StrongLifts 5×5 Workout B: Session 12 at 105/80/130 lb
A ready-to-execute StrongLifts 5×5 Workout B Session 12 — squat 5×5 at 105 lb, overhead press 5×5 at 80 lb, deadlift 1×5 at 130 lb — with warm-up ramps, a demo video for every lift, three-level scaling, and the program's rule for what to do when a lift stalls.
Workout snapshot
Use this as your next StrongLifts 5×5 Workout B if the last B session in your log was the 100 / 75 / 125 lb line. Session 12 is the next small step up on all three lifts.
| Prescription | |
|---|---|
| Program | StrongLifts 5×5 |
| Session | Workout B, Session 12 |
| Back squat | 5 × 5 @ 105 lb |
| Overhead press | 5 × 5 @ 80 lb |
| Deadlift | 1 × 5 @ 130 lb |
| Time | About 45–60 minutes, including warm-up sets |
| Equipment | Barbell, squat rack with safety pins, plates, collars, and clear floor space |
StrongLifts alternates Workout A and Workout B. Workout B runs squat, overhead press, deadlift, with five sets of five on the squat and the press and one heavy set of five on the deadlift. 1
The program adds weight to a lift once every prescribed rep of that lift goes up. A completed B day at 100 / 75 / 125 lb therefore sets up this line at 105 / 80 / 130 lb. 2
If your own log is further along, run your loads and keep the structure below. If you have been away from the bar for weeks, start from the beginner row in the level table and rebuild.
Before you start
Set the rack's safety pins just below the bottom of your squat, so a rep you cannot finish lands on the pins. Load the bar with collars on and check that the rack area is clear.
You need the rack for the squat and the press, and clear floor space for the deadlift. A spotter helps on the squat; the pins stay set either way.
Stop the session for sharp pain, a loss of balance, or a rep you cannot control. Load the bar to the numbers your plates actually make, and record what you lifted.
Dynamic warm-up: 5 minutes
Kaleigh Cohen Strength's five-minute routine runs 5:41 and covers the whole body before the first barbell set. 3
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Keep moving through the whole video. Finish it warmer and looser, with your breathing steady, then set the bar for the squat.
Barbell warm-up sets
Each lift opens with a light bar and climbs in steps to the work weight, raising the load by 25–45 lb at a time. 1
Run the warm-up sets back to back with no rest between them, because the weight is light and moving keeps you warm. Rest only after the last warm-up set, before your first work set.
Squat ramp to 105 lb
| Set | Load | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 lb, empty bar | 5 | None |
| 2 | 45 lb, empty bar | 5 | None |
| 3 | 65 lb | 5 | None |
| 4 | 85 lb | 5 | None |
| Work sets | 105 lb | 5 × 5 | About 3 min between work sets |
Overhead press ramp to 80 lb
| Set | Load | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 45 lb, empty bar | 5 | None |
| 2 | 45 lb, empty bar | 5 | None |
| 3 | 55 lb | 5 | None |
| 4 | 70 lb | 5 | About 2 min before the first work set |
| Work sets | 80 lb | 5 × 5 | About 3 min between work sets |
Deadlift ramp to 130 lb
| Set | Load | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 65 lb | 5 | None |
| 2 | 85 lb | 5 | None |
| 3 | 105 lb | 5 | None |
| 4 | 120 lb | 5 | About 3 min before the work set |
| Work set | 130 lb | 1 × 5 | Finish the set, then cool down |
The deadlift ramp starts at 65 lb so the plates hold the bar at a height you can reach with a flat back. StrongLifts gives 65–135 lb as the usual starting range for deadlift and row warm-ups, set by the lifter and the plates available. 1
Main session
1. Back squat: 5 × 5 @ 105 lb
Rest about three minutes between work sets. StrongLifts allows 1–2 minutes after an easy set, about 3 minutes after a normal one, and up to 5 minutes after a hard one. 1
Settle the bar on the position you can hold through all five sets. Brace before each descent, keep the whole foot planted, and reach the same depth on every rep.
A squat rep counts when your hips drop below your knees. StrongLifts scores a shallow rep as a missed rep, so the last rep at full depth is worth more than a heavier set that stops high. 2
Alan Thrall's low-bar squat tutorial runs 18:18 and covers bar position, stance, depth, hip drive, and the technique errors that show up under load. 4
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2. Overhead press: 5 × 5 @ 80 lb
Rest about three minutes between work sets. Squeeze the glutes, stack the ribs over the hips, and drive the bar in a straight path close to the face; your head moves back as the bar passes, then returns under the bar at lockout.
StrongLifts counts a press rep when your legs stay straight and your elbows lock at the top. A press that borrows leg drive is a missed rep. 2
Alan Thrall's press tutorial runs 9:48 and covers hand placement, elbow position, torso control, and the lower-back pain that comes from leaning back under the bar. 5
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The press is the lift that stalls first on this program, because it works the smallest muscles of the five lifts. StrongLifts keeps the press increment at 2.5–5 lb for that reason, and fractional plates of 1.25 lb or less let you take the smaller step when 5 lb stops working. 26
3. Deadlift: 1 × 5 @ 130 lb
Rest about three minutes after the last warm-up set, then pull one set of five. Set up again for every rep: bar over midfoot, hands outside the shins, brace, push the floor away, stand tall.
Hips and knees both lock at the top, and the bar returns to the floor under control. StrongLifts scores a rep that stops short of lockout as a missed rep. 2
When the bar starts rolling in your hands, switch from the double-overhand grip to a mixed grip for the work set. The stronger hold keeps the set on your back and legs, where the training effect lives. 6
Alan Thrall's five-step deadlift tutorial breaks the lift into stance, hand position, bracing, lockout, and lowering. 7
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Choose your level before you load the bar
Keep the exercise order, the sets and reps, and the form standard the same at every level. Change the load to what you can lift with clean reps today.
| Level | Back squat | Overhead press | Deadlift | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 45–95 lb | 45–65 lb | 95–135 lb | StrongLifts' starting ranges for a new lifter. Complete 5 × 5, 5 × 5, and 1 × 5 cleanly, then add 5 lb next time 1 |
| Intermediate | 105 lb | 80 lb | 130 lb | The written Session 12 line, when your last completed B session was 100 / 75 / 125 lb |
| Advanced | Your logged B squat | Your logged B press | Your logged B deadlift | Keep 5 × 5 and 1 × 5, and take the next step from your own log instead of these numbers |
Choose the lower load when you sit between two rows. A clean set at a lighter weight gives you a number to build on, and a missed fifth rep only tells you the bar was heavy that day.
Cool-down: 5–7 minutes
MadFit's full-body cool-down runs 7:05 and is built for recovery and flexibility after training. 8
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Keep each stretch easy enough to breathe through normally, and finish the session feeling settled.
Log the result
Write these down before you leave the platform:
- Squat: ___ of 25 reps at ___ lb
- Overhead press: ___ of 25 reps at ___ lb
- Deadlift: ___ of 5 reps at ___ lb
- First set where your form changed: ________
- Rest used after the hardest set: ________
Progression runs per lift. Complete every rep of a lift and that lift moves up next time; miss a rep and the same load comes back. 2
When a lift stops going up
A stalled lift has four responses in the program, and they run in this order. 6
Rest longer first. Push the rest to the top of the range — 5 minutes after a hard set — before you decide the weight itself is the problem. Longer rest after hard sets buys back reps on the next set.
Repeat the load. Put the same weight on the bar and aim for more total reps than last time. The press line of 5/5/5/3/3 at 80 lb becomes 5/5/5/4/4 on the next try, and 5 × 5 soon after.
Microload the small lifts. Fractional plates of 1.25 lb or less cut the jump to 2.5 lb on the press. Smaller steps on the press, bench, and row keep the same progression alive for more sessions.
Deload after three failures. When the same load has failed three sessions in a row, reduce it by about 10% and work back up. On the press that turns 80 lb into roughly 70 lb.
The rule applies to one lift at a time. A press that keeps missing reps leaves the squat and the deadlift free to climb, because those two work larger muscle groups and progress faster. 2
A fully completed Session 12 moves your log to 110 lb on the squat, 85 lb on the press, and 135 lb on the deadlift the next time each lift comes around, unless your smallest plates force a smaller step.
Cover photo: a lifter set up over a loaded barbell in a gym via Pexels.
References
- 1StrongLifts 5×5 Workout Program: Quick Start Guide
stronglifts.com
- 2How to Progress on StrongLifts 5×5
stronglifts.com
- 3
- 4How To Squat: Low Bar
youtube.com
- 5How To Overhead Press
youtube.com
- 6How to Overcome Failure on StrongLifts 5×5
stronglifts.com
- 7How To Deadlift: 5 Step Deadlift 2022
youtube.com
- 85 MIN FULL BODY COOL DOWN STRETCHES
youtube.com
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