T Nation

BBB with 2x Bench/Squat (1x Variation)

Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
#1

Hi there!

I recently bought 531 Forever and want to start one of the BBB templates in a week or two (should test a conservative 5RM first if I understood the starting TM correctly).

My question:
Slightly Less Boring But Big mentions the option to do 5x10 Squats on both “Lower” Days and 2x Bench on “Upper” Days and also the option to go with a lighter percentage on one of those days
Question: Has someone tried using this option with variations of the main lifts (e.g. doing Front Squats 5x10 on your Squat Day)?

Any experiences and thoughts on your favorite BBB option would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

#2

I wouldn’t personally use front squats for 5x10. The back gives out before the legs, and that movement is far better suited for lower reps. You’d have to use a ridiculously light weight to do those. If you have the option, safety squat bar squats are probably a much better variation to use for 5x10.

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#3

Thanks for the input!

Haven’t got a SSB in my homegym, so those are currently out of the picture.
Guess I’ll just start my first BBB@FSL Leader as written and adjust from Leader to Leader (e.g. going for 5x5@FSL with Front Squats on Deadlift Day).

#4

I do front squats as the main lift but when I get to the BBB sets I do SSB squats, if I didn’t have the SSB I would do back squats. I’m not sure I would do BBB on the same or very similar lift twice in the same week. At minimum I would change it to 3 sets maybe. Look at building the monolith it has some lifts twice a week and the set/reps are different on both days.

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