Monday Strength — StrongLifts 5×5 Workout B, Session 7
A complete, immediately executable Workout B session for Monday June 8: Back Squat 5×5 @ 75 lb, Overhead Press 5×5 @ 60 lb, and Deadlift 1×5 @ 110 lb — all +5 lb from Session 6. Includes dynamic warm-up video, per-lift barbell ramp-up tables, full setup and form cues for each lift with embedded Alan Thrall tutorial videos, a 3-level scaling table, equipment checklist, cool-down video, progression tracking table, and week-ahead schedule.
Today is Workout B in the alternating StrongLifts A/B schedule — Back Squat, Overhead Press, and Deadlift. All three lifts go up +5 lb from Session 6 on June 1. 1
Session at a glance
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Program | StrongLifts 5×5 — Workout B 1 |
| Session | Session 7 · 5th Workout B |
| Date | Monday, June 8 |
| Lifts | Back Squat / Overhead Press / Deadlift |
| Back Squat | 5×5 @ 75 lb (+5 lb from June 1) |
| Overhead Press | 5×5 @ 60 lb (+5 lb from June 1) |
| Deadlift | 1×5 @ 110 lb (+5 lb from June 1) |
| Rest between sets | 90 sec (if set felt easy) · 3 min (if near failure) |
| Last Workout B | Session 6 — June 1 (Squat 70 / OHP 55 / DL 105 lb) |
| Last Workout A | Session 7 — June 5 (Squat 75 / Bench 60 / Row 80 lb) |
Warm-up (5–6 min)
Start with a full-body dynamic warm-up before you touch the bar. This activates the hips, shoulders, and thoracic spine — the three areas that take the most abuse during squatting and pressing. 2
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Kaleigh Cohen Strength — dynamic warm-up for strength training days, 5:41 (1.31M views). 2
Move straight from the warm-up video into barbell ramp-up sets for your first lift.
Barbell ramp-up
Never load the bar to your working weight on the first set. These ramp-up sets prime the movement pattern and warm the joints without fatiguing you. 3
The guiding principle: warm up, don't wear out. Keep ramp-up reps lower than your working sets; each set should feel progressively heavier but never hard.
Back Squat ramp-up (working weight: 75 lb)
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| 2 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| Working sets (×5) | 75 lb | 5 each |
Overhead Press ramp-up (working weight: 60 lb)
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| 2 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| Working sets (×5) | 60 lb | 5 each |
Deadlift ramp-up (working weight: 110 lb)
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| 2 | 45 lb (empty bar) | 5 |
| 3 | 65 lb | 3 |
| 4 | 95 lb | 3 |
| Working set (×1) | 110 lb | 5 |
The Deadlift gets extra ramp-up steps because of the larger jump to working weight. Ramp-up sets are 3 reps each — enough to groove the pattern without accumulating fatigue. 3
Main lifts
1. Back Squat — 5×5 @ 75 lb
The low-bar back squat places the bar on the rear deltoids (the fleshy shelf just below the spine of the scapula), not on top of the traps. This lower bar position shifts more load onto the hips and hamstrings and allows you to move heavier weight over time. 1
Setup cues:
- Feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out ~30°
- Bar rests on the rear deltoids, not the upper traps
- Hands grip the bar just outside shoulder width; elbows angled slightly back and down to create a shelf
Movement cues:
- Breathe in and brace hard before you unrack
- Push knees out in line with the toes throughout the descent
- Descend until the hip crease drops below the top of the knee (full depth)
- Keep the bar directly over the mid-foot throughout
- Drive up with the hips — don't let the chest collapse forward out of the hole
Common faults: knee cave (cue: "push your knees out"), heels rising, excessive forward lean.
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Alan Thrall (Untamed Strength) — How To Squat: Low Bar, 18:18 (1.36M views). 4
Rest 90–180 seconds between sets. If you barely made 5 reps on a set, take the full 3 minutes before the next one.
2. Overhead Press — 5×5 @ 60 lb
The standing barbell overhead press (OHP) is the upper-body pressing lift in Workout B. It builds shoulder and tricep strength and requires full-body tension to protect the lower back. 1
Setup cues:
- Grip just outside shoulder width; bar rests on the collarbone / front of the shoulders before each rep
- Feet hip-width apart, glutes and abs tight
- Elbows angled slightly forward in the starting position
Movement cues:
- Take a breath, brace, then press straight up — tuck the chin back slightly so the bar clears the face in a vertical path
- Once the bar passes the forehead, the head returns to neutral under the bar
- Lock out the elbows at the top with the bar directly over the mid-foot
- Lower under control back to the clavicle — do not rest or bounce
Common faults: excessive lower-back arch (using the back to lever the bar up instead of pressing), bar path that travels forward of the head, grip too wide.
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Alan Thrall (Untamed Strength) — "How To" Overhead Press, 9:48 (1.19M views). 5
Rest 90 seconds–3 minutes between sets, same rule as Squat.
3. Deadlift — 1×5 @ 110 lb
The Deadlift is one working set of 5 reps — no more. Heavy conventional deadlifts tax the central nervous system significantly; doing multiple work sets would compromise recovery and the rest of the week's training. The ramp-up sets above are the only other sets you do. 1
Setup cues (5-step approach):
- Stance: feet hip-width apart, toes forward or slightly out; bar over the mid-foot
- Grip: reach down and grip just outside the knees — double overhand to start
- Shins to bar: bend at the knees until your shins touch the bar; do not let the bar move
- Chest up: lift the chest (not the hips) until your back is flat — this loads the lats and sets the spine
- Pull: push the floor away and drag the bar up the legs; hips and shoulders rise at the same rate
Movement cues:
- Bar stays in contact with the legs the entire pull — wear long socks or use shin guards if needed
- Lock out by squeezing the glutes at the top; stand tall, do not hyperextend
- Lower by pushing the hips back first, then bending the knees once the bar passes them
Common faults: rounded lower back (stop immediately and reduce weight), hips too low at setup (this becomes a squat-pull hybrid), bar drifting away from the body.
If your lower back rounds at any point, stop the set, reduce weight, and focus on the chest-up cue before continuing.
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Alan Thrall (Untamed Strength) — How To Deadlift: 5 Step Deadlift | 2022, 14:27 (651K views). 6
Scaling table
| Lift | Beginner (on track) | Intermediate (3–6 months in) | Advanced (past linear progression) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 5×5 @ 75 lb — today's prescription; retry same weight if any set is incomplete | 5×5 @ working weight; switch to 2.5 lb jumps when 5 lb stalls repeatedly | Periodized programming (5/3/1 or Texas Method); not served by linear 5×5 |
| Overhead Press | 5×5 @ 60 lb; OHP is typically the first lift to stall — be patient | 5×5 @ working weight; micro-loading with 1.25 lb plates extends the linear run | Heavy singles or RPE-based work within a broader program |
| Deadlift | 1×5 @ 110 lb; focus entirely on back position, not weight moved | 1×5 @ working weight; consider mixed grip (one hand over, one under) as loads climb | 1×3–5 at heavier percentages within a periodized block |
| If a set fails | Keep weight the same next session; do not reduce | Same — hold weight, do not reduce for a single miss | Adjust per program guidelines |
| 3 consecutive failures | Reduce weight by 10%, rebuild from there 1 | Same deload protocol | N/A — program handles this differently |
| Sharp pain (not soreness) | Stop immediately; pain ≠ progress | Same | Same |
StrongLifts recommends staying on linear progression for at least 12 weeks before considering a switch. 1
Equipment checklist
| Item | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic barbell (45 lb / 20 kg) | ✅ Yes | Standard for StrongLifts |
| Weight plates | ✅ Yes | Need at least 2×10 lb + 2×5 lb + 2×2.5 lb to hit today's weights |
| Squat rack / power rack | ✅ Yes | Safety arms set just below parallel-depth bar position |
| Flat-soled shoes | ✅ Yes | Converse, Vans, or dedicated lifting shoes — no running shoes |
| Lifting belt | Optional | Useful for Deadlift as weights climb; not needed at 110 lb for most |
| Chalk / liquid chalk | Optional | Helps grip on Deadlift — especially useful as bar gets heavier |
| Long socks / shin guards | Optional | Protects shins during Deadlift bar drag |
Cool-down (7 min)
Finish with a full-body static stretch to bring the heart rate down and release the hip flexors, hamstrings, quads, and thoracic spine loaded during today's lifts. Hold each stretch 20–30 seconds; do not bounce. 7
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MadFit — Full Body Cool Down Stretch, 7:05 (5.83M views). 7
Progression check
| Lift | Session 6 (June 1) | Today (Session 7) | Next Workout B (Session 8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 70 lb | 75 lb | 80 lb (if all 5 sets complete) |
| Overhead Press | 55 lb | 60 lb | 65 lb (if all 5 sets complete) |
| Deadlift | 105 lb | 110 lb | 115 lb (if the 1×5 is complete) |
Each lift adds +5 lb every successful session. Complete all 5 reps of all 5 sets (or 1×5 for Deadlift) and the weight goes up next time. Miss a rep anywhere and the weight stays the same — no exceptions, no rounding up. 1
What's next this week
| Day | Session | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, June 9 | Running — Hal Higdon Week 4, Day 1 | 2.25 mi easy run (conversational pace) |
| Wed or Thu | Rest or active recovery | Light walking, mobility work |
| Thu or Fri | Strength — Workout A, Session 8 | Squat 80 lb / Bench Press 65 lb / Barbell Row 85 lb |
| Sat | Running — Hal Higdon Week 4, Day 2 | Distance TBD per plan |
Tuesday's run opens Hal Higdon Novice 5K Week 4 at 2.25 miles — a 0.25 mi step up from the Week 3 Saturday run. Keep it fully conversational (the Talk Test: you should be able to speak in full sentences without gasping). 8
References
- 1StrongLifts 5×5 Workout Program: Quick Start Guide
stronglifts.com
- 2
- 3StrongLifts Support — Warm-Up Guide
support.stronglifts.com
- 4Alan Thrall — How To Squat: Low Bar
youtube.com
- 5Alan Thrall — "How To" OVERHEAD PRESS
youtube.com
- 6
- 7MadFit — Full Body Cool Down Stretch
youtube.com
- 8Hal Higdon — Novice 5K Training Program
halhigdon.com
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