5×5 in Alzo
A 5×5 app that knows when to add weight
Alzo ships a ready-made Strength 5×5 program: two full-body templates, A and B, trained three times a week, five sets of five on the big barbell lifts. Rest timers, plate math and the weight prefill for the next session are automatic, and the coach tells you when it is time to load the bar. Free, with no account.
What does the 5×5 program look like in Alzo?
The built-in program is called Strength 5×5 and follows the classic layout: two workouts alternated on three training days, so week one is A-B-A and week two is B-A-B.
| Workout A | Workout B |
|---|---|
| Barbell squat — 5×5 | Barbell squat — 5×5 |
| Bench press — 5×5 | Overhead press — 5×5 |
| Barbell row — 5×5 | Deadlift — 1×5 |
The deadlift is deliberately one heavy set of five. After five sets of squats, one working set is what your lower back needs; five sets of deadlifts would be an overloaded spine, not faster strength. Squats appear in both workouts, so you squat every session and the other lifts come around every other session.
Alzo builds the program from its exercise library, barbell first, and every slot can be swapped. No squat rack at home? Replace the squat with a dumbbell variant and keep the scheme.
Where do you start, and how does the weight go up?
Alzo sets conservative starting weights so the first session is a test, not a max attempt: 40 kg on squat and deadlift, 30 kg on bench and row, 25 kg on the overhead press. Change any of them before your first workout if you already know your numbers.
Progression follows the 2-for-2 rule: complete all five sets of five at the same weight in two sessions in a row, and the coach says it is time to add. The steps match the lift: +5 kg on squat and deadlift, +2.5 kg on bench, press and row (+10 lb and +5 lb if you train in pounds).
- Free: you get the diagnosis in full: five sets of five, twice, on which weight, time to add.
- Alzo Pro: the exact new weight and a one-tap “Apply” that writes it into the plan.
Prefer the textbook version where the bar goes up every single session? Nothing stops you: the working weight in a session is always yours to edit, and Alzo logs whatever you lift. What it never does is raise the weight on its own. If a session goes badly and you land two or more reps under target, Alzo backs the weight off for the next session so you return to five clean reps.
Rest timer: three minutes on the big lifts
Strength work needs long rests, and 5×5 lives or dies on them. Alzo sets 3 minutes after squats, bench, overhead press and deadlift, and 2 minutes after rows, and starts the countdown the moment you log a set. You can edit the rest per exercise in the plan.
The countdown runs as a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so the phone can stay face-down on the bench. Ticks mark the last three seconds and a voice announces the next set, and if you train with Apple Watch the wrist taps you when it is time.
Plate calculator and warm-up ramp
82.5 kg on the bar? Alzo shows exactly which plates go on each side, with a 20 kg bar by default and the standard set of 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2.5 and 1.25 kg plates. Set your own bar weight once; the calculator uses it. The coach rounds proposals to your equipment step (2.5 / 1.25 kg on a barbell), and you can adjust any number before “Apply”.
Working sets deserve a runway. Alzo generates warm-up sets at 40, 60 and 80% of the working weight, rounded to your plates, one tap at a time, from 40 kg working weight upwards; lighter loads need no ramp. They are marked as warm-ups and never count toward records or volume.
5×5 on Apple Watch
The full 5×5 session runs on the wrist: log a set with a tap, adjust weight or reps with the Digital Crown, rest with a haptic countdown and see your heart rate from the workout session. Start on iPhone and the watch picks the session up live, or the other way round. Details on the Apple Watch page.
Spreadsheet or app: what changes with Alzo
Many people run 5×5 from a spreadsheet, and it works. Here is what a spreadsheet does not do:
| Task | Spreadsheet | Alzo |
|---|---|---|
| Next session’s weights | You copy them by hand | Prefilled from your last real working set |
| When to add weight | You decide, often on a good day | Coach confirms after two sessions at 5×5 (2-for-2) |
| How much to add | You remember the rule | Free: time to add; Pro: the exact number, one tap |
| Bad session | You guess a lighter weight | Automatic back-off, calculated from your estimated max |
| Rest between sets | Phone timer, restarted by hand | Starts itself, Lock Screen and Watch |
| Plates per side | Mental math | Plate calculator per exercise |
| Records | Conditional formatting, if you set it up | Weight, est. max, reps and set-volume records caught as they happen |
| Your data | Yours | Yours: no account, export to Excel any time |
FAQ
Is the 5×5 program free?
Yes. Built-in programs, the full log, rest timers, the plate calculator and the Apple Watch app are free with no time limit. Alzo Pro adds the exact new weight with one-tap “Apply”, full coach insights and full chart history.
Can I change the exercises in the 5×5 program?
Yes. Every slot can be swapped for another exercise from the 206-exercise library, and sets, reps and rest can be edited per exercise. The 5×5 scheme is a starting point, not a cage.
Does Alzo add weight every session like classic 5×5?
Not on its own. Alzo confirms readiness after two complete 5×5 sessions on the same weight and then proposes the step, +5 kg on squat and deadlift, +2.5 kg on the other lifts. You can always raise the weight yourself in any session.
What happens when I fail a set?
Log the reps you actually did. If the shortfall is two reps or more, Alzo prefills the next session with a lighter weight calculated from your estimated one-rep max. One missed rep keeps the weight; the coach shows how many reps are missing.
Updated: September 5, 2026