Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results

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Boostcamp has a free app version of 5/3/1 Boring But Big (BBB) that you can use directly from your phone. I’m wondering, I have been following this routine over 20 weeks now, what would be recommended after? Its amazing to me that people bitch about this book not having what Wendler has already provided elsewhere, but that's people. It became prevalent, so Jim has included it in Beyond 5/3/1 the program includes two 5/3/1 training cycles various tweaks in the sets, reps and percentages for various lifts and 24 workouts per month, Hence the Frequency project.

It lists the starting weights and prescribed sets and reps for squats, bench press, deadlifts, and military press on a week-by-week basis. Compared to the other programs we’ve looked at thus far, Wendler is extremely progressive in his use of autoregulation. The versatility of 5/3/1 let’s you adapt it to suit your specific needs, making it a great choice for most true intermediate and even early advanced lifters. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Like, my triceps suck, so on my bench day I do floor press that closely mimics whatever my bench workout was for that day.The Beyond 5/3/1 eBook has all the tools you need to push the boundaries of strength, intensity, frequency and the quest for a new personal record, all available on-the go, because life gets busy. In Week 11, where even all the assistance is cut out, you ensure full recovery going into Meet Week. Luckily, the 5/3/1 training program has enough flexibility to cover each of these areas and to keep you progressing forward. I prefer this to the first 5/3/1, but I think you need to read the original to get a feel for the context of this one.

The book explains how to do the exercises properly, how to choose your assistance work, how to progress each month, and what to do if your progress stalls … and Wendler needs your cash for another tattoo. Even if you aren’t a competitive lifter, the 6-­­week cycles will help to keep you focused, allowing you to have fun and try new things without committing too much time. In Weeks One and Three, you use the Boring But Big Variation where you do 5×3 at 90% of your training max. While 5/3/1 allows consistent strength gains it also acts as an ‘over warm-up’ for the first set last, a back offset to failure this set up worked really well for me, and it’s definitely something I would consider using again in the future.The powerlifting variation of 5/3/1 switches weeks 1 and 2 and incorporates additional heavy single work – increasing the specificity needed for powerlifting and including additional recovery time by not scheduling consecutive heavy lifting weeks. It also provides guidance that to get stronger using this program, athletes should focus on personal record sets, joker sets done at a higher percentage of their training max, and performing "first set last" down sets to failure. The down side is that I’d have to be a testosterone driven gorilla to be able to do it all…a young testosterone driven gorilla.

He went on to squat 1000 pounds in competition and is an accomplished Elite Lifter with a 2,375 pound total. I consider myself a hard gainer and I'm a huge fan of Stuart McRobert's training books so I was dubious about this at first. My takeaway, particularly as someone with little to no experience with the 5/3/1, is to use the core program I already constructed based on numerous sources including Wendler, become proficient (if at all possible) and then re-evaluate my progress.

A common thread running through the dizzying array of workout programs Wendler’s book presents, is that they are all aimed toward getting the people using these programs to grow big and get strong. Again, I don’t think this is an optimal routine or necessarily 100% the best way to use for 5/3/1 for Powerlifting.

It progresses on a weekly basis, making it well suited for late stage novice and early intermediate lifters. You’ll lift three days per week, doing two major lifts per day, comprised of the squat, bench press, press and deadlift. He thinks doing as many reps as possible at lighter loads is a safer way to develop strength in the long run, and he is probably right. It can be used to develop Maximal Strength, Hypertrophy or as part of General Physical Preparation for other Sports.A few cycles down the line, you’ll be on the last set of a week of 5s and find yourself aiming for as many reps as possible at 100kg again – and this time you’ll probably manage 12! Not even pause benching (which i had never done before) with the short rest times gave me extraordinary soreness. Now I’m not saying that you won’t get any stronger from working at lighter percentages, but I am saying that spending so little time in the powerlifter’s money range, 80-90%, is a recipe for sub-optimal progress.