Hardgainers Template 2 Days/Week?

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

Jim,
please excuse my English.

I’m a French doctor and because of work 24 hours in the emergency room I can
only train twice a week.
I train the busyman way (Effective Training for Busy Men)

I’ve just read your lastest article on hardgainers, and I think I’m a typical
one. I’m 6’3 ; 171 Lbs ; maxes B,S,DL 180, 200, 220…

Do you think I should continue to use the busyman template, or could I run the hardgainer one but only twice a week ? (week one : day 1 + day 2 ; week two :
day 3 + day 4).
OR is it possible to tweak the hardgainer template for a two days rotation ?

Thanks a lot in advance.
Mat’

2

You can try using the Hardgainer template two times/week - just using squat/bench on one day and dead/press the other day OR something like you wrote. I’m not a huge fan of this though but it can be done. You’d have to change your assistance work and what I’d recommend, IF POSSIBLE, would be to find two days/week (or more) to do bodyweight stuff (push-ups, squats, lunges, leg raises, dips, chin-ups) and see if you can get some work in.

The other thing you can do is this:

Week one

Monday

Squat - 5’s PRO, BBS or BBB or Widowmaker or 5x5/3/1
Bench - 5’s Pro, 3x5 FSL

Thursday

Deadlift - 5s PRO, 3x5 FSL
Press - see squat above for options

Week two

Monday

Squat - 5’s PRO, 3x5 FSL
Bench - see above for options

Thursday

Deadlift - see above for options
Press - 5’s PRO, 3x5 FSL

Everyday Shit:

Push-ups x 100 total reps
Chin-ups x 50 total reps
1 mile run

That’s just an example but you get the point.

2 Likes
3

Thanks a lot.

Best regards

4

hi jim

would you do push ups and chins everyday inseason practice tue and thur play sats

5

Who has one practice during a week? How is that even possible?

6

My wife and I have preached the “Everyday Gay” for last couple years - we all do something everyday. For example some months we do Prowler for 1 mile/every day. This is on top of lifting and everything else. You just have to be in-shape enough to handle the work so it doesn’t fuck up your training. And be smart to not pick stupid shit to do everyday if you can’t handle it.

“Lots of people think they are Dan Gable when in fact, they are Don Knotts.” - Jim Wendler, Forever 5/3/1

7

I think they practice Tuesdays and Thursdays, and have games on Saturdays.

8

I was thinking about your newest Hardgainer template and the balancing act you play with your templates. 3 days/week really works well for me. I really like the setup from the Monolith template (ABA/ABA). The 10 sets of 5 reps on the press from the Hardgainer template is exciting because that’s exactly the kind of volume I need. The x20 last set on squats, probably wouldn’t make a ton of sense to be on their own so maybe making that 5x5 on a separate day would be better. This would be a great time to work on bar speed/technique as well as get in shape through supersetting with pushups.

Would a template like this work? Kinda a hardgainer-monolith-beginner-fullbody hybrid

Squat 3x5+/pushups x50
Press 3x5/chins x25

Deadlift 3x5+, 3x5 FSL/pushups x50
Bench 2x5, +5x5/rows x50/arm

Squat 5x5 FSL/pushups x50
Press 10x5 FSL/chins x25

9

This would include sled work on the days in-between and appropriate warmups every day (agile 8, box jumps, 3 sets of 5 warm up sets)

10

A thought I had was instead of pushups on the deadlift/bench day, dips x50 would be better. Rows, chins and dips all get 50 reps a week, while pushups get 100.

Obviously how the FSL work gets done is just a matter of being efficient and getting the work done, but on the Squats I think higher reps would be a good change in pace. 3x10, for example instead of 5x5.

11

Just do the program as its layed out. It works.

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