5/3/1 on Consecutive Days, Programming Recs?

[alexg213]

I’m starting Wendler 5/3/1 for powerlifting soon, and need some advice. My schedule only allows me to train on consecutive days (not optimal but I’ve made decent gains on this schedule before).

What are your thoughts on the order of compounds over the 3 days? It seems pretty logical that bench should be on the second day, given the muscle overlap and posterior chain engagement on squat and DL (Lifting Sumo).

[khangles]

So you gonna go SBD in that order?

Sounds like your set on it and like you said probably nowhere near optimal and nowhere near on program. Give it a go and see how you manage fatigue. Muscle overlap and such be damned its the systemic fatigue that might lead to sub optimal results.

Best you can do is probably perfect your fatigue management and nutrition. Don’t do other stressful shit physical or otherwise. Eat everything. All the time, pre/intra/post workout whatever. Even on “off” days your body is still recovering from the on days.

If it works well enough for you than stick with it.

[I_Luc]

Just roll with it, I’ve been running alot of the days of 5/3/1 after each other due to work, kids etc Either run with it, or stretch that shit out into a painfully long time and have a few days between lifting sessions which will suck balls. It all depends on your recovery. Listen to your body, some days you will feel like a champ, others like you’ve been hit by a truck, just part of it.

[alexg213]

Thanks guys.

And yeah, I’m thinking squat, bench, deadlift in that order. I’m also open to deadlift, bench, squat though.

Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.

[khangles]

That’s the way mane. Deadlifting first will carry more fatigue than is necessary over to the other two days. Squats will impact your bench and deadlift days less and then after deadlifts you got time to recover.

[alexg213]

Thanks. Do you think my sumo DLs will suffer 48 hours after squat day?

[khangles]

Probably but minimally. Doesn’t matter in the end tho.

Since you’ll be training this way for a while on the program you’ll never really know how you DL fresh. Since all your DL sessions will be this way i.e. pulling while slightly fatigued the only thing that you can do is compare like for like and make sure strength is going up.

It really doesn’t matter what numbers you’d get “fresh” because it’ll just be a little higher than whatever you pull during the program. Fatigue will mask your fitness during the program but it’s building nonetheless. If in future you have more time or decide one week to deload and test the next then you’ll see the full “fresh” actual strength you have.

[alexg213]

Got it - thanks again!