Madcow 5x5 Program Guide — Ramping Sets and Weekly Progression
A complete breakdown of Madcow 5x5 — the ramping set structure, Training 5RM, percentage-based weekly progression, and how to run it in the RepCheck app.
Madcow 5x5 is a strength training program for intermediate lifters, created by an EliteFitness forum user known as "Madcow." It's a modification of Bill Starr's original 5×5 program from The Strongest Shall Survive, which used Power Cleans, Bench Press, and Squats. Madcow swapped in Barbell Rows and Deadlifts to create a more balanced program for strength and muscle building.
Instead of doing 5 sets at the same weight, you ramp up across sets to a single top set — your PR for the week. The program uses percentage-based weekly progression and is typically run for 8–12 weeks until you stall.
How It Works
You train three days per week. The original program labels these as Heavy, Light, and Medium (HLM). In RepCheck, they're labeled Volume, Light, and Intensity — the concepts map the same way.
| Day | Exercises | Working Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Monday (Volume) | Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row | 4 ramping sets of 5 → 1 top set of 5 |
| Wednesday (Light) | Squat, OHP, Deadlift | Squat at reduced weight; OHP and Deadlift ramp to a top set |
| Friday (Intensity) | Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row | 4 ramping sets of 5 → 1 heavy triple → 1 back-off set of 8 |
Monday and Friday use the same three lifts (Squat, Bench, Row). Wednesday is a different session — lighter Squats for recovery, plus OHP and Deadlift with their own ramping progression. Note that the original Madcow program uses Incline Bench Press on Wednesday; RepCheck substitutes OHP, which is a common and popular variation.
The Training 5RM
Madcow doesn't use your actual 5RM directly. Instead, it calculates a Training 5RM — a reduced starting point that lets you build back to your current PR over the first few weeks, then push past it.
The formula:
Training 5RM = 5RM × (1/1.025)^(n-1)
Where n is the week you want to match your current PR. With the default n=4:
- (1/1.025)^3 = 92.86% of your actual 5RM
So if your Squat 5RM is 100 kg, your Training 5RM is about 93 kg. Week 1 starts there, and by Week 4 you're back at your real 5RM. From Week 5 onward, every top set is a new PR.
All percentages in the program are calculated from this Training 5RM, and it increases by 2.5% every week automatically.
Monday — Volume Day
Four ramping sets of 5 reps building to a top set of 5:
| Section | % of Training 5RM | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Ramping | 50% | 5 |
| Ramping | 62.5% | 5 |
| Ramping | 75% | 5 |
| Ramping | 87.5% | 5 |
| Top Set | 100% | 5 |
This applies to all three Monday lifts — Squat, Bench Press, and Barbell Row. The top set is your target for the week.
With a 100 kg 5RM (Training 5RM ≈ 93 kg), Week 1 Monday looks like:
| Set | Weight |
|---|---|
| Ramping | 46 kg × 5 |
| Ramping | 58 kg × 5 |
| Ramping | 70 kg × 5 |
| Ramping | 81 kg × 5 |
| Top Set | 93 kg × 5 |
By Week 4, the top set reaches ~100 kg — your actual 5RM. Week 5 onward is new territory.
Wednesday — Light Day
Wednesday is a recovery day for Squat, but a full working day for OHP and Deadlift.
Squat (Light):
| Section | % of Training 5RM | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Light | 50% | 5 |
| Light | 62.5% | 5 |
| Light | 75% | 5 |
| Light | 75% | 5 |
No top set — the heaviest weight is 75%, repeated for two sets. This keeps you moving without adding fatigue before Friday.
OHP and Deadlift:
| Section | % of Training 5RM | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Ramping | 62.5% | 5 |
| Ramping | 75% | 5 |
| Ramping | 87.5% | 5 |
| Top Set | 100% | 5 |
OHP and Deadlift start at 62.5% (skipping the 50% set) and ramp to a top set at 100% of their own Training 5RM. These lifts only appear on Wednesday — they don't show up on Monday or Friday.
Friday — Intensity Day
The heaviest day. Same three lifts as Monday (Squat, Bench, Row), but the top set is replaced with a heavy triple above Monday's weight, followed by a back-off set of 8:
| Section | % of Training 5RM | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Ramping | 50% | 5 |
| Ramping | 62.5% | 5 |
| Ramping | 75% | 5 |
| Ramping | 87.5% | 5 |
| Heavy | 102.5% | 3 |
| Back-off | 75% | 8 |
The heavy set at 102.5% is your weekly PR attempt — it's the top set weight plus one increment. The back-off set at 75% for 8 reps adds volume at a manageable weight after the heavy work.
Weekly Progression
Every week, your Training 5RM increases by 2.5%. This means all weights across all three days go up automatically — the ramping sets, the top set, the heavy triple, everything.
With a 100 kg 5RM (Training 5RM ≈ 93 kg):
| Week | Monday Top Set (×5) | Friday Heavy (×3) |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | ~93 kg | ~95 kg |
| Week 2 | ~95 kg | ~98 kg |
| Week 3 | ~98 kg | ~100 kg |
| Week 4 | ~100 kg | ~103 kg |
| Week 5 | ~103 kg | ~105 kg |
Weeks 1–3 are submaximal — the weights are below your current 5RM. Week 4 is where you match your existing PR. Weeks 5 onward push into new records. This built-in ramp is what makes the program sustainable compared to programs that start at or near your max from day one.
The program typically runs 8–12 weeks — you keep going until progress stalls. RepCheck provides a full 12-week structure with automatic weekly increases.
Ramping Sets vs. Flat Sets
Most beginner programs (StrongLifts, Starting Strength) use flat sets — 5×5 at one weight. Madcow replaces this with ramping sets that build to a single top set.
Flat 5×5 accumulates a lot of volume at heavy weight. This works for beginners who recover quickly, but becomes unsustainable as weights get heavy. Ramping sets reduce total heavy volume — only one set is at full weight — while the lighter sets serve as progressive warm-ups. This lets you train heavy enough to set PRs without burying yourself in fatigue.
Madcow vs. Texas Method
Both are 3-day programs with a volume/light/intensity split, but they differ in structure:
The Texas Method does flat 5×5 volume on Monday, then a single heavy set of 5 on Friday as the weekly PR. Bench and OHP alternate every week. Deadlift is on Monday only (1×5).
Madcow ramps every session and pushes a heavy triple on Friday instead of a heavy set of 5, followed by a back-off set. Bench and Row stay on Monday/Friday, while OHP and Deadlift have their own day on Wednesday. There's no alternation — every lift has a fixed day.
If you're deciding between the two: the Texas Method is more of a flexible template, while Madcow is a rigid, fully programmed 8–12 week cycle with percentages calculated from day one.
Who Is This For?
Madcow is for intermediate lifters who want structured, long-term progression with clear periodization. It works well for lifters who have stalled on programs like StrongLifts or Starting Strength and want a multi-week plan with built-in progression rather than session-to-session increases.
Running Madcow 5x5 in the RepCheck App
When you select Madcow 5x5 in the RepCheck app, it asks for your Training 5RM and increment percentage:
Enter your 5RM and set the increment percentage (default 2.5%). RepCheck calculates all 12 weeks of ramping sets, top sets, heavy triples, and back-off sets automatically — including the weekly 2.5% increase across the full cycle.