Advice for Intermediate Lifter Needed

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
1

Hi, I have been working the 5/3/1 and have 2 issues I’m hoping to solve.

  1. Using the TM (85% of 1RM) has started to feel too easy in Bench and Deadlift, and too difficult in Squat. I am not sure what changed as I have been using the same methods for a long time now. Should I tweak the weights? I recently tested my maxes, so I am confident I am using the right weights according to the program. I am longer-legged, could that be a factor?

  2. Recently I have noticed that Week 1 of the cycle, the 5 reps sets, feels significantly more difficult than the other weeks. When I stall, I fail at getting the 4th and/or 5th rep of the last set in Week 1 but then I can get all the other reps up for the rest of the weeks. Is there something I should be doing as far as work capacity? Is this common?

All my lifts are in the intermediate range of strength standards.

I appreciate any advice you can give me. Cheers!

2

  1. I’m not sure what you mean by “too easy” and “too hard”. It’s not about being “easy” or “hard” but that the reps in the lifts are done with 100% quality and are part of the bigger picture of the goal. Adjust as you need based on your personal needs; all you need to do is look/read at your training log and see what TM/supplemental work/assistance work seems to work best. I track every athlete I work with so this should be super easy for one person.

  2. I have no idea - push harder and try harder/get stronger. If you can’t get reps 4 and 5, it usually means that the weight is too heavy. I’ve never had an athlete that has this issue.

3

This makes zero sense to me. Are you using plus sets or 5s PRO?

If you’re using plus sets and struggling to hit 5 reps at 85% of an 85% TM, you’re lying to yourself about your real max.

If you’re doing 5s PRO, then how can you be hitting 5 reps at 90% or 95% if you’re not able to hit 5 reps at 85%?

Is it possible for you to post an example of a workout or two so we can see what you’re actually doing?

4

I agree that it seems like something’s off on your setup. Either you’re calculating the percentages incorrectly, or going through the weeks incorrectly, or something.

To your points:

  1. How can the TM “start” to feel too easy after you’ve been running the program a while? Aren’t you raising it after each cycle?
  2. This also ties into #1, in that it seems like your TM’s might just be wrong. Also this seems to contradict #1 by the following: how can your TM feel too light, yet you are not able to hit your reps in Week 1? Something doesn’t add up.
1 Like
5

I think like everyone else has already stated, your TM is set incorrectly and is too high.

Just curious:

  1. What books do you have/are using for reference?

  2. Are you by chance using a 5/3/1 app on your phone to run the program?

1 Like