Heart Rate: Do i even lift or is this cardio?

[MarkKO]

On the other hand, let's say you get that 5x5x60% done in about six minutes. You're going to most likely be able to add 2.5% each time for a while. By the time you're starting to see nine minutes or so, you'll be over 70%.

Maybe the key is to start at a weight where you can do 5x5 in 6 minutes? The E80O80 program.

There would be nothing stopping you, for sure.

I actually got the whole idea from Paul Carter's Base Building. He talks about taking 5x5x60% and milking it until it becomes too easy; his view in that book is you should be able to do that in 20-25 minutes at least but that until you can get through it in about 15 minutes you probably don't need to add weight.

At the point I read that I was in reasonable shape and pretty much knew I could get it done faster than that but that 10 minutes would be a reasonable mark to shoot for.

The main point of it for me is that really you don't *have* to get it done fast, as long as it's less than 10 minutes. The time is just a safety mechanism so that you're not adding weight faster than you can adapt.

The only reason that I've started pushing the time itself is because I realised I can, and I value conditioning. That said, by the time I'm coming towards the end of a cycle which runs about six months, my times are going much closer to 10 minutes, around the eight minutes forty-five to nine minutes fifteen or so and the loads at that stage are around 72.5% so between the load and accumulated fatigue the times do slow down.

I don't think going much beyond 75% would be feasible, or at the very least would have you sitting at the same weight for quite some time before being able to hit that 5x5 in under 10 minutes.

The times are all for squats, just for due disclosure. Bench is a lot, LOT faster. I've gone under five minutes for bench at 60% before, never for squats or deadlift.

But really all that 10 minute benchmark comes down to for me is a safety net.

Does it have to be 5x5 or you can set a goal of any number of total reps?

Because I find it waaaaay easier doing 2x(5,4,3,2,1) than 1x(5,5,5,5,5) at any given constant load.

I see no reason you couldn't do that. Although, I would probably look into why you find it easier to do that than 5x5, but it may not matter hugely. I think the only practical concern might be that your setup has you doing 10 sets and 30 total reps, so it'll take longer with the extra set-ups. I may be a bit different but my setup takes about as long as the set, it not longer.

I just use 5x5 because it's a nice, basic setup that I don't have to think about.

[alek]

for the big barbell movements, what type of sets / reps do you recommend with this?

A really good starting point is 5x5x60%. Until you can complete the sets in under 10 minutes, you don't add weight. When you achieve that, you add 2.5% and repeat. At that load, something like eight minutes should be easily achievable for squat, probably six or seven minutes for deadlift and bench. After you've been training like that for a while, you should be looking at six to seven minutes at that load and maybe five minutes for bench. As the loads progress your time will probably increase but you should be fine to hit the sets in under 10 minutes until around 70-75%.

If you're going down the road of resting 10 seconds, a good starting point is 5x2 and then 2x5 at 50%. That's not something you progress, you just work with something like 20-40 total reps at a load between 50 and 70% and do it every two or three weeks. If you're squatting, you'll pretty much need to just stand there because you won't have time to rack and unrack.

Or you run in one week 5x5 in under 10 minutes, one week short rests.

I assume the ten minutes is only working sets, or are you including warmups, too?

[MarkKO]

for the big barbell movements, what type of sets / reps do you recommend with this?

A really good starting point is 5x5x60%. Until you can complete the sets in under 10 minutes, you don't add weight. When you achieve that, you add 2.5% and repeat. At that load, something like eight minutes should be easily achievable for squat, probably six or seven minutes for deadlift and bench. After you've been training like that for a while, you should be looking at six to seven minutes at that load and maybe five minutes for bench. As the loads progress your time will probably increase but you should be fine to hit the sets in under 10 minutes until around 70-75%.

If you're going down the road of resting 10 seconds, a good starting point is 5x2 and then 2x5 at 50%. That's not something you progress, you just work with something like 20-40 total reps at a load between 50 and 70% and do it every two or three weeks. If you're squatting, you'll pretty much need to just stand there because you won't have time to rack and unrack.

Or you run in one week 5x5 in under 10 minutes, one week short rests.

I assume the ten minutes is only working sets, or are you including warmups, too?

Only work sets, yes.