Misc questions regarding 5s

Randy

New Member
I'll be starting up 5s in a few days and would like some clarification on a few things.

Are we still going for 15-20 reps total per exercise and should we be pacing the cadence appropriately to achieve this?

Do people really do as many warmup sets as suggested in the faq? This will almost double my workout which is a little too long already. Are the warmups only intended for the big compound movements? Please suggest an alternate warmup approach.

Only do dropsets towards the end of the microcycle when 15-20 reps (using work weight) isn't possible?

Any other guidance is appreciated.

Thanks,
Randy
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Are we still going for 15-20 reps total per exercise and should we be pacing the cadence appropriately to achieve this?

What do you mean? Do 3-4 sets of 5 reps? I'd just do 2 at most. During the 5's you don't need to do as many total reps at the working weight.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Do people really do as many warmup sets as suggested in the faq?

No, that's just if you're a beast like Blade. I'll typically warmup for leg press, chest dips, and chins. After a general warmup of 5 minutes moderate cardio on a treadmill. I find that's enough for me to feel warm and avoid injury.

I basically do 2 warmup sets of 3 for each 100 pounds I'll be using in an exercise. The goal it not to fatigue but to promote readiness. Just try different things, if you feel tired by the time you hit the working set you'll know something's wrong and you're doing too much.

-Calkid
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Do people really do as many warmup sets as suggested in the faq? This will almost double my workout which is a little too long already. Are the warmups only intended for the big compound movements? Please suggest an alternate warmup approach.

After 15 mins of HIIT I don't feel the need for much warmup. I do warm up sets however in squats and deadlifts, but I start only in the 2nd week of 5s.

During the 5RM/negs and even if you are already warm, 1-2 'acclimation' reps with weight 10% below your working weight are helpful. Not for warmup, but for CNS adaptation. It helps to avoid the surprise "woa, this is heavier than I thought! "

Another exercise I always start with a warmup set is flies, because I have injured myself once or twice with them. If you have a sensitive muscle group, I'd say that warmup from the 5s on is mandatory.
 
Do u think is possible to warm up doing smth like a mini circuit before starting the real w/o?
Obviously when things get really heavy I need 1-2 sets of 'acclimation' as micmic said but in general what do u hink about the mini circuit?
 
Thanks for the responses, guys. This is a statement taken from the dropset topic in the faq:

All the reps performed, including the work reps, should reach about 15-20 to create a real metabolic environment inside the cell sufficient to activate ERK1/2 and related signaling proteins.
<end>

That's where I got the 15-20 rep thing, Calkid. So, do I do 2 work sets and a dropset or 2 to achieve this? Seems like that's what's being said to me.

Thanks,
Randy
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (boggy @ June 09 2003,12:56)]Do u think is possible to warm up doing smth like a mini circuit before starting the real w/o?
Obviously when things get really heavy I need 1-2 sets of 'acclimation' as micmic said but in general what do u hink about the mini circuit?
This could work as long as you keep yourself sufficiently warm. But of course, bringing the blood to the target muscle just before the heavy reps is better.
 
I do my dropset as quickly as possible after my last work set, bringing that set up to 15 or more (to whenever I get a burn.)
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Randy @ June 09 2003,3:26)]Thanks for the responses, guys. This is a statement taken from the dropset topic in the faq:
All the reps performed, including the work reps, should reach about 15-20 to create a real metabolic environment inside the cell sufficient to activate ERK1/2 and related signaling proteins.
<end>
That's where I got the 15-20 rep thing, Calkid. So, do I do 2 work sets and a dropset or 2 to achieve this? Seems like that's what's being said to me.
Thanks,
Randy

What I do while on the 5's.
Deadlifts. I do 5 reps at around 135, 5 reps at my weight (195 today... should max out at either 205 or 215) and then drop back to 5 reps at 135. I found my back likes this better than doing a drop set of 10 or 15 :)

Bench and close grip bench. I do 2 sets of 5. Then I drop the weight to whatever I can handle about 15 of.
Eric
 
The warm-ups I've described in the FAQ require 5-10mins max and this is during the most extensive warm-ups of the 5s/negs, and are well worth it. I've tried cutting down on the warm-ups but generally don't feel like I get into the proper "groove" until way into my working sets. Coming from a powerlifting background, I know the importance of a proper warm-up for both heavy loads and complex lifts.
 
You only do warmups for the first exercise of legs, chest, and back anyway - the rest of the muscle groups will then be warmed up indirectly. 3 warmup sets per muscle group shouldn't require more than 3 minutes - so 9 minutes total.
 
For my dropsets during 5s I use the weight from my second-to-last 15s workout for another 10 reps. This gives 15 in total (as suggested in the FAQ) and burns like hell, but Ive always got one more rep in the tank so my CNS is OK.

I do one workset AM (no drops), and then one workset followed by a drop PM for all exercises (apart from squats - dont do drops for those for some reason!
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Hi All,

Would it be beneficial to increment the drop sets? That is, during the last two weeks of 5s, if I don't do negs, can I use my 5RM followed by a set with a weight from the 15s, and then increment the 15s weight over the course of the last 6 WOs? Hope I made this one clear....
blush.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (navigator @ June 12 2003,12:02)]Hi All,
Would it be beneficial to increment the drop sets? That is, during the last two weeks of 5s, if I don't do negs, can I use my 5RM followed by a set with a weight from the 15s, and then increment the 15s weight over the course of the last 6 WOs? Hope I made this one clear....
blush.gif
No, the point of the drop sets is just to increase the metabolic effects of the set. Once the "work set" has been done, it doesn't really matter how much weight you use for the drop sets. It just has to burn like crazy.
 
Im also thinking of doing drop sets in weeks 3-4 of 5's in preference to negs.

Do i use my 5 rep max i ended week 2 with for weeks 3-4? If i feel strong should i look to increase my weight to keep the progression going?

Should i do drop sets for all sessions during this period?

Cheers
 
Yes, yes, and yes. Or you could start out doing dropsets for half the body one session per week, and for the other half the next session just to see how it affects you.
 
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