Weights: 3x8 vs 5x5

[alx]

I'm quite new to body building/weight lifting and am curious as to whether it's worthwhile to change from my current 3 sets of 8 reps routine to 5 sets of 5 reps one. I've seen 5x5 routines being recommended on various forums (including here) and was wondering whether it's worth it. I've only been properly training reguarly for the last 4 weeks, what are your views on this?

 

[Smit]

You've got to do what works best for you, that's really the best advice anyone can give.

3x8 will work better for some and 5x5 will work better for others.


If you've only been training for 4 weeks then I wouldn't recommend that you change your routine until you give it time to work

 

[alx]

Yeah I thought so. I had been training irregularly for about 6 months with some minor gains because I'm a lazy uni student , but recently (last 4 weeks) I've been taking it more seriously and going to the gym every 2 or 3 days.

 

[Bes]

Try mixing it up a bit- it's good to give your muscles some variation, so try altering the weight/ rep combo every so often As long as you're keeping the excersise at the same difficulty level of course!

 

[brocksta]

remember your diet is an intergral part, if 3x8 is getting you good gains then theres no point changing.

 

[Bes]

Yes agree 100%- I'd say the diet is 100% as important as the workout itself- when my calorie intake was too low, I put on muscle but it was very slow progress... I impoved my diet, tweaked my routine, and I got bigger really quickly!

 

[theleg]

10x3

 

[Chong Warrior]

10x3

Considering sh4rks experience I have to agree, even 12x3

Forget 5x5 for at least 6 months mate... ideally even longer, it's too much for a beginner, get your basics right before you start going so heavy that you can only rep 5 times.

 

[alx]

Ok cheers for the advice

 

[Morba]

Considering sh4rks experience I have to agree, even 12x3

Forget 5x5 for at least 6 months mate... ideally even longer, it's too much for a beginner, get your basics right before you start going so heavy that you can only rep 5 times.

no harm after a month or 2 moving to 1x12, 1x10, 1x8, progressing in weight each time.
as long as the technique is good, that should be fine

 

[theleg]

Considering sh4rks experience I have to agree, even 12x3

Forget 5x5 for at least 6 months mate... ideally even longer, it's too much for a beginner, get your basics right before you start going so heavy that you can only rep 5 times.

Nah mate...thats 10 sets of 3 reps

 

[A2Z]

4X6 here