Choose StrongLifts 5x5 if you want a rule that fits one sentence: its pages say to add weight when every set was completed, and to repeat it when not. Choose RIGOR if you want reps to rise across a range before weight, by written rules. RIGOR is for iPhone, has no Android app, and costs $59.99 a year.
StrongLifts 5x5 and RIGOR side by side
Each StrongLifts line below was read on its owner's own pages and links there. Those pages give no price for the app, so none is quoted.
| StrongLifts 5x5 | RIGOR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month; the yearly plan starts with 7 days free | |
| Runs on | iPhone; no Android app | |
| When weight goes up | When every set reaches the top of its rep range at about the planned effort | |
| Step | Default 5 lb or 2.5 kg; every 1, 2, 3 or 5 workouts | The next weight your gym can make above the last one |
| After a miss | Same weight; missed sets aim for the range's bottom, the rest for one more rep each | |
| After repeated misses | Short of the range in two sessions running at one weight, or three sessions at one weight with no more total reps: 10% off that lift | |
| Who plans | RIGOR builds it from your goal, days, session length and gym |
What a week looks like in each
StrongLifts' pages describe a lifter who squats every workout and deadlifts every other and repeating the weight when a lift was not completed. In RIGOR each lift has a rep range, and a lift with history gets its next target from written rules.
In StrongLifts 5x5
- Squat every workout, deadlift every other.
- If every set was completed with good form, add weight next time.
- If not, repeat the weight.
In RIGOR
- Tell it your goal, your days and your gym.
- Open today's workout to see each lift's sets, reps and weight.
- Log it; the next target follows the rules, and the Why sheet shows the rule.
An invented squat, not either app's output, under each rule, with a 2.5 kg step and every planned rep made until the 5x5 lifter falls short in session 4. Double progression: 3 sets, 5 to 8 reps.
| Session | 5x5 rule | Double progression |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 kg → 102.5 kg | 100 kg, 5 5 5 → 6 each |
| 2 | 102.5 kg → 105 kg | 100 kg, 6 6 6 → 7 each |
| 3 | 105 kg → 107.5 kg | 100 kg, 7 7 7 → 8 each |
| 4 | 107.5 kg, short of 5×5 → repeat | 100 kg, 8 8 8 → 102.5 kg |
Three 2.5 kg steps make 7.5 kg: 100 kg reaches 107.5 kg. In this example the 5x5 lifter adds weight after each completed session, and the double progression lifter adds it once in four. See double progression and progressive overload.
RIGOR is a strength training app for iPhone that builds your plan and sets every weight by rules you can read.
YOUR IPHONE
Where StrongLifts 5x5 is better
- One sentence of rule. Add weight next workout if you completed all sets last time, with good form. Double progression asks for the top of a range on every set, and for the effort to match.
- Faster at the start. Its progress page says it is very easy to add weight every workout in the first weeks.
- Free pieces and Android. Free spreadsheets for every program, and an app for Android as well as iPhone. RIGOR has no free plan and no Android app.
- A next step. When 5x5 stalls, its site lists intermediate programs to move to, and a page on breaking plateaus. See also 3x10 vs 5x5.
If any of these decides it for you, choose StrongLifts 5x5.
Where RIGOR is better
If you would rather not choose the next weight yourself. For a lift with history, RIGOR sets the target from your last session of it and shows the rule.
- Reps before weight. With every set at the top, if the next weight your gym can make would put you under the bottom of the range, RIGOR asks for extra reps at the same weight first.
- Effort counts. With every set at the top but one logged two or more reps in reserve below plan, the weight stays for another session.
- Weights you can load. An increase takes the next weight your gym can make.
None of this makes RIGOR the better choice for everyone. StrongLifts 5x5 is the simpler rule and, by its own pages, the cheaper way in. RIGOR suits a lifter who wants a range, a rule and the reason behind each target. Stuck on a lift? See what to do at a strength plateau.
See the reason behind every target
StrongLifts 5x5 is a trademark of its owner. RIGOR is not affiliated with it.
Questions
What is a 5x5 workout program?
StrongLifts 5x5 is one such program. Its pages describe squatting every workout and deadlifting every other, and adding weight when a lift's sets were completed.
Does StrongLifts 5x5 add weight every workout?
Not by rule. Its progress page says to add weight next workout if you completed all sets, and that you can add it every one, two, three or even five workouts.
What happens when you fail reps on StrongLifts 5x5?
Its failure page says that if you fail 5×5 with good form, you repeat the weight next workout. If you repeat it three times and still fail, it says to deload by about 10%.
Is StrongLifts 5x5 good for beginners?
Its own app page lists it as the beginner program, and its progress page says adding weight every workout is very easy at first. The same site says you cannot add 5 lb two or three times a week forever. This page does not rate it.
What are alternatives to StrongLifts 5x5?
Its own site lists programs to move to, such as StrongLifts 5x5 Intermediate and Madcow 5x5. A different kind of alternative is a rep range with a rule for adding weight: double progression.
