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

Product Information

Starting light and allowing for your accessory exercises and recovery from each training session to do their job in building up your strength is an often overlooked aspect of getting strong. There Is Steady Progression

In 5/3/1, you’re expected to train three or four days a week. Each workout is centered around one core lift – the parallel squat, bench press, deadlift, and standing shoulder press. However, some of Wendler’s variations of 5/3/1 do operate based off your true 1RM and not a modulated max. What You’ll Need For 5/3/1 When you start a new four-week cycle, add 5 pounds to your 1RMs for bench and shoulder presses and 10 pounds for squats and deadlifts, and recalculate training weights using the new numbers. Adaptations may take more than one training cycle to take optimal effect, Slow progression allows for your muscles to grow, provides time to refine your technique, and allows for more upward mobility in terms of your strength potential. 5/3/1 serves you better as you yourself get better at performing it. Proper Periodization Is a Must In all workouts, rest 3 to 5 minutes between sets of the core lift, and 1 to 2 minutes between sets of the assistance exercises.

When you see 5+, 3+, or 1+, that means you do the max reps you can manage with that weight, with the goal of setting a rep record in each workout. If Forever is too expensive for you, then the next best thing is Beyond 5/3/1. This is the book where concepts like First Set Last (FSL) were introduced, which 5/3/1 for Beginners utilizes. I’ve got 5/3/1 2nd Edition right here in front me and it does not reflect all of Jim’s thinking that is present in Jim’s blog post– the book’s outdated. How is 5/3/1 for Beginners Different from 5/3/1? Centered Around Core Lifts: If you want to get stronger you need to focus on the main compound lifts; Bench Press, Squats, Deadlifts and Overhead Press. There are multiple variations of the 5/3/1 Program that switch up assistance lifts in terms of sets/reps schemes but the core lifts remain as the foundation of the program. With this version all assistance work will be done with bodyweight exercises. This can help you stay athletic while maintaining and gaining muscle mass. You should aim for at least 75 reps of each bodyweight exercise without defined sets. Here’s an example with squat day week 1:

Since the original 5/3/1 book and the second edition came out, I’ve been working to improve the 5/3/1 program. The program was originally written for selfish reasons as I wanted a simple and easy program to follow, a program that held true to the principles in which I believed and one that I wanted to actually use. I question whether the many programs and training ideas written by “authorities” have even been used, either by themselves or anyone else, programs that exist simply to waste paper, space and time. When you have your own training, body and strength on the line, you tend to give a lot more effort, time and care into designing a program. I’m sure that at some point I will be forced to use test subjects for my research but until then, I will burn this body until I cannot stand." Your training max is a “soft maximum” that is roughly 90% of your true 1-rep capabilities. Deloads and AccessoriesPeople want a program that will add 40 pounds to their bench in eight weeks. When I ask how much their bench went up in the last year, they hang their heads in shame. I wanted a program that eliminated stupid thoughts from my head and just let me go into the weight room and get shit done. – Jim Wendler A Year of Progress on 5/3/1 (by Gabriel Malone)

This popular mutation of 5/3/1 was createdby Redditor /u/n-suns. It was inspired by 5/3/1 but is significantly different and is definitely not associated with Jim Wendler. However, I am including it here because it is a very popular program and may be of interest to people already looking into 5/3/1. To make my point explicitly clear, Wendler’s original program was specifically designed as an alternative to powerlifting training. 5/3/1 was never intended to be a powerlifting-centric, powerlifting-specific program. You must keep that in mind. 5/3/1: The Actual Program is a flexible lifting template that can be applied to a variety of lifting goals. It is best suited for intermediate level lifters and is renowned for the significant length of time an athlete can continually make progress on it. Can 5/3/1 be run for powerlifting? serves as a simple, effective, and easy to understand training program for anyone looking to get stronger. With the multitude of potential programs circulating the training sphere these days, 5/3/1 has stood the test of time thanks to its straightforward approach to strength training. Let’s say that the load for the AMRAP set was 100 kg. The joker set would add 5% for a new load of 105 kg at 3 reps. If those 3 reps also felt crisp and fast, the athlete could add an additional 5% and perform another set of 3 reps at 110 kg, and so on.The Triumvirate 5/3/1 Program that we link to in this post might not be the best choice for powerlifters. However, there are variations of the 5/3/1 Program out there like Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Program for Powerlifting. To properly execute the 5/3/1 Program you will need to figure out your 1RM for the core lifts. This shouldn’t be based on guesses or maxes you wish you could do. You must start the 5/3/1 Program with your current max lifts, don’t over/underestimate your 1 rep max otherwise the program won’t work how it should. Take a few days or workout sessions to determine your 1RM for the core lifts.

One of the most obvious pitfalls that might deter someone from starting 5/3/1 is the program’s reliance on the barbell. 5/3/1 outright states that the main focus will be on big, multi-joint barbell exercises, but not everyone views their strength goals through a barbell-based lens. Efficient: Some workout programs require never ending hours spent in the gym. The 5/3/1 Program allows you to gain serious strength and size in a relative short amount of time. You can complete a workout session in the 5/3/1 Program within 45-60 minutes, considering you’ve properly warmed up beforehand with a short but effective dynamic stretching routine. Disadvantages of 5/3/1 Workout Program Jim Wendler recommends 1-3 reps for most joker sets. He also stresses that you should never miss reps when running a 5/3/1 program. If you miss reps during a joker set then you should not have attempted that set. If your schedule doesn’t allow it and you can only get 3 days of training in per week then you will still only perform one of the major lifts each session before running through the cycle again, thus extending the 4 weeks to 5 weeks. Each workout session should include 3 different exercises including the core lift. So, you can choose the other two accessory lifts to fit your goals; maybe you need more shoulder work, maybe you need to hit your triceps more. The accessory lifts can be programmed to suit your personal situation in terms of exercise choice. Just make sure you choose exercises that equate to a well-rounded lifting program. As you can see, 5/3/1 is a program with a monthly mesocycle. There are four distinct microcylces: 3×5+ week, 3×3+ week, 5/3/1+ week, and a deload. The key notation to make is that the “+” sets mean you do as many reps as possible (AMRAP). You’re not supposed to go to failure on the AMRAP sets, but you are supposed to come within a rep or so of failure.The core philosophy behind 5/3/1 revolves around the basic tenets of strength training that have stood the test of time. BASIC MULTI-JOINT LIFTS For a powerlifter, this is an absolutely sub-optimal approach. 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. The lighter percentages, while great for long-term, sustained progress, completely bias the program towards hypertrophy and away from strength. It isn’t that uncommon for people to get 5-8 reps on their 5/3/1+ week which is supposed to be the “heavy” week. Added Brad Kaczmarski’s new main lift programming option 8/6/3 for Size and Strength. Made possible by a donation. July 14, 2013