The 5×5 Training Method
Today we’re finishing off my interview with underground hardcore strength and fitness expert, Jason Ferruggia. Have you ever heard of the 5×5 training method? Ferruggia, himself has played around with it and come up with the perfect way to maximize your muscle-gaining results. Read on to discover his secrets.
For those of you just jumping into the interview now, Ferruggia has spent the past week going over some of his closely-guarded tips for gaining muscle and losing fat. From the best body part exercises, to effectively training younger athletes, to determining just how much cardio you should be doing, Ferruggia delivers a boatload of meaty information you can start following immediately.
So let’s finish ‘er off….
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Craig Ballantyne: There are a couple of other questions here. I totally blew this, there was a really good question. Actually, why don’t you just explain to everybody what the difference between Triple Threat Muscle and Muscle Gaining Secrets is?
Jason Ferruggia: Muscle Gaining Secrets was more towards the skinny hard gainer, the beginner. Triple Threat Muscle, even though I just said a few minutes ago not to be so obsessed with conditioning, it is more of an athletic based program.
Where the focus was just pure strength and size gains in Muscle Gaining Secrets, there is a conditioning component to this and there is also a more athletic based component to it where we include power exercises.
So, you will get faster, you’ll get explosive, you’ll get bigger, you’ll get stronger, and you will improve your conditioning.
I do mention in there that if your main goal is size, you can feel free to skip the conditioning component. That’s entirely up to you. It’s still a great program for just size and strength. That is the main focus, size and strength. You will gain size, but for those that want the explosive power you’re going to get that in the conditioning. That’s optional.
Craig Ballantyne: That was a good read last night. It looked like a lot of fun. Just going through all the studies that you talk about and the plant recipes in there are pretty cool stuff. It really is kind of what you’re doing now, a real good look into inside of your dims.
Jason Ferruggia: Absolutely. Those recipes are killer, by the way. I think people will really enjoy those.
Craig Ballantyne: A couple more questions. I did find them. Scott Addeman asks about rep ranges. We talked about rep ranges a lot, but he asked about five by five. Have you ever used that? I’m just kind of butchering his question here, but he brings that question about using five by five.
Jason Ferruggia: Yes, I’ve used it plenty of times.
Craig Ballantyne: It’s in Triple Threat, right?
Jason Ferruggia: Yes. There’s different ways to do it. It depends on the exercise. I like to work off to heavier set. You can use the same weight for all five sets. 
This is kind of off topic here, but there’s different exercises that are volume exercises and there’s different exercises that are intensity exercises. So, for example, to me a squat and a dead lift is an intensity exercise. You basically work up to a heavy set and that’s it.
Whereas a pushup, or an inverted row, or a face pull, that’s a volume exercise. You’re not going to work up to one heavy set that’s going to destroy you where a heavy set of squats will. You couldn’t do another set.
Something mindless like a curl, I consider that a volume exercise. Inverted rows, I might do five sets of eight to ten, the same number of reps. But, with a big lift I won’t just because it’s too STRESSFULL physically and mentally to get up to that lift again.
Five sets of five just really depends on the exercise.
With a speed exercise I will definitely do that. Like with a clean, five sets of five is no problem, because you’re never going anywhere near failure, it’s just explosive and you need to learn the lift. Your CNS gets fired up with each successive set, so you get better at it, you get stronger, you get faster.
For guys like you and I who have been training for awhile for strength I would do one set of five. Four sets would be a warm up. I don’t like doing five sets at the same weight, I think that’s too much. With a beginner I would do five sets of five.
So, there’s no real clear specific answer there. It just really depends on the situation and the athlete.
Craig Ballantyne: Okay. Just the last couple of questions here. When you’re doing weights, do you use weighted pushups in your program?
Jason Ferruggia: Yes.
Craig Ballantyne: Okay. So, what kind of rep range are you doing? What set and rep range are you using for that?
Jason Ferruggia: That could vary too. It’s usually between six and 12 reps. You can do this with a weight press, you can have someone hold weight on your back, or you can get one of the Lifeline USA power pushups. Those are great too.
Craig Ballantyne: Okay. Then I guess the last thing is what’s the best way for people to get a hold of you? Obviously, you have a Facebook page, but probably more important is you have the forum and the membership site now. So, where do people find out about that?
Jason Ferruggia: The membership site, I would love to answer all of the questions that I get all day long, I just don’t have that much time. I know people email me a lot and I apologize for not being able to get back. We get hundreds of emails.
The best ways is in my membership site. I’m on the forum every day. I do answer questions there. If you go on my blog at JasonFerruggia.com you’ll see the members link. I’m actually redoing the blog, so it will be a little more clear where the members site is.
The members site, like I said, there’s a new workout every month. I post videos and I answer questions in there regularly.
Craig Ballantyne: That’s awesome. I think we covered pretty much all of my questions and as many Facebook questions as we could. Anything else you want to say about the new program?
Jason Ferruggia: No. I think we covered quite a bit. March 29th Triple Threat Muscle will be available. I just want to thank you for the call. It was great.
Craig Ballantyne: It was great. Maybe we’ll do another call in the future. Jay, thank you very much for doing this call. I really appreciate it.
What’s that website again? TripleThreatMuscle.com?
Jason Ferruggia: Yes.
Craig Ballantyne: Perfect. Probably the best way to get a real good load of Jay is from going to his blog at JasonFerruggia.com. Thanks again, Jay.
This is Craig Ballantyne. Everybody, have a great day. You’ve got everything you need now to get bigger, stronger, faster, and of course more conditioned. Talk to you soon. Bye.