Kap in researching a previous post you said, My 5 x 5s take roughly 90 minutes, including warm ups, the sprint workouts are about 75 minutes”, what take so long? Could you please break this down, trying to emulate your workouts but not sure what I am missing. Thanks!
Charlie,
This is a solid question. I dig the attention to detail. Much respect.
Our focus at Kaplifestyle is about power production and the development of lean tissue. Neither our 5 x 5 nor our sprint workouts are endurance exercises. Rather, we want to fully recover in order to optimize for explosiveness and speed.
From strength and conditioning coach John Alvino:
How long you should rest in between sprints can have a huge impact on your training results. If you are training for pure speed, you generally want full recovery in between sprints. For the distances discussed above you could easily rest 3-6 minutes in between sprints.
This may not be the ideal formula for fat burning, but I’m in it for the power and the muscle mass. I believe that more lean tissue is better, long term. The longer the sprints and the less recovery built in, the more catabolic the activity may become.
So, when I perform the 5 x 5 or sprints, I recover fully between sets. Here’s a sample breakdown.
- 15 minute warm up
- 4 x 40 yards with 4 minutes rest between = roughly 17 minutes
- 4 x 60 yards, same rest = an additional 17
- 4 x 100 yards, 5 minutes rest = roughly 22 minutes
- 15 minute cool down
Total: 86 minutes
No, it’s not an exact science, but you get the picture. The key word is power. Full recovery leads to full power production. Full power production reminds our bodies to keep the lean tissue we have and to lay down more. Lean tissue equals more power production and the cycle repeats.
Strong mind,
Kap
Let me know what’s on your mind in the comments below.
Gabe, are 5x5s beneficial for women as well? All the workouts for women seem to be geared toward light weight and tons of reps. If I want to build muscle, shouldn’t I be lifting heavy just like the guys? Thanks!
Different people lift weights for different purposes, and there are a lot of different ways to go about reaching these goals. Typically, “tons of reps”, as in more than 12 reps per set builds mostly muscle endurance, not strength or muscle size. 8-12 reps per set is the rep scheme most often used by bodybuilders because 8-12 reps builds the most muscle, with not as much emphasis on single rep strength. Powerlifters often do 1-3 reps per set because this will increase single rep strength more than any other rep scheme. 5 x 5 focuses on building strength and muscle size equally, and it is one of many great ways to go about this balanced approach.
Although women have much less testosterone than men, both men and women should go about reaching their goals in pretty much the same way. So, focus on what your goals are and then formulate a plan to reach them. If you want to build muscle and increase strength, 5×5 is a great way to do that regardless of gender.
Hey Gabe,
My mother has been trying to lose weight and get off various medications for diabetes and high blood pressure. She finds it difficult to even walk with back problems and a hip replacement from 8 years ago. Recently we got her a recumbent bike and she’s been using it often, but I’m not sure if it’s enough for her to lose weight. Will the bike alone help if she’s struggling to get moving?
All the best,
Chris
I got a baseball question. If a hitter has more muscle mass(for example huge arms)does that mean less pain when a hitter is hit by a pitch? Today I saw this ballplayer with lots of muscles not even Flench when hit by a pitch, (fastball)so it made me curious if there is something between muscles and pain.
Gabe my question is about fun vs logic. I notice ballplayers perform better when they have fun even if what they are doing isn’t logical. Billy Butler hits better, with more spirit, when he plays first base rather than DH. Zack Greinke will never go back to the American League because he enjoys hitting so much (I think he may have asked the Royals if he could play short between starts). Mariano Rivera hurt himself shagging flies in centerfield before a game — something he loved to do. What role do you think having fun has in reaching peak performance?
Kap,
My question focuses on sprinting and recovery. As I progress into my 5×5 my lower body exercises are getting pretty tough. As I continue to do the sprints on Thursday and Sunday I have noticed feeling very weak and am starting to have a nagging hamstring issue. Is there something I could be doing wrong, or is there a trick to recovery when doing sprints on your “off” days when doing 5×5? Or should approximately 24 hours of recovery be good enough?
Thanks,
Justin