Lifting Question

I want to  buff up a little:  Upper arms, and back. Not just tone; but have real visible muscle.

So;

Do I:

a.  Lift heavier weights w/ less reps and sets?  Like life 5 times for 1 set like my life depended on it and can't go any further?

or....

b.  Lift the same weight amounts that I'm doing now; but increase reps amd sets?

I just don't feel like I'm challenging myself enough.

Stats are 31 years old, 5'1" medium frame, normal build.  Average weight.

Thank you.

I think that if I did start doing the 5x5 program, I would definitely do HIIT on the same day to give myself as much recovery time as possible. Also, when you say mention the pull-ups, dips, etc, how many sets to going to failure do you do? Just one?

I have to admit that I am rather intrigued by this program now. Especially after going to stronglifts.com and reading more about it in depth. I have to admit that only having to workout 3 days a week, sounds rather appealing to me. My diet is already really good, and if I start doing the 5x5 program along with HIIT, it should work out well for me. Especially since I am looking to get some variety. I think I will try it for a month or two just to get a basis of comparison to the split, and see what I like doing better.

Nice one mate, yeah give it a try and see how you get on.  The dips and chins are actually 3xF, so 3 sets of whatever reps until failure.

You're already a strong fella, so it'll be interesting to see your progress.

I did my first 5x5 workout today. Since I had already benched and did chest on Wednesday, I started out with workout B (squats, overhead press, deadlift, pull-ups). I really liked it. I can totally see how you could do squats 3 times a week on this, because my legs feel worked, but not completely sore. So a day of rest in between is enough.

I made sure to start out with lighter poundages than my actual 5 rep max like the website instructed. I was able to do all 5 sets of all the exercises, but I do have to admit that I felt it a little in the 5th set of the squats and op. Mainly because I am not used to doing 5 sets. I always do 3. The workout says to do one set for the deadlift, but I did two just for the hell of it..LOL I only had 335 on the bar, so doing 5 reps wasn't a problem considering I can knock out 365 for 5 reps easily. I think I may have gone too light this workout, but it says to start out lighter on the website. I will add 10 pounds to my deadlift next time when I do the five reps. In regards to workout A, I think I will do close grip bench, instead of dips. CGBP is a better tricep workout, and hits the inner chest.

I really like the fact that the whole program revolves around the barbel. I have a bench and a squat rack at my house, so I can do the whole program at home. All I need now is to buy a stationary bike, so I can do my HIIT workouts at home too..LOL