The 3-5 Method, and specifically the 5×5 protocol, has been a wildly popular – and successful – rep and set protocol for decades. It has been said to build strength and muscle, in nearly equal proportions.
There are several different interpretations/variation of the 3-5, and especially the 5×5, Method. Some coaches/writers recommend doing all 5 sets with the same weight; some prefer doing all sets progressively heavier, up to one max set; some like a protocol falling somewhere in the middle. I don’t think it so much matters which particular methodology that you prefer, as I’m sure they all work.
The 3-5 Method can be modified in numerous ways, to focus more on muscular strength at one end of the spectrum, or neurological strength at the other end – for example, 5×5 at the higher end, 3×3 at the lower end. The ‘rules’ of the 3-5 Method have been promulgated (to my knowledge) first by Pavel, in his MILO article on strength training for SWAT teams, – and no, I’m not really suggesting that he ‘created’ the whole 3-5 phenomenon, only that he is the first of whom I’m aware to actually codify/systematize the 3-5 Method with a set of ‘rules’. I have taken these rules and altered/expanded them somewhat, such that they look like this:
– 3-5 Focus Lifts, 3-5 Supplemental Drills: I like to choose three to five big – ‘integrated’ – Focus Lifts (e.g., Deadlifts, Squats, C&Ps, Snatches, Chins and Dips, etc), and three to five smaller Supplemental Drills (as for the neck and traps, abs and obliques, and grip and wrist). This is one area where I’ve expanded the original program, which tends to focus only on three to five total lifts; I just prefer a little more variety.
– 3-5 Reps, 3-5 Sets: Not much explanation necessary here; do the 3-5s for both Focus Lifts and Supplemental Drills. There isn’t much room for variation here, or much need; stick with what works. The 5×5 protocol is the peak here, and I tend to use this higher- volume only on the Focus Lifts; on the Supplemental Drills, it’s usually three sets of three to five. Additionally, you may desire to adjust the overall volume of each lift or session based on your goals, time, etc. In other words, if you are short on time, or just want to focus more on so-called neurological strength, stick with 3×3; if you want more size gains, then go for the full ride with 5×5. I might add one further note here: For some of the more skill-oriented lifts (such as the Olympic lifts), it might be best to work at the lower end of the repetition spectrum – namely, with triples more so than fives.
– 3-5-Minute Rest Intervals: Again, fairly self-explanatory; employ this RI for all exercises, including Supplemental Drills. Obviously, more rest will be needed for the big lifts and heavier weights, less rest for the Supplemental Drills and warm-ups. One general rule of thumb I’ve seen offered is to rest one minute for each rep of the set just completed (this applies to work sets only, not the lighter-weight warm-ups).
– 3-5 Moves per Session: I tend to do two or three Focus Lifts and one or two Supplemental Drills each workout. This depends on how I feel, how much time I have, the lifts I’ve chosen, things of this nature.
– 3-5 Days between Workouts: Some interpretations of the 3-5 Method suggest three to five sessions per week (but with three to five days between specific lifts), but that’s too much for me. I’ve had better luck just training every three to five days or so, alternating/rotating through a few different routines (comprised, of course, of the exercises chosen in the first bullet-point).
– 3-5 Years per Exercise: Thanks to John Christy for this one. Be prepared to invest up to three to five years, or more, of (gradual) progressive resistance on the big basic lifts if you really want to see great results. Don’t get too caught up in the need for variety (which is easier said than done; believe me, I know). Still, this is where real results come from – years of hard, progressive work on the same basic exercises.
– 3-5 Months per Routine: Okay. If the previously suggested 3-5 years seems like too much for you, try this: Stick with the same program for three to five months before making any changes. When you do start making alterations to the plan, keep the same basic lifts, just switch them around into a new routine … if you see what I’m trying to say.
Following are a few of the reasons – offered by people far smarter than myself – as to why the 3-5-rep range might be the best all-round, catch-all range for the development of muscular size, strength, and power:
– According to Doctors Fleck and Kraemer, in their book Designing Resistance Training Programs, 2nd Edition, 3-5 reps with a 3-5RM resistance, will activate both fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers (presumably, though, more so the fast-twitch): “Heavier resistances (e.g., 3 to 5 RM) require the recruitment of higher-threshold motor units than lighter resistances (e.g., 12 to 15 RM). However [and this is the part that led me to my conclusion], according to the size principle, lifting heavier resistances will start with the recruitment of low-threshold motor units (Type I). The high-threshold motor units (Type II) needed to produce greater force will be recruited as the force required increases.”
The 3-5 Method can also have an impact on the endocrine system: “Testosterone appears responsive to a high-intensity, long-rest (3 min), 5-RM resistance exercises protocol …” Increased Testosterone production is certainly a good thing for us older guys, I’d imagine.
– According to Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, in their book Starting Strength: “Sets of five are a very effective compromise for the novice, and in fact for the advanced lifter more interested in strength than muscular endurance [that would result from doing sets of 20RM, for example]. They allow enough weight to be used that force production must increase, but they are not so heavy that the cardiovascular component is completely absent from the exercise.”
The authors go on, later in the book, to write: “A program of this nature tends to produce the correct bodyweight in an athlete. That is, if a trainee needs to be bigger, he will grow, and if he needs to lose bodyfat, that happens too.”
– Reg Park seems to be one of the first lifters to really popularize the 5×5 protocol (at least, he’s the old-timer most frequently referenced whenever the conversation turns to 5×5). In his book, Strength and Bulk Training for Weight Lifters and Body Builders, he recommends five sets of five reps in every program offered. It was his opinion that anyone desirous of increased body bulk and muscular size should, first and foremost, train for strength – and he seemed to feel that 5×5 was the best way of doing so.
– While he doesn’t actually offer any specific reasons as to why he likes it, the very popular and successful strength coach Charles Poliquin, in his book Modern Trends in Strength Training, Volume 1: Reps and Sets, 2nd Edition, puts the 5×5 Training Method at number seven on his list of top ten set/rep programs for maximal strength – a good enough endorsement for me, I guess.
– Bill Starr has been a proponent of the 5×5 protocol for years – decades, in fact. In his renowned book The Strongest Shall Survive, he states that “researchers found that 4-6 repetitions of 4-6 sets, increasing the weight on each successive set, produced the most significant increase in strength.” Thus, Bill simplified the formula to the average: five sets of five reps.
– Martin Berkhan, creator of a diet and exercise program he calls LeanGains, has had astounding results in transforming peoples’ body composition – and the strength protocol he prefers is a low-volume, heavy-weight routine typified by the 5×5 protocol. In fact, he seems able to increase someone’s strength (sometimes considerably) even as they lose (sometimes considerable) weight – which is typically a very difficult thing to do. I would imagine that much (though not all) of the credit should go to his use of some variation of the 3-5 Method.
– The increasingly-popular physical trainer, Mike Mahler, in his online Aggressive Strength Newsletter, addresses the issue of training to maximize anabolic hormones. Specific to Testosterone, he writes: “Heavy weight training and low reps have a positive impact on T levels … A powerlifting approach [typically, multiple sets of low reps with heavy weight and long rest intervals] to training is a great way to jack up T … If you feel strong and powerful after a strength training workout, you are training in a way that optimizes T.” He goes on to offer a sample program, the Test-boosting part of which entails the use of three sets of three reps.
– I’ve become recently a very big fan of the work of the late, great Coach John Christy. In his excellent book Real Strength Real Muscle, Volume One: The Article Anthology, John offers one reason why he frequently uses sets of fives in the programs of his trainees: “because at this rep target a trainee can continue to Micro-load at the suggested rates for a year or more.”
In a later chapter, he writes: “For the trainee that has a good foundation of training (intermediate level) – who has developed good technique – and wants to increase their absolute strength along with gains in size then I would recommend utilizing three to five sets of five reps on the big exercises and one to three on the smaller.”
John actually adds another rule to the 3-5 Method when he recommends against switching exercises too frequently, saying that the trainee should be “focused on (and willing to work at) spending three to five years utilizing specific progressive overload on a handful [3-5, anyone?] of basic exercises.”
Further on in the book, John has some strong things to say about five-rep sets: “The 5’s are a magical number (actually a weight that is roughly 80-85% of a one rep max) – I’ll explain what I mean by ‘magical’ sometime in a future article. For now just understand that working at 5 reps builds the maximum amount of functional muscle mass. I’ve had trainees utilize 5 reps as the rep target for up to a year before they’ll need to make the next drop to 3 reps.”
Okay, I know – it’s enough with John Christy already! So I’ll wrap it up, now, with this: If your interests lie primarily in just being bigger, stronger, and better conditioned than you are now; if you don’t have an overwhelming desire to include a wide variety of other exercises or lifts in your routine; if you are content to train in a little more conventional manner (as in, using your lifting to build strength and size, and training your conditioning with more traditional methods, such as running, cycling, swimming, and the like) – you will not go far wrong at all if you focus on the 3-5 Method as your overall strength training protocol. It’s certainly not the only effective rep/set scheme, but it is one of the best.
Good luck in your training, and if you choose to try out the 3-5 Method, leave us a comment and let us know what you think.
Those Iron Guys 
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