Sets and Reps for Strength EXPLAINED

Why are FIVES the best for increasing strength? We explain why we begin novices with sets of 5.

First, let's define some terminology. The number of reps is the number of times you perform that lift without stepping away from the exercise.

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[Bostonaholic]

I do fives because that's as high as I can count.

[nomikes]

In 1969 the strongest guy I personally knew told me for bench and squats to do 5 sets of 5s. When you could do 5 sets of 5 you increased weight
It worked. (We all still managed to overtrain, though)

[BlumpkinPie]

I heard doing no reps or sets is best. And dieting is a myth.

[S_Rants]

I like 3s with just more sets
It allows me to push it more on the weight and focus more on explosiveness versus the grind of the fourth and fifth rep.

[johnouellet]

5 sets, 5 reps, 5 workouts - shoulder press, bench press, squat, dead lift, weighted-pull-ups. That’s all you need. You can do some planks and crunches as well, but you really don’t need all the other silly exercises.

[johanhansson]

I'm much more fond of the pyramiding principle going from 12 to 1. I actually can lift more on that 1 than if I started with the 1.

[RoughneckRoostr]

@ 4:50 - I was almost positive he said, "seven seconds of crying" which can also be the case...

[dlbard]

Totally agree about the fives. 5 sets of 5 for 3 different lifts (flat, incline, decline bench as an example) worked wonders for me. In my prime I was 182 benching 400+ squatting 500+ and dead lifting 600+. All raw and lifetime drug free!

[MikeXCSkier]

I don't agree with everything Rippetoe has to say but this was a good explanation for the logic of using "fahves." Nice Rippe impression in the beginning.

[deseangibir]

A discussion about training with the liquor bottles on the mantle (Classic)

[beelite]

That intro single handedly cured my depression for AT LEAST 30 minutes! Nice!

[williambrown]

I skipped the intro and then was annoyed with the way he was speaking. Then read the comments and went back and watched the intro.... makes the whole thing hilarious, well done!

[mycarmails]

Great quality of content and delivery.

[johnharbour]

Fives is a good baseline and great for novices but an intermediate is going to need more variety of volume. I would also argue that triples are better for athletes or individuals who are gifted with more fast twitch muscle fibers. And I have to add that there are grinds for a one rep that do last 7 seconds but most come much faster than that. A long grind could mean it is your max potential but it also could be because of a host of different things such as sleep, nutrition, and recovery.

[correctpolitically]

You say this but have you done it? I have. My fkn legs grew when they had long since decided they didn't want to any more. Now it's a staple for me. I'll tell you what else. I began using high rep sets as finishers for weak body parts. And you know what ? They grow too. And I'm far from the only person to try this with these results.

[aerialdude]

The logic makes sense, but ultimately we have to take your word for it that 5's work better than 4's or 6's. Can you site some sources/studies that provide some empirical testing of this? Is there actually a wealth of peer-reviewed data suggesting that 5's are truly "in the middle" between 1's and 20's, as opposed to 4's or 6's being "in the middle"?

I'm not doubting it, it's just that I've never actually seen any sources cited. I've only seen Rip and others say "we've done it this way for a long time and it works".

[KS-zbyq]

Great video 😎👍 but what about sets? It s just about reps. How many sets are here commended? I read everywhere 5 sets, but why 5 sets? Thanks 💪

[Axel-kcse]

0:16 after that i expected some Vsauce music

[Sonjya-hx]

I feel reps should be as high as possible with 1 set. It improves growth - high reps = more pressure so more growth + 1 set = faster recovery which supports growth

[MichaelCowann]

Came to be educated but was also entertained. Bravo 🤣🤣