Are you only suppose to do 90% of your max for the first cycle/month? or for the whole program?
- Buy 5/3/1 book.
- Read 5/3/1 book.
- Bust ass.
- Profit.
i did read the 5/3/1, im just a little confused about the way he says it. i dont know if he means just the first cycle or the whole program
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
i did read the 5/3/1, im just a little confused about the way he says it. i dont know if he means just the first cycle or the whole program[/quote]
You take 90% of your max for your first cycle and then typically add 5 pounds to upper body lifts and 10 pounds to lower body ones for each progressive cycle.
so basically like this…i take 90% of my bench max, which is 255, and that comes out to 230. So for the 2nd cycle i work on 235? then 240? and so on?
if thats the case, i just dont understand, it will take me a total of 5 months to get back to 255 again?
If it doesnt make sense to you then dont do it. Many people have progressed from doing 5/3/1 and I’m pretty sure Jim knows his stuff, but if you can find another program that will put 30+ lbs on your bench in a couple months then by all means do that.
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
so basically like this…i take 90% of my bench max, which is 255, and that comes out to 230. So for the 2nd cycle i work on 235? then 240? and so on?
if thats the case, i just dont understand, it will take me a total of 5 months to get back to 255 again?[/quote]
Yes you have it right. Did you really read the book? I thought he got the point across well that if you go from 255x1 to 255x8, just an example, over those months, you have gotten MUCH stronger.
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
so basically like this…i take 90% of my bench max, which is 255, and that comes out to 230. So for the 2nd cycle i work on 235? then 240? and so on?
if thats the case, i just dont understand, it will take me a total of 5 months to get back to 255 again?[/quote]
But you may be getting 5+ reps with it at that point. It will take you 5 months to be using 255 in your training, not until it’s your actual max.
Ok I understand now. I was just getting frustrated. My power lifting buddies, all natural and drug free, keep criticizing this routine. One has a world record lift, weighs 205, squated 573, also benches mid 300’s and deadlifts over 600. Other one is squatting and deadlifting over 400 and benching close to 350. All they say is “your not gonna get your lifts up if your lifting sub maximal weight”. They keep flying up on weights. I don’t know, im just confused. I don’t know if I should keep going with this or switch. I really don’t know who to listen to or what to do. I’m just frustrated.
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
Ok I understand now. I was just getting frustrated. My power lifting buddies, all natural and drug free, keep criticizing this routine. One has a world record lift, weighs 205, squated 573, also benches mid 300’s and deadlifts over 600. Other one is squatting and deadlifting over 400 and benching close to 350. All they say is “your not gonna get your lifts up if your lifting sub maximal weight”. They keep flying up on weights. I don’t know, im just confused. I don’t know if I should keep going with this or switch. I really don’t know who to listen to or what to do. I’m just frustrated.[/quote]
I’m no powerlifter, but you have to BELIEVE in what you’re doing. So whatever you’re doing, go in head first and commit to it, and do it for at least 3-4 months.
i know, its just hard to believe in something when a world record lifter/competitive power lifter is telling me what i’m doing wont work for someone like me (255 bench, 385 squat, 405 dead).
5/3/1 is designed for slow, long-term gains. It’s a kick ass program, but Jim himself admits that there may not be enough heavy singles work in the “normal” 5/3/1 program. As a result, he published a 5/3/1 For Powerlifters; It may be an article, though I’m pretty sure it’s in his training lab.
Here’s the thing: 5/3/1 gets you stronger. Period. If you’re benching under 300, then you need to get stronger. Period. If you follow 5/3/1 to the tee, it’ll take you 280 weeks–almost 6 years–to go from a 300 pound squat to a 1000 pound squat if you increase your squat by 10 pounds a cycle for 70 cycles without any resets, although obviously that’s not going to happen.
Do you want to be a competing powerlifter, or are you trying to get strong? If the answer is the latter, do 5/3/1. If the answer is the former, do 5/3/1 anyways until you’ve gotten strong enough to construct a program that gets you to where you want to be.
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
Ok I understand now. I was just getting frustrated. My power lifting buddies, all natural and drug free, keep criticizing this routine. One has a world record lift, weighs 205, squated 573, also benches mid 300’s and deadlifts over 600. Other one is squatting and deadlifting over 400 and benching close to 350. All they say is “your not gonna get your lifts up if your lifting sub maximal weight”. They keep flying up on weights. I don’t know, im just confused. I don’t know if I should keep going with this or switch. I really don’t know who to listen to or what to do. I’m just frustrated.[/quote]
At 205, none of those lifts are world record. Not even close. Not even in the 181’s would they be world records.
it was a world record in the world powerlifting congress for the 100 kg class
You’re a troll. Please leave.
CS
yeah not really man, just on here like everyone else looking for some help.
So you’ve got a “world record” powerlifting friend to give you advice and you’re asking questions here??? Well, if you’re being honest then I’d say listen to him…however 5/3/1 is the real deal for long term, slow but steady progress to gain strength. Perfect for old farts like me!!! 
So you’ve got a “world record” powerlifting friend to give you advice and you’re asking questions here??? Well, if you’re being honest then I’d say listen to him…however 5/3/1 is the real deal for long term, slow but steady progress to gain strength. Perfect for old farts like me!!!
[quote]bosoxschillfan38 wrote:
Ok I understand now. I was just getting frustrated. My power lifting buddies, all natural and drug free, keep criticizing this routine. One has a world record lift, weighs 205, squated 573, also benches mid 300’s and deadlifts over 600. Other one is squatting and deadlifting over 400 and benching close to 350. All they say is “your not gonna get your lifts up if your lifting sub maximal weight”. They keep flying up on weights. I don’t know, im just confused. I don’t know if I should keep going with this or switch. I really don’t know who to listen to or what to do. I’m just frustrated.[/quote]
It might be/have been a “world record” based on some fed, but in reality, it’s simply not. And Wendler has both squatted a grand, and gotten a lot of people stronger with his program. That being said, you’re buddies are correct, imo. You need the heavier work on top of the prescribed 5/3/1 sets. 5/3/1 for Powerlifting covers this very, very clearly. It gives you two options of doing so: the 5+, 3+, and 1+ sets you already know about, and the other option of adding heavy triples after youre regular 5/3/1. For instance, your bench training max is 255, on your 3s day:
180x3
205x3
230x3 (Don’t do 3+, just 3)
255x3
You aren’t disallowed from benching 255 or more, it’s just not required.
Not only that, but the program leaves room to just stop on the 230x3 and be done if you are lifting like crap, and still leave the gym with progress. It really is a pretty ridiculously simple program. If you can’t wrap your head around how it will end up working, no worries. Do what your buddies tell you to. If you actually lift hard you will get stronger either way, guaranteed.