Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max is an upper/lower body workout split for building strength and muscle. It’s a five-day variation of Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra in which you do a third upper-body workout each week.
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max has three upper body and two lower body workouts per week. This makes the program higher in volume than Stronglifts 5×5 and even Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra. The program is targeted towards lifters who want to emphasize their upper body and have time to train 5x/week.
Let me show you how Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max works.
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What is Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max Upper/lower Split?
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra is a five-day upper/lower workout split in which you train your upper and lower body on different days. In workouts A and C you train your lower body with Squats and Deadlifts. In workouts B, D, and E you train your upper body with Bench, Overhead Press, Rows, and Chinups.
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max consists of five workouts A, B, C, D, and E. You do five workouts a week, alternating lower and upper body workouts. You train your lower and upper body on two consecutive days before taking a rest day. You then train them again on three consecutive days.
| Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max: upper/lower split | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workout A | Workout B | Workout C | Workout D | Workout E |
| Squat 5×5 | Bench Press 5×5 | Deadlift 5×5 | Incline Bench Press 5×5 | Overhead Press 5×5 |
| Deadlift 1×5 | Barbell Row 5×5 | Squat 1×5 | Dips 5×5 | Chinup 5×5 |
| Assistance work | Assistance work | Assistance work | Assistance work | Assistance work |
5×5 means five sets of five reps with the same weight. 1×5 means one heavy set of five reps after you do your warmup sets. There’s optional assistance work that you can add to each workout if you have time for more and want to do more volume to build extra muscle.
You can log Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max using the Stronglifts app. Tap the program tab at the bottom and then select Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max from the list. You’ll find several templates with different exercises and options for Assistance Work. You can easily replace exercises if you want.
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max vs Stronglifts Ultra
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max is a 5x/week version of Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra. You do one extra upper-body workout per week. That means you train your lower body twice, and upper body three times a week.
The first way to do Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max is to go two days on, one day off, three days on, and one day off. Like this…
With this workout schedule, you’re never training more than three days in a row. However, you have to do one workout on the weekend. If you prefer to keep them free, you could train five days in a row instead. Like this…
The goal of adding a third upper-body workout E is to increase your weekly training volume to build more muscle. Compare the weekly training volume for your upper body when you do Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra 4x/week vs Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max 5x/week with its extra upper-body workout E…
| Weekly sets | SL5×5 Ultra 4×/week | SL5×5 Ultra Max 5×/week |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | 10 | 15 (+50%) |
| Back | 11 | 16 (+45%) |
| Shoulders | 15 | 20 (+33%) |
| Triceps | 15 | 20 (+33%) |
| Biceps | 5 | 10 (+100%) |
| Legs | 12 | 12 |
| Total Upper body | 20 | 30 (+50%) |
| Total Lower body | 12 | 12 |
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max has 50% more volume for the upper body because of its fifth workout E. You can increase the volume further by adding assistance work to the upper-body workouts B, D, and E. Like this…
| Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max: upper/lower split 5×/week | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | B | C | D | E |
| Squat 5×5 | Bench 5×5 | Deadlift 5×5 | OHP 5×5 | Overhead Press 5×5 |
| Deadlift 1×5 | Row 5×5 | Squat 1×5 | Bench 5×5 | Chinup 5×5 |
| DB Bench 3×8 | DB Row 3×8 | BB Curl 3×8 |
||
This would add another three sets per week for your chest, shoulders, triceps, and back… as well as six sets for your biceps. You’re then doing almost 20 sets per week or more for your upper-body muscles.
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max is available in the Stronglifts app. Just tap programs at the bottom and then select Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max. You’ll find several templates with different exercises and options for Assistance Work.
NOTE: I recommend starting with Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra before doing Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max. Progress with less volume first. When you get stuck, then consider adding more volume for your upper body.
Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max Spreadsheet
There’s a Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max spreadsheet available.
The spreadsheet is great for getting a big-picture overview of how the program works, and how your weights will progress. But for logging your workouts in the gym, use the Stronglifts app. It’s easier to use, does all the math for you, and has lots of extra features like a built-in rest timer.
To be continued…
I’ll extend this Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra Max guide soon, and make it more detailed like all the other guides on this website. If you have questions, please send them over. You can read the Stronglifts 5×5 Ultra guide as it explains most of the theory behind this upper/lower split.
