The late hypertrophy coach Charles Poliquin is known for his smart training methods. You may have heard of his famous (and now popular on Instagram) protocol: the 6-12-25 method. Poliquin was a master of using intensity techniques to deliver superior hypertrophy, strength and a pump to be reckoned with.
The 5 to 8 method is no different. A lesser-known protocol of his, it uses a mix of rest-pause and cluster-style training to push you past your initial limit and squeeze out a few extra reps.
What Is the Poliquin 5 to 8 Method?
The premise is fairly straightforward. You select a load you can lift for around 5 hard reps, close to your 5-rep max. After completing those 5 reps, instead of ending the set, you take a very short rest (about 15 seconds) and perform 1 more rep with the same weight. Rest another 15 seconds and repeat. After three short breaks, you’ll have added 3 more reps, turning a 5-rep set into 8 total reps.
In practice, the structure looks like this:
5 reps
rest 15 seconds
+1 rep
rest 15 seconds
+1 rep
rest 15 seconds
+1 rep
Poliquin typically recommended performing three to five cycles per exercise before moving on to the next movement. The method tends to work best with big compound lifts such as the bench press, squat, or deadlift.
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Because the load is heavy and fatigue builds quickly, it’s usually used as a short training block or plateau-breaking technique rather than a year-round method.
The Science Behind the 5 to 8 Method
The rationale behind the technique is that short intra-set rests allow your muscles to recover some of their energy stores.
Phosphocreatine stored in muscle is used in the rapid energy system during heavy lifting. A brief pause can restore enough of this energy to squeeze out additional reps with the same load, allowing you to accumulate more work than you would in a traditional straight set.
This is similar to what’s known as rest-pause or cluster training. Studies suggest that inserting short rest periods within a set can help lifters maintain higher power output and movement velocity compared with traditional sets, while also managing fatigue across repeated reps.
The mechanism behind the 5 to 8 method works in a similar way. While the exact rep structure hasn’t been directly studied, research on cluster sets suggests that short intra-set rest periods allow lifters to accumulate more high-quality work with heavy weights while maintaining force production.
How to Use the 5 to 8 Method
If you want to try the method, start by choosing a weight you can lift for around 5 reps – roughly your 5-rep max.
Perform your 5 reps, rest for about 15 seconds, then complete 1 additional rep. Repeat the short rest and single-rep pattern until you reach 8 total reps. Treat that sequence as one set, and perform 3-5 sets for the exercise.
Because the method is demanding, it’s best used on one or two main lifts per session, ideally after a thorough warm-up. Run it for a few weeks before returning to more traditional straight sets to manage fatigue.
Used sparingly, the 5 to 8 method is a simple way to extend a heavy set, increase training volume and add a fresh stimulus when progress stalls.
