

Adding even as little as half a pound per training session is still progress. Remember, progress, not perfection!

These 44SPORT fractional plates are the perfect way to practice microloading and linear progression, which translates to more strength and mass.

6. Barbell collars for safety

7. Gym Chalk

Improve your grip and reduce callouses with Gibson Athletic Gym Chalk.

8. Squat and deadlift shoes

You do not need special shoes for the bench press, but you do need squat and deadlift shoes to promote stability and minimize your risk of injury.

See the 5 Best Shoes for Squats and Deadlifts: Review; Buying Guide for 2020 for additional details.

9. Deadlift shin guards

It is better to have appropriate shin protection before scraping up your legs while deadlifting.

These easy to wear weightlifting shin guards will shield your shins and you don’t need to remove your shoes or training pants.

See 5 Best Deadlift Shin Guards on the Market Today for more buying choices and specifications.

3×5 Workout – Final Thoughts

Mark Rippetoe popularized the 3×5 workout, which is why it is also known as the Rippetoe 3×5 workout.

In a structured sequence, Rippetoe persuades you why full-body compound weight training is so practical for building strength.

Rippetoe is an American strength training coach, former powerlifter, and author of the classic barbell training book Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training, 3rd edition

He tested his Starting Strength program as a powerlifter, coach, and gym owner for the last 30 years, and gives you the minimum effective dose of exercises that you need to build muscle mass.

Thirty years is a long time. Why waste time trying to reinvent the wheel? Of course, there are many approaches to strength training, but the good news is that the 3×5 workout has stood the test of time, and helped thousands improve their health and fitness.

This post will give you the basic concepts of and how to implement the 3×5 workout for your body transformation.

What’s Next

You might not have time for a full 3×5 workout but fear not. You do not need to do 3×5 weight training every other day to transform your body to leaner and stronger than you think possible. Especially if you are overweight today. Here is another approach:

Improving the quality of the food you eat, adding the deadlift, pushups, and a 30-minute walk every day is a simple recipe to change your body from fat to fit. And when you get more time, do the 3×5 workout!

Related Posts:

On Deadlifts

On Squats

On Pushups / Bench Press

On Workout Tips

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About The Author

Rich Hashimashi AuthorRich is a NASM-CPT (Certified Personal Trainer), an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and the author of Crossing the Bridge From Depression to Life. At the age of 55, he lost 75 pounds in 6 months, and discovered if you transform your body, you can change your life. You can read about his story here and send Rich a message here.

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