Been running 5/3/1 versions for almost 2 years with good success and progress everywhere. I am now getting into strongman and competing. In fact have a comp in 2 weeks or so. I know Jim doesn’t write programs for strongman so flipping through the old beyond book I found the beyond template working up to the TM for each lift etc etc . Anyone have any success running this combined with strongman event training or is the intensity too much? I was thinking this Might work as I enjoy going heavy and is simple enough to add jokers and down sets in combined with assistance to strengthen my weak areas for strongman. Then adding in an events day once a week or possibly adding an event in AFTER the main work depending on the events in the next show I was looking at. For example , adding keg presses in after the main work on press day. Any thoughts or ideas are appreciated
Two weeks out from a comps not the best time to change programs, but that being said…
At lot of folks in here run 531 in preparation for strongman comps. I’ve ran it for 3/4 comps, though I haven’t won one yet so take my advice as you will.
For comp 2 I ran 2 cycles of monolith, then one with young Jim Wendler.
For comp three I did 2cycles of hardgainer on a three day rotation, doing yoke and farmers for the “sled” work, subbing out deads with high handle trap bar, and log press (leg drive) instead of strict press. Then I followed it up with some beyond programming for my peak cycle.
For this most recent comp, I ran 2 cycles of the new 531 strongman program (google it, there are two), then one cycle of the beach body program, replacing squats w front squats, press with axle overhead, and hang cleans with stone work.
The key here is when you add in stuff like strongman, you really need to be sure to replace something be it a main lift, supplemental, assistance or conditioning work, versus just adding it on top of an existing program.
Ya I wasn’t necessarily going to change anything right now before this comp. mainly starting to brainstorm some ideas. But I see your point. I’m not goina make huge strength increases in the next two weeks by changing programs. I’ve googled 5/3/1 and strongman and probably have seen the versions you are talking about. One from Elite fts and the other one. Guess I’m just looking for real world experience from ppl. It seems so much of this type of training is experimental at this stage and it probably pays to hire a coach at some point. Reasoning behind adding events as a separate day was mainly logistics. The gym that has mainly strongman equipment is more out of the way than my commercial one so I would go 1-2x a week. It’s too hard to go there more often and still maintain a happy home life lol
And to clarify a bit maybe , there’s a program called beyond 5/3/1 training maximally in the beyond book I was looking at . Of course I’ll take any and all ideas at this point. But I’m wondering if working up to your TM every workout (sometimes x2) and then hitting jokers and downsets after was a viable way to train.
I had lots of success running 531 with strongman events.
I swapped back squat for front and incline log press for bench for good.
For Farmers and yoke it was one run per %, e.g. 1 run @ 65, 1@ 75, 1@85 for comp distance.
I didn’t catch the part about needing to train the events on their own day. Both of the 531 for Strongman programs have the events on a separate day. I enjoyed running both Programs.
I’ve never ran beyond 531 in the way it is shown in the book without modifications, so I cannot say. However Jim would not write something that wasn’t tested and proven to work.
Look up Chase Karnes - he has worked out all the bugs.
Thank you. I’ll look him up.
For anyone that using “strongman” style movements with 5/3/1, do you usually drop the supplemental stuff like FSL? I don’t wanna add too much stuff in without taking something out. It’s best for me to do strongman stuff on a regular training day than to have a separate day dedicated to it. thanks.
I replace it, rather than drop it.
Do FSL with the log instead of barbell. Stones instead of deads. Etc.
So calculate a TM for those implements?
Calculate a TM for all main and supplemental lifts in a 5/3/1 program.