Bodyweight Assistance

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

I had a few questions about bodyweight assistance, that I couldn’t find the answer to:

  • Do you like handstand push ups as assistance for 5/3/1?
  • Do you like adding reps frequently while shying away from failure, or going to failure a few sets, or hitting a rep total, or something else as strategy for assistance?
  • Do you prefer adding weight to BW stuff, or adding reps ad infinitum?
  • Do you have go-to lower body BW exercises?

Thanks in advance!

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  1. No - you’d get laughed right out of our weight room and you’d never make it back again.
  2. We do a lot of different things with bodyweight work. Failure doesn’t really matter too much and is only one of many ways to train.
  3. We do a number of challenges. Adding reps, ad infinitum, will, like the handstand push-ups, get you laughed out of weight room. Who the fuck thinks that will work?
  4. Running, jumping, running, jumping, running, jumping, sled, prowler, running, jumping - don’t be so dogmatic about training. Open up your eyes.

I’ll explain all this stuff in new book. Bodyweight stuff is good but ONLY when combined with barbell training, jumping, running and mobility work. By itself, it’s limiting, at best.

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Thanks for the info. I enjoy being strong with my bodyweight, but I never felt truly strong when only doing bw stuff.

It seems a bit weird tho, that you say I need to be less dogmatic after you said you laugh guys out of your weight room when they do handstand pushups…

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