When should I switch from StrongLifts to Madcow?

When you can no longer add weight every session despite proper recovery, deloads, and technique. Most lifters reach this after 4-9 months of linear progression. Your squat will typically be 1.25-1.5x bodyweight.

Is Madcow better than Texas Method?

They're similar — both are weekly progression programs. Madcow has a set structure and ramping sets. Texas Method has a volume day and intensity day. Try whichever appeals to you; results are comparable.

Can I add accessories to Madcow?

Minimally. 1-2 exercises after the main work is fine — things like chin-ups, dips, or ab work. Don't add so much that it impacts recovery from the main lifts.

Does Madcow work in kg?

Yes. The percentages are unit-agnostic — ramp in roughly 12.5% steps to your top set and add about 2.5% per week. In kg that usually means 2.5kg weekly jumps on the big lifts, rounded to what your plates can actually build.

Do I have to calculate all the ramping percentages myself?

If you run it from a spreadsheet, yes — every session has four or five different ramping weights per lift, and they all shift each week. That bookkeeping is exactly what an app automates: Lift5x5 runs Madcow with every ramp set pre-calculated and rounded to real plate loads.

Madcow 5x5: the complete intermediate guide (2026)

You’ve been running StrongLifts 5x5 for months. Weights that used to fly up now grind. Multiple deloads haven’t helped. You’re stuck.

Welcome to the end of beginner gains — and time for Madcow 5x5.

What Is Madcow 5x5?

Madcow 5x5 is an intermediate program designed to continue strength progression after linear gains end. Created by an internet poster named “Madcow” based on Bill Starr’s original 5x5, it changes the progression from session-to-session to week-to-week.

Where StrongLifts adds 5 lbs every workout, Madcow adds weight once per week. This slower progression matches intermediate lifters’ recovery capacity. See how Madcow compares to other options in the intermediate programs guide.

The Program Structure

Monday (Heavy Day)

Squat: Ramp to 1×5 at your target weight

Set 1: 5 reps at ~50% of target
Set 2: 5 reps at ~62.5% of target
Set 3: 5 reps at ~75% of target
Set 4: 5 reps at ~87.5% of target
Set 5: 5 reps at 100% (PR attempt)

Bench Press: Same ramping structure to 1×5

Barbell Row: Same ramping structure to 1×5

Wednesday (Light Day)

Squat: 4×5, top set at ~80% of Monday’s weight

Overhead Press: Ramp to 1×5 (similar to Monday’s bench)

Deadlift: Ramp to 1×5 (only heavy deadlift of the week)

Friday (Medium/PR Day)

Squat: Ramp to 1×3 at ~102.5% of Monday’s top set, then 1×8 at lighter weight

Bench Press: Ramp to 1×3 at ~102.5% of Monday’s top set

Barbell Row: Ramp to 1×3 at ~102.5% of Monday’s top set

Setting Your Starting Weights

Don’t start Madcow at your current maxes. Calculate based on your recent performance:

Week 1 targets:

Take your current 5-rep max
Subtract 10% for conservative start
This is your Monday Week 1 heavy set

Example: You currently squat 225 for 5. Start Madcow at 200-205 for your Monday 5-rep.

Build from there. The first few weeks should feel submaximal. Momentum builds.

The Weekly Progression

Each week, Monday’s target increases by 2.5-5 lbs (2.5% for most lifters).

Week 1 Monday: 200×5 Week 2 Monday: 205×5 Week 3 Monday: 207.5 or 210×5 Week 4 Monday: 212.5 or 215×5

Friday’s weights follow Monday. Wednesday stays light for recovery.

A 2.5 lb weekly increase means 130 lbs per year on your squat. That’s significant progress — just slower than beginner gains.

A full week with real numbers

Percentages are abstract, so here’s what week 1 actually looks like for a lifter starting Madcow with a 200 lb squat target, 150 lb bench, 135 lb row, 95 lb press and 250 lb deadlift:

Day	Lift	Sets
Monday	Squat	100×5 · 125×5 · 150×5 · 175×5 · 200×5
	Bench	75×5 · 95×5 · 112.5×5 · 131×5 · 150×5
	Row	67.5×5 · 85×5 · 101×5 · 118×5 · 135×5
Wednesday	Squat	100×5 · 125×5 · 150×5 · 160×5 (light, ~80%)
	OHP	47.5×5 · 59×5 · 71×5 · 83×5 · 95×5
	Deadlift	125×5 · 156×5 · 187.5×5 · 219×5 · 250×5
Friday	Squat	100×5 · 125×5 · 150×5 · 175×3 · 205×3 (PR triple) · 160×8
	Bench	75×5 · 95×5 · 112.5×3 · 154×3 (PR triple)
	Row	67.5×5 · 85×5 · 101×3 · 138×3 (PR triple)

In practice you round every set to what your plates can build — the exact percentages matter far less than the shape: ramp up, top set, and a Friday that nudges past Monday.

Next week, every one of those numbers moves up ~2.5%. That’s 15 different ramping weights recalculated per week — bring a calculator, a spreadsheet, or an app that does it for you.

Why Ramping Sets?

StrongLifts uses 5 sets at the same weight. Madcow ramps up. Why?

Warmup integration: The ramping sets ARE your warmup. No separate warmup protocol needed — you’re building to the work set systematically.

Fatigue management: Five heavy sets accumulate more fatigue than one heavy set plus ramps. Intermediates need to manage total stress.

CNS preparation: Each heavier set prepares your nervous system for the next. By the time you reach your top set, you’re fully primed.

When to Start Madcow

Required before switching:

Consistent StrongLifts training for 4+ months
Multiple failed deloads (3+ for the same weight)
Sleep, food, and stress are managed
Form is not the limiting factor

Typical strength levels at switch:

Lift	Male (× bodyweight)	Female (× bodyweight)
Squat	1.25-1.5×	1.0-1.25×
Bench	0.9-1.1×	0.6-0.75×
Deadlift	1.5-1.75×	1.25-1.5×

These are rough guidelines. The real indicator is stalled progress, not specific numbers.

Differences from StrongLifts

Aspect	StrongLifts	Madcow
Progression	Every session	Weekly
Set structure	5×5 same weight	Ramping to 1×5
Weekly PR attempts	Every session	Friday
Volume	Higher	Lower
Ideal for	Beginners	Intermediates

Running the Program

Duration: Run Madcow for 9-12 weeks, then deload and restart with new targets.

Stalls: When you miss a Friday PR twice, deload 10% and build back up.

Accessories: Optional. If added, keep them minimal:

3×8-12 chin-ups or pull-ups
3×10-15 dips
2-3 sets of ab work

Don’t add so much that you can’t recover for next session’s squats.

Nutrition and Recovery

Intermediate programming demands better recovery than beginner work.

A 2017 study in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found trained lifters needed more protein per pound than beginners to continue adaptation — roughly 0.7-1g per pound of bodyweight.

Sleep matters more too. You can get away with 6 hours as a beginner. Intermediates stall on insufficient sleep.

What Comes After Madcow?

Eventually weekly progression stalls too. Then you move to:

Texas Method: Similar structure, different organization
5/3/1: Monthly progression with submaximal training
Periodized programs: Block periodization, conjugate methods

Most recreational lifters can run Madcow variations for years with occasional resets. The programs guide maps out the full progression path from beginner to advanced.

Making the Switch

When you transition from StrongLifts:

Take a full week off (active recovery only)
Calculate starting weights (current 5RM minus 10%)
Run weeks 1-4 as prescribed — they should feel easy
Push hard from week 5 onward
Track everything — weekly progression needs data

The first month might feel too light. Trust the process. You’re building momentum for PRs in weeks 6+.

Running Madcow automatically

Everything above — the ramping percentages, the weekly 2.5% jumps, the light-day math, the Friday PR triples — is bookkeeping. It’s the reason most lifters run Madcow from a spreadsheet, and the reason plenty quit doing it.

Lift5x5 ships Madcow 5x5 built in: every ramp set pre-calculated, rounded to weights your plates can actually build, with the weekly progression and stall handling applied automatically. You lift; it counts. If you’d rather stay analog, the free spreadsheet generator covers the beginner program, and this guide covers the rest.

Learn the full 5x5 foundation first, understand progressive overload, and see how the apps stack up in the best 5x5 apps compared.