5X5 Workout Program to Lose Fat

The 5x5 workout program is a famous routine in the bodybuilding world created by trainer Bill Starr. The program is designed predominantly for beginner to weightlifters and follows the pattern of doing five sets of five reps of each exercise. The program focuses on building muscle mass and making strength gains fast, and is not ideal for someone wishing to lose fat. Having said this, it does have fat loss benefits.

A woman is holding a barbell over her head. (Image: Ammentorp Photography/iStock/Getty Images)

The Program

5x5 uses big compound lifts to build muscle mass and advance strength. The program can be split into three workouts a week, on alternate days, or a four-day split. A typical workout might include barbell bench press, bent over row, squat and deadlifts, each done in the 5x5 pattern. These compound exercises work the largest muscle groups and work many muscles simultaneously for time efficient mass gains.

Not Compatible

The 5x5 workout is not compatible with a cutting diet, which creates a calorie deficit in the body to start losing fat. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories daily for a loss of one to two pounds per week. 5x5 needs more calories, not fewer, to build more muscle tissue and strengthen muscle fibers.

Muscle Burns Fat

Building muscle mass with the 5x5 program will help you with your fat-loss goals in the long term. Muscle burns fat due to the excessive amounts of calories it uses for movements. Therefore, the more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism will get and the quicker your body will be at melting off the fat when it times to go on a cutting diet.

High Intensity Interval Training

If building muscle is not your thing and you just want to lose some fat, then one of the most effective fat loss workouts you can do is high intensity interval training. This is a strategy of alternating high- and low-intensity intervals applied to any form of cardio exercise. The intervals alternate and usually last only a minute or so each.