So, i am thinking of switching to 531 BBB 5x5 80% after SS. My reason for this is, SS is now getting to the point where workouts are long, 5-8mins rest between sets and switching to 4-days from 3 will help cut workout time. Another reason is ive worked hard to get my Press and Bench up but they are tough now and i seem to just be grinding through sets. Keeping these 80% for 5x5 volume seems a good way to hit some quality reps. Has anyone got experience with 5x5 80% template. I am also doing zero conditioning work and the shorter workouts give me a chance to hit the Prowler or Airdyne for some HIIT.
I’ve never done 5x5 @ 80%, but I’ve done plenty of 5x5 FSL and 5x5 SSL. Both are solid programs that work really well, and just picking 80% to do 5x5 seems good enough to me. Are you going to do PR sets or 5s PRO with this? When I run SSL I always do 5s PRO instead of PR sets, but for 80% a case could be made either way as long as your form, bar speed, and recovery are good. You can’t really go wrong with a 4-day 5x5 FSL/SSL/ 80% scheme, especially if it cuts down your workout time and lets you add in conditioning.
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I am thinking of hitting the PR’s. SS NLP has been a lot of 5’s so i’m thinking the PR sets is something fresh to go with.
Just make sure your TM is correct. If you’re switching from Starting Strength to 5/3/1 it might be tempting to pick a TM that is too high. Keeping your TM conservative (starting too light) is one of the pillars of 5/3/1. If it feels too light the first few weeks you are doing it right. Remember not to pick your absolute 1 rep max, but pick the heaviest weight you could hit on any given day and take 90% of that. Trust me, from someone who jumped into 5/3/1 with too high of a TM, you will make better progress starting with a lighter TM than a heavier one.
Yeah, i think that happened. I did Press day today with Bench assistance. +rep set on press got abit shakey above 5reps and the 5th sets of 5x5 Bench got abit shakey too. I may need to adjust down slightly and have a good run.
Yeah the general rule of thumb is to be able to hit 5 strong, fast reps with your TM when you start a program.
I have a question on the deload. Is the 7th week protocol now the standard deload? Deload every 7th week instead of 4th? I dont think my lifts are heavy enough to require a deload every 4 weeks.
Yes that’s correct. It’s a deload or a TM test, depending on where you are in your program.
So the hardest thing im struggling to get my head around is, its took me a while to build my Press up to the point where i can hit 57kg for a set of 3 and yesterday one of my work sets was 35kg. I know its only the beginning and over time it will be built upon but its a tough one. I suppose its a good opportunity to relly focus on the form.