Stronglifts 5x5 Logbook Template: Simple Tracking for Linear Progression

Stronglifts 5x5 alternates between two workouts. Workout A is squat, bench press, and barbell row. Workout B is squat, overhead press, and deadlift (1x5 on deadlift, not 5x5). You train three days per week, alternating A and B. Week one is A-B-A. Week two is B-A-B. Squats appear in every session because the squat is the king of all lifts and responds best to high-frequency practice in beginners.

The progression model is pure linear: if you complete all 5 sets of 5 reps for an exercise, you add 5 lbs next session. If you fail to complete 5x5 (for example, you only get 5-5-5-5-3), you attempt the same weight next session. If you fail three sessions in a row at the same weight, you deload by 10% and work back up.

This simplicity is the program's greatest strength. There are no percentages to calculate, no periodization phases to track, and no accessory work in the base program. Your logbook needs to capture three things per session: the exercise, the weight, and whether you completed all 5x5. Everything else is optional.

Your Stronglifts page needs very little. Here is the layout that works best.

At the top: date, workout label (A or B), bodyweight (optional but useful). Below that, three exercise blocks. Each block has: exercise name (pre-printed if using a custom logbook), the target weight, and five checkboxes or columns for each set. Mark each set as completed (5 reps) or note the actual reps if you fell short. At the bottom: a notes field for anything relevant — how you felt, sleep quality, or a technique cue you want to remember.

That is it. No RPE column (beginners should not worry about RPE yet). No rest timer (rest as long as you need between sets). No accessory section (the base program has none). The simpler the page, the more likely you will fill it in every session. Complexity kills consistency for beginners.

If you are using ForgeLogbooks, design alternating A and B pages so you never have to write exercise names. The page tells you what to do — you just fill in the weight and check off sets. This removes even more friction and makes the logbook feel like a natural extension of the program.

Deloads are where most Stronglifts trainees lose the plot. You stall at 205 lbs on bench press, fail three sessions in a row, and then you are supposed to deload to 185 and work back up. But if your logbook does not clearly mark failures and deloads, you lose track of where you are in the process.

Use a simple system: circle any set where you failed to hit 5 reps. When you have three circled sessions in a row at the same weight, draw a horizontal line across the page and write 'DELOAD to [new weight]' on the next session. This creates a visual break in your logbook that makes the deload unmistakable during reviews.

Track the deload progression separately from your main log. At the back of your logbook or on a dedicated page, maintain a deload history table: date, exercise, stall weight, deload weight. After a few months, this table reveals patterns. If you always stall at roughly the same weight on bench press, it tells you something about your bench-specific work capacity, recovery, or technique that needs addressing before you will break through.

Stronglifts 5x5 is not meant to last forever. It is a beginner program that exploits the rapid neuromuscular adaptation new lifters experience. At some point — usually 3-6 months in — you will hit a wall that deloads cannot fix. Your logbook tells you exactly when this happens.

The signs are clear in your data: you deload on the same lift more than three times, your squat and deadlift have stopped progressing despite good sleep and nutrition, or you are grinding through every set at weights that should feel manageable. When your deload history table shows the same lift cycling through stall-deload-stall at the same weight range, linear progression is exhausted.

At that point, it is time to move to an intermediate program like the Texas Method, 5/3/1, or the Juggernaut Method. Your Stronglifts logbook becomes a valuable reference — it holds your baseline numbers, your stall points, and your progression rate. This data helps you set realistic starting weights for your next program.

Here is what two weeks of Stronglifts looks like in a logbook.

Week 1 — Monday (Workout A): Squat 185x5x5 (all completed), Bench 135x5x5 (all completed), Row 115x5x5 (all completed). Notes: 'Felt strong, bar speed good on everything.' Wednesday (Workout B): Squat 190x5x5 (all completed), OHP 85x5x5 (all completed), Deadlift 225x1x5 (completed). Notes: 'Squats getting heavier. OHP still easy.' Friday (Workout A): Squat 195x5x5 (all completed), Bench 140x5x5 (all completed), Row 120x5x5 (5-5-5-5-4, failed last rep of last set). Notes: 'Row is getting tough. Will retry 120 next time.'

Week 2 — Monday (Workout B): Squat 200x5x5 (all completed), OHP 90x5x5 (all completed), Deadlift 235x1x5 (completed). Notes: 'First time squatting 200. Milestone.' Wednesday (Workout A): Squat 205x5x5 (5-5-5-4-3, failed sets 4 and 5), Bench 145x5x5 (all completed), Row 120x5x5 (all completed, retry successful). Notes: 'Squat is starting to grind. Sleep was bad last two nights.' Friday (Workout B): Squat 205x5x5 (all completed after better sleep), OHP 95x5x5 (5-5-5-5-3), Deadlift 245x1x5 (completed). Notes: 'OHP starting to stall. Will retry 95 next session.'

This two-week snapshot shows the program in action: steady progress on most lifts, early stall signals on rows and OHP, and a squat that recovered after better sleep. Every piece of data is useful for decision-making.