Classic 5x5 Workout: Free Full-Body App Template

Classic 5x5 is a three-day barbell program built from two short workouts that take turns. Workout A is the squat, bench press and barbell row, and Workout B is the squat, overhead press and deadlift. Every lift gets five sets of five reps except the deadlift, which gets a single set of five, and the bar gets heavier after each session where you finish every rep.

Two workouts across three days

The two workouts alternate, so one week holds two A days and the next week holds two B days. Kinoku plans Workout A on Monday and Friday of the first week with Workout B on Wednesday, then swaps them in the second week. Across any two weeks, each workout comes up three times.

The squat opens both workouts, so you squat three times every week. The bench press and row come up twice in one week and once in the next, while the overhead press and deadlift follow the opposite pattern. Every lift gets rest days between its sessions, and the squat gets the most practice of the five.

Kinoku’s template names no author, and the app calls it a classic 5x5 full-body plan. The Greyskull-style plan and the Basic Beginner Routine in Kinoku use the same A and B rhythm with other lifts and rep schemes.

How the weight goes up

A session where every set reaches five reps raises the weight for the next one. The squat, bench press, row and overhead press go up 2.5 kg at a time, and the deadlift goes up 5 kg. No set is taken past five reps, so a strong day earns the same jump as an ordinary one.

Take a squat that starts at 60 kg as an example. Three good sessions in the first week put it at 67.5 kg by the next Monday, and twelve good sessions in a row add 30 kg. A pace like that runs out sooner or later, which is why the program also needs a rule for the day the bar stops moving.

When a session falls short

A session where any set stops short of five reps keeps the same weight for next time. Each lift keeps its own count, so a missed bench press does not hold back the squat. The third missed session in a row on one lift takes 10 percent off it, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg, and a good session clears the count.

So a squat that misses at 100 kg three times in a row comes back at 90 kg. Four good squat sessions after that bring it back to 100 kg.

What Kinoku works out for you

When you start the template, Kinoku asks for a one-rep max on each of the five lifts. It plans your first working weight at 80 percent of that number, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg. A field left blank starts that lift on the empty bar at 20 kg, which suits a lift you have not tested yet.

From then on the app plans the sets and the weight for every session. If a first weight feels wrong, a new one-rep max under Lift maxes in Program settings becomes a new working weight from the next day.

What the template leaves to you

The 2.5 kg and 5 kg jumps come with the template, and picking Smaller under Weight jumps in Program settings leaves them alone. For smaller steps, the Greyskull-style plan halves its jumps when you choose Smaller. The routines hold the work sets only, and Kinoku’s warmup generator can build the lighter sets before them from your working weight.

The program has no accessory work, and Kinoku sets weights only for the five main lifts. Your routines stay editable, so you can add extra exercises at the end of a session and pick their weights yourself.

Where to go after 12 weeks

Kinoku plans 12 weeks of Classic 5x5, and after the last week the plan stops adding sessions while your history stays. Cody Lefever’s GZCLP (a program built on three tiers of lifts) mixes heavy and lighter work in each session, as the GZCLP page explains. Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Boring But Big changes the reps from week to week. If you are moving from the StrongLifts app, the roundup of StrongLifts alternatives compares the apps that plan a 5x5 weight for you.

Frequently asked questions

Which app tracks Classic 5x5 and adds the weight for me?

Kinoku runs it for free on Android. Starting the template asks for a one rep max on each of the five lifts and plans your first working weight at 80 percent of it. From then on the app plans the sets and the weight for every session, and a lift you have not tested yet can start on the empty 20 kg bar.

How many days a week is Classic 5x5?

Classic 5x5 trains three days a week with a rest day between sessions. Kinoku plans Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with Workout A twice in the first week and Workout B twice in the second. The two-week pattern repeats until the 12 weeks end.

How much weight does Kinoku add in Classic 5x5?

After a session where every set reaches five reps, Kinoku adds 2.5 kg to the squat, bench press, barbell row or overhead press and 5 kg to the deadlift. These jumps belong to the template, so the Weight jumps choice in Program settings does not change them.

What happens when I miss reps?

The weight stays the same for the next session of that lift. Each lift counts its own missed sessions, and the third miss in a row takes 10 percent off, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg. Any good session clears the count.

Do I need to know my one-rep max to start?

No, because a lift you leave blank starts on the empty 20 kg bar. When you enter a one-rep max, Kinoku plans the first working weight at 80 percent of it. A light start costs only a few sessions, since the bar climbs every time you get all your reps.