5/3/1 Joker Sets

This is a pretty solid explanation.

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Hey Jim,

Wanted to brush the dust off this thread because I had a question about those two “Challenge program” cycles.

How do you implement challenges into only three week blocks? If I were to choose the BBS challenge, there are four separate cycles in that template for a total of 13 weeks. So I am confused on which week I would start at.

In my mind there are two options if I put the BBS challenge in to the third cycle: go with weeks 1-3, or work with weeks 8-10, thus lining up the third cycle in my training with the third cycle of the challenge.

Thanks to you or anyone else for answering.

Bumping for @Jim_Wendler or anyone else who knows this. Honestly confuses me.

That structured I laid out has changed - we use a version of what is posted for more advanced lifters. But for majority of people reading this - it has changed. So disregard it.

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OK so I’m looking at the program on tnation, particularly the 1.3 phase and the only part I am confused about is the order of how to do the sets. For example for Monday’s workout week 1 for squats it says: TM x PR Joker sets 5x5 @70-75%. Do I work up to a training max for a PR set first then do joker sets, followed by 5x5??? I get the joker sets and all that I just don’t know what order I’m supposed to do all this in because of the way its listed.

It’s actually explained, there’s * aside TM and Joker, and it’s explained just below.
But
first work up to TM do the pr set.
next do the joker sets increase by 10% (I would be a bit careful about joker sets, only do them if you really feel strong that day)
then do 5x5 with 70-75% of TM