How to run the Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 program

Who Is This Program For?

Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 (ICF) is for new lifters who want strength and a balanced physique at the same time. Jason Blaha built it as his answer to StrongLifts and Starting Strength: the same proven 5×5 compound engine, but with the accessory work those programs leave out. He describes it as a novice bodybuilding program.

The program focuses on:

• Compound base: squat, bench, deadlift, press, and row drive the progress
• Direct accessory work: curls, triceps, shrugs, lower back, and abs every session
• Linear progression: add weight every session on the main lifts while you can
• Higher volume: expect sessions of around 90 minutes, longer than minimalist 5×5 programs

If StrongLifts feels too bare-bones and you want your arms and abs trained from day one, this is the program.

Program Structure

A/B Alternating Workouts

The program uses two workouts that alternate across 3 training days per week.

Workout A:

Workout B:

Why Deadlift Is 1×5

Blaha programs the deadlift at 1×5 deliberately: it is extremely taxing on the central nervous system, and you are already squatting 5×5 in the same session. In his words, mess around with more heavy deadlift volume and you will get hurt.

The Lighter Row in Workout B

The bent-over row appears in both workouts, but in Workout B you use 10% less weight than your Workout A row. That keeps the extra rowing volume from interfering with recovery on a day that already has deadlifts.

Allowed Substitutions

• Hyperextensions: good mornings or cable pull-throughs
• Close grip bench press: dips
• Squat: box squats are acceptable for lifters with knee issues
• Abs: additional ab work on rest days is acceptable

Weekly Schedule

The workouts alternate in an A/B pattern across each week:

Odd Weeks (1, 3, 5...):

• Day 1: Workout A
• Day 2: Workout B
• Day 3: Workout A

Even Weeks (2, 4, 6...):

• Day 1: Workout B
• Day 2: Workout A
• Day 3: Workout B

Train 3 days per week with at least one rest day between sessions. A typical schedule is Monday / Wednesday / Friday.

Progression: How Weights Increase

ICF uses linear progression on the main barbell lifts, meaning you add weight every session.

The weight added is to the total bar weight, not per side.

Accessories (curls, tricep extensions, shrugs, hyperextensions, cable crunches): progress these by feel, not on a fixed schedule. When all sets and reps are completed with good form and the weight feels manageable, add the smallest increment available.

The Cutting Variation

If you run ICF in a caloric deficit, Blaha prescribes a reduced version:

• Main lifts drop from 5×5 to 3×5
• Accessories drop from 3×8 to 2×8
• Progress every other session instead of every session

Get Your Form Right First

Everything below assumes your form is already solid. Finding your working weight, adding weight, chasing reps, all of it only works if you can perform the lift correctly. While your form is not locked in, that is your only job. Make good form the goal of every set, not the weight on the bar. Drilling the movement with an empty bar beats loading plates onto a lift you cannot control yet.

To learn, don't hesitate to search Google and YouTube (there is a lot of good free material) and record yourself from the side to compare against a proper demonstration. In general, good form means a full controlled range of motion, a braced neutral spine, no bouncing or momentum, a consistent setup every rep, and ending the set when technique breaks down rather than grinding sloppy reps.

Finding Your Starting Weights

If you don't know your starting weights:

1. Start with just the empty barbell (20 kg / 45 lbs)
2. Perform 5 reps
3. Add 5-10 kg (10-20 lbs)
4. Perform another set of 5 reps
5. Repeat until bar speed noticeably slows or form starts to break down
6. Use that weight as your starting weight

For the deadlift and bent-over row, start with 30-45 kg (65-95 lbs) since these exercises require plates to reach proper bar height. For accessories, pick a weight you can complete all sets and reps with while staying 2-3 reps away from failure.

It's better to start too light than too heavy. The linear progression will catch up quickly.

Warming Up

Before each main exercise, perform 3-4 warm-up sets with increasing weight. This prepares your joints and muscles for the working weight and lets you practice the movement pattern.

Example: If your working weight for squat is 80 kg:

• Set 1: 30 kg × 5
• Set 2: 47.5 kg × 3
• Set 3: 62.5 kg × 2
• Work sets: 80 kg × 5×5

Warm-up sets should feel easy. They are not work sets. Accessories don't need dedicated warm-up sets since the muscles are already warm from the main lifts.

Rest Times

Take the full rest on the main lifts, especially squats. Rushing rest periods leads to missed reps, and missed reps stall the progression. Expect the full session to take about 90 minutes.

When You Fail Reps

Blaha's failure protocol is simple and exact:

1. Fail a rep or set: repeat that same weight during the next workout
2. Fail again the next workout: lower the weight by 10% and continue from there
3. Round reset weights down to the nearest increment

Example:

Bench stuck at 70 kg for 2 consecutive sessions:
  New weight: 70 × 0.90 = 63 kg (round down to nearest increment)
  Progress from there, adding 2.5 kg per session

Each exercise resets independently, so a stall on the bench press doesn't affect your squat weight.

Before blaming the program, check your recovery: sleep 7-9 hours, eat enough calories (ICF is built to be run in a surplus), and get 1.5-2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight (0.7-1 g per lb).

Program Duration

This program is designed to run for 12 weeks (12 cycles of 3 workouts each, totaling 36 sessions).

Why 12 weeks?

• Linear progression stalls for most lifters within this timeframe
• By 12 weeks you'll have built a solid strength base plus visible accessory-driven muscle
• Blaha's own guidance: run it until your progress has clearly stalled, then move on

Access the Original Program

If you would like to read the original program page:

Jason Blaha's Ice Cream Fitness 5×5 on Muscle & Strength