FIERCE 5 OVERVIEW

Fierce 5 is written by davisj3537, a forum member from bodybuilding.com. It has since become a popular internet that has spread throughout online bodybuilding communities like LiftVault.

Everything below is what davisj3537 recommends for those running the Fierce 5 program.

I decided to design "Fierce 5" because I wasn't completely satisfied with any of the other novice programs that are so popular. In my opinion they all had a flaw or two (slow progression, high volume, low enough volume people lose interest and most of them lack what I’d consider proper balance), albeit small inadequacies in most cases.

Fierce 5 is comprised of 5 simple workouts (supersets combined) that should take just over an hour to complete including stretching and warmups. You will be working out 3 nonconsecutive days a week and alternating between workouts A & B. Ex: Mon-A, Tues-Rest, Wed-B, Thur-Rest, Fri-A, Sat-Rest, Sun-Rest, Mon-B…etc. Each week you’ll add 5 lbs to all of your upper body lifts* and 10lbs to all of your lower body lifts.

*Reverse flies will increase 5lbs per month and should never increase over 15lbs per hand if using DBs, leg curls (if subbed) will increase 5lbs per week and ab work increases in reps (try adding a few reps each week.) If you are unable to increase weight in these increments due to equipment limitations then, for that exercise only, increase weight every other week. For the exercises in the 5 rep range add 1 rep per set during the weeks you aren’t increasing weight. For exercises in the 8-15 range add 2 reps per set during weeks you aren’t increasing weight.

Acceptable Exercise Substitutions

Face Pulls-Reverse Flies

Tricep pressdowns-overhead extensions, skull crushers…etc. (basically any tricep isolation exercise)

Lat Pulldowns-Any form of pull/chin up. You’ll need a dip belt to add weight. (You need a pull from above your head)

Overhead Press-Dumbell overhead press, landmine press.

Pendlay Rows-Any horizontal pull to the chest with a wide grip and elbows at 45 degrees. NOT BOR. See FAQ.

Bench-Decline bench, dips (leaning forward) You’ll need a dip belt to add weight

Front Squat/RDL-You have to swap both for a Deadlift and a leg curl. This isn’t an either or kind of substitution.

Front Squat-Paused back squats

Warmups- Before your compound lifts (Squat, Bench, Rows, Front Squat, Incline, Romanian Deadlift and Lat Pulldowns) you should do at least one warmup set. As months roll by you’ll begin adding more weight to the bar and you’ll need to increase the number of warm up sets for some exercises. Ex: For a 135lb squat you might do 1 warm up set of 95lbs, but for a 315lb squat you might warm up with 135, 225 and 275. Warmups are used to get your muscles ready to work; they should not fatigue you. This means if your work set is 50lbs, your warmup set should be down around 25 or 30lbs.

Stretching routines: These aren’t a must, but will assist you in staying healthy and injury free. They don’t take very long at all and are dynamite when it comes to improving and maintaining your mobility. I do them directly before each workout.'

Fierce 5 FAQ

Who should use this program?

It was designed for those people who don’t have a great deal of recent, well structured training behind them. It is for anyone with less than 6 months of current, structured and dedicated training. Even if you’ve been working out for a year or two, if you haven’t been intense, consistent, running a decent program and eating correctly you may still make progress on this routine.

How long can I run this program?

You run this program until you legitimately stall on at least 2 of your major lifts while bulking (Bench, Rows, Squat, DL). 4-6 months is a good average for someone bulking. I don’t advise moving onto an intermediate program if you’ve been cutting the whole time on this program.

Legitimate stall- After deloading (taking 4-7 days completely off), dropping 15% (reset) and working back up you cannot break your plateau.

What do I do if I fail on my sets?

If you fail a lift two days in a row then drop the weight 15% for the lift you are failing (reset.) This is a good time to work on form since the weight is a bit lighter again. Form can make or break your lift. You will still be growing with lighter weight. If you don't reduce weight you will likely get slower results.

I’m a man/woman and I plan on cutting/bulking. Does that change whether or not I should run this program?

For bulking males this program is perfect. Progression(weight increases) needs to be modified for cutting males and bulking females. I would advise running the progression until you stall on bench, squat or RDL. At this point cut the progression in half, meaning increase weight half as much as the program calls for. I advise cutting females and men wanting to lose 30 or more lbs to run All Pros routine.

What about form?

At this point you just want to focus on the basics. There is too much information about form to try and absorb all of it at once. The basics of each exercise will keep you from being injured since you won't be lifting huge amounts of weight. As you progress to lifting more and more weight you should devote more and more time to learning the form. A few basics are not flaring elbows during bench and keeping a straight back during squats and DL.

I'm having a hard time with pendlays. What am I doing wrong and can I sub it out?

Just put in the time to learn the damn lift. You're flexible enough, but you'll need to video yourself and check your form a few times. Keep your back straight like seen in the below photos. At the top of the lift keep your elbows above the bar like seen in the 3rd photo. Notice how my shins are straight up and down. You RDL back into the position and then grab the bar. Notice how far back my hips are. Keep in mind that until you get up to 135lbs the bar will be closer to the ground and require more hip flexibility. Put some mats, blocks, other weights or something under the bar to raise it up to a normal height if needed. If you're gonna sub it then at least notice how in the first photo the arms are perpendicular to the chest. Any sub has to be the same.

What is a superset?

A superset is two exercises combined into one workout. These are done back to back. For the abs and curls superset, you would do one set of abs and then immediately do a set of curls. When you finish the curl set then you would immediately start your second set of abs. This saves time and produces a pump.

How long do I wait between sets?

Generally I would advise waiting 2-3 minutes between heavy compound sets (Squat, Bench, Row, RDL, Incline, Lat Pulldown.) Isolation workouts should be somewhere between 30-60 seconds (curls, tricep pressdowns, reverse flies.) The supersets should be done back to back.

How much weight should I use?

I highly advise to start out lighter than you think you can handle since the progression is very fast. I can’t stress this enough! This program works best with lighter starting weights. I suggest all lifters, regardless of experience, start with 85% of what they think they can lift. You should not be struggling for 4-6 weeks or so.

If this is your very first time working out then I advise you start with 50% of what you think you can handle. On every workout increase the weight by 10-15% instead of the 5-10lbs listed in the original program. There are 3 A and 3 B workouts in every two weeks. Each will be increased by 10-15% each workout so you should be using 85% of what you feel you're capable of by the start of week 3. Remember this is a guess since you're new. Adjust the weights as needed to get to 85% by week 3. Then you will follow normal progression listed in the program. This works great for total beginners because it allows you to get the basics of the exercises down with a safe weight and it also prevent major soreness.

What should I be eating?

This depends on your goals. If you are looking to gain muscle you need to be bulking. If you are looking to lose fat, you’ll need to cut.

What supplements should I use?

Many beginners think that supplements are the “key” to success. This isn’t the case. Supplements help to fill gaps in your diet. If you are unable to meet the minimum requirements for your macros (see the nutrition link above) or micros, then supplements can be beneficial to you, but understand your diet BEFORE jumping into supplements. I advise a multivitamin (helps to fill in micros) to all trainees. Creatine is also something to consider. It is cheap and can help you push through hard sets. The last thing I recommend is protein powder. You don’t need it.