Full-Body 5x5+1

My full-body 5x5 scheme gets an added strength boost via one extra (and heavy) rep with this 5-day program.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated May 2, 2022

With 5x5 Full-Blown, I combined the classic 5x5 scheme with full-body training. Now, I’m adding one more thing to the mix, literally. One more rep – albeit one more heavy rep – to create my Full-Body 5x5+1 program.

If you’ve been a member of JimStoppani.com for a while, this program may look familiar. It’s the full-body version of my President’s Day Workout.

In addition to whole-body training to maximize fat loss, my 5x5+1 routine combines two great training techniques – 5x5 and postactivation potentiation (PAP) – to boost your size and strength gains. For each exercise in the workout, you'll do one set of 5 reps, then one set of 1 rep, then four more sets of 5 reps.

The one stipulation is that you need to get all 5 sets of 5 reps with the same weight. (You'll use a heavier weight on the 1-rep set.) So, you’ll need to choose your weight somewhat carefully. This means the first set of 5 reps is more of a warm-up before the set of 1 rep. And even the 1-rep set is not a full 1RM attempt, as you still have four sets left after that.

If you can't compete all 5 reps on a set, either have a spotter help you compete all 5 or use rest-pause until

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