Why?
Nice workout btw 
good job.
5/3/1 SST; Cycle 1; Week 3; OHP day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Warm up OHP sets with band pull aparts in between.
OHP:
40kg x5
45kg x3
50kg x5
CGBP:
40kg x6, 45kg x6, 50kg x6
Superset with
LAT PULLDOWN:
50kg x15, 47.5kg x15, 45kg x15
DIPS:
BW x15, BW x14, BW x11
Superset with
FRONT RAISE TO OVERHEAD:
8kg x20, 8kg x18, 8kg x16
REAR DELT RAISE:
5kg x22, 5kg x18, 5kg x16
Superset with
LAT RAISE:
7kg x15, 7kg x13, 7kg x13
EZ BAR CURL:
EZ+17.5kg x18, EZ+17.5kg x15, EZ+17.5kg x13
CONDITIONING:
KB SWINGS
20kg x 50/40/30/20/10
Superset with
Olympic ring chin ups
BW x 5/4/3/2/1 with static hold on last rep
NOTES:
OHP was a bit āmehā - didnāt feel hyped up for it or anything. Got a decent number of reps but it wasnāt convincing if that makes sense.
CGBP was light, no problems at that weight.
On the assistance exercises, I think I will increase weight and move the reps down from 15-20 to 12-15; more the hypertrophy zone.
Thanks mort; I read somewhere that Jim has said if you have easily gone over the minimum reps every week in the cycle your training max may be too low in which case rather than adding just 10 lbs to deadlift (for example) you could add 15 or 20 lbs.
I have never seen Jim recommend adding more than 5 and 10 lbs anywhere.
If you add 10 lbs each cycle then youād have added around 120 lbs to you DL or squat TM in a year.
If you still did 5 good reps on your 531 I would say your real 1RM would have increased more than 120 lbs.
I would say doing 6 reps on the final week is right on target, had you done 12 - 15 reps then I would say itās maybe a little low.
That is just me, if you feel like youāre TM is to low, you can of course increase it by more than 10 lbs.
5/3/1 SST; Cycle 1; Week 3; Bench day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Warm up sets with band pull aparts in between.
FLAT BENCH:
57.5kg x5
65kg x3
72.5kg x6
INCLINE BENCH:
42.5kg x5, 47.5kg x8, 55kg x7
BEHIND NECK PRESS:
30kg x12, 30kg x12, 30kg x10
Superset with
FACE PULL:
17.5kg x15, 17.5kg x12, 15kg x16
DB ROW:
27.5kg x20, 27.5kg x17, 27.5kg x15
UPRIGHT ROW:
30kg x12, 30kg x12, 30kg x10
EZ SKULLCRUSHER:
EZ+17.5kg x20, EZ+17.5kg x17, EZ+17.5kg x15
Superset with
DB CURL:
12.5kg x15, 12.5kg x12, 12.5kg x12
CONDITIONING:
ROWING SPRINTS:
Level 10 on Concept 2 rower
30s on / 60s off x 6 rounds
NOTES:
Good session, happy with how it went.
Nothing in particular to get hyped up or upset about so just a solid workout. Behind the neck press is progressing; I really do enjoy that exercise and thereās no pain or discomfort so I will continue with it.
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5/3/1 SST; Cycle 1; Week 3; Squat day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Warm up sets with band pull aparts in between.
BACK SQUAT:
50kg x5
57.5kg x3
62.5kg x5
50kg x5 x5
SLDL:
57.5kg x5, 65kg x5, 72.5kg x7
Superset with
SIT UPS:
BW x30, BW x25, BW x25
CALF RAISE on leg press:
65kg x15, 65kg x15, 65kg x15
Superset with
CABLE TWIST:
12.5kg x10, 12.5kg x10, 12.5kg x10
HYPER-EXTENSION:
16kg x10, 16kg x10, 16kg x10
CONDITIONING:
None
NOTES:
I went rogue today. I did the 5/3/1 sets and was happy with it. But Iāve been thinking about squatting over the last few days and decided that I need to improve my form and technique so I figured doing just 3 work sets per week plus warm ups werenāt going to be enough practice. I needed to āgrease the groove moreā so I just added in 5x5 FSL at the end and I loved it. The workout was simple; just squat, SLDL and calf raise with ab and lower back work thrown in.
I suppose this is the point - taking a bit of time to figure out how to make 5/3/1 work best for me. So this is how I will structure my squat day from now on:
Still use the SST template:
5/3/1 sets of squat (band pull aparts or band straight arm pulldowns in between sets)
5 x 5-8 FSL (reps depending on the week) + lower back work
SST sets and reps for SLDL + ab work
Calf raise + ab work
Conditioning: KB swings as additional posterior chain work
My only question is whether I can use back squat in place of front squat on the deadlift day as the SST assistance exercise. Only reason would be so I can get more practice of the squat movement at what is relatively light weight.
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I think that would work, I like front squat as assistance for DL.
But for greasing the groove I would think back squats would do. I would go light here.
It would work, but learning to front squat also helps your back squat as well as deadlift, so you want to switch back to it some time in the future, after you get a little stronger. Thereās definitely value to more repetition on back squats to get good at them, up to a point.
@mortdk Thatās my thinking
@OTHSteve It would be for maybe 3 or 4 cycles until I am fully happy with back squatting again. I prefer front squats to back squats generally but I canāt ignore back squats any longer. 3 or 4 cycles would add 15kg to the back squat and I should have all of the cues and technique down by then.
I was out shopping with the wife and I took a couple of pictures in the changing rooms. The left hand pictures are from 27 February, the right hand pictures are from yesterdayā¦
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5/3/1 SST; Cycle 2; Week 1; OHP day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
OHP (band pull apart between each set):
37.5kg x5
42.5kg x5
47.5kg x8
37.5kg x5
37.5kg x5
37.5kg x5
37.5kg x5
37.5kg x5
CGBP:
32.5kg x10, 37.5kg x10, 45kg x10
Superset with
LAT PULLDOWN:
50kg x17, 50kg x14, 50kg x12
DIPS:
BW x15, BW x14, BW x12
Superset with
PENDLAY ROW:
40kg x12, 40kg x12, 40kg x10
REAR DELT RAISE:
7kg x15, 7kg x12, 7kg x12
Superset with
LAT RAISE:
7kg x15, 7kg x13, 7kg x10
EZ BAR CURL:
EZ+20kg x15, EZ+20kg x12, EZ+20kg x10
CONDITIONING:
INCLINE WALK ON TREADMILL
20mins, 10 incline, 4.5kph
NOTES:
Added FSL this week for the OHP. I donāt think youāre supposed to combine FSL and SST but I will do this for a cycle and see if I feel run down or not. During the workout today I did feel like I was lagging towards the end but now I feel pretty fresh and alert; no lethargy at work. I could drop the curls or lat raise if it does seem like too much work.
To make up for the extra lifting volume I didnāt go for KB swings or farmers carries like I normally do on OHP days; just kept it light and simple and did 20 mins incline walk for conditioning.
With the extra FSL sets the lifting part of the workout took 60 mins compared to about 50 mins but overall the workout length was about the same as usual - 1 hr 20 mins.
As said before, the logic for adding the FSL is to increase volume for the OHP and bench days - the weights are light at the moment. For the lower body days the FSL sets will allow me to work on squat and deadlift technique a bit more.
Adding FSL has increased volume on upper body days.
OHP and Bench days: 29 total work sets (20 compound, 9 isolation)
Deadlift and Squat days: 23 total work sets (14 lower body compound, 9 ab/lower back)
5/3/1 SST; Cycle 2; Week 1; Deadlift day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Band pull aparts between warm up sets
DEADLIFT:
80kg x5
90kg x5
105kg x11
80kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
BACK SQUAT:
32.5kg x10, 42.5kg x10, 50kg x10
Superset with
HANGING LEG RAISE:
BW x20, BW x18, BW x16
BACK RAISE:
16kg x12, 16kg x12, 16kg x12
GLUTE THRUST (3 second negative):
62.5kg x12, 62.5kg x12
PALLOF PRESS:
12.5kg x10 each side, 12.5kg x10 each side, 12.5kg x10 each side
CONDITIONING:
INCLINE WALK ON TREADMILL
10mins, 12 incline, 4.5kph
NOTES:
Deadlift TM increased by 5kg. Todayās top set was 105kg for which I got 11 reps. In the first cycle that weight was my week 2 top set and I get 8 reps, so in 2 weeks I added 3 reps. Does that count as progress?
I then did 5x5 FSL after - this was tiring. It sounds like nothing but it adds up. BBB is 5x10, what the hell must that feel like?!
3 sets of squats after, which replaced front squats as I want to work on form. These felt quite good. I will film it next week for comments.
I have dropped hamstring curls and walking lunge to accommodate the 5x5 FSL.
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I was chatting to a PT in the gym today. He asked how 5/3/1 was going and I said I was happy with it so far but this is only the second cycle. Perhaps after 3 or 4 cycles Iāll have a better idea and after that maybe Iāll try something like Bill Starr 5x5 for a couple of months so I have a comparison.
The PT said he doesnāt like 5/3/1 or 5x5 really because they only train a single rep range and he thinks you should train more than a single rep range. Now I understand his comment but isnāt he misinformed?
By using the PR sets in 5/3/1 you actually are getting stronger in whatever rep range you take your PR set too. For example, my deadlift at 105kg I did for 8 reps 2 weeks ago then 11 reps today so I have got stronger in 8-12 rep range. If I can do 110kg next week for more than the 6 reps I got last week then I will have gotten stronger in the 6-10 rep range (assuming I get 10 reps).
Sure if every week you only do the minimum reps on your top sets (5 or 3 or 1) then you are only training those rep ranges but the strength will carry over if you choose to do more reps.
But then the assistance work you do is at higher reps and if you add 2.5-5kg every couple of weeks then you are getting stronger in those rep ranges too.
Perhaps Iām talking nonsense but the PT really ought to read the book rather than assuming its just 5 or 3 or 1 rep and thatās it.
Oh yes indeed it does. A 1 rep increase is progress.
105 kg for 11 reps, quality.
If you find you struggle next week maybe the 5x5 is to much of a volume increase. You could try to just to 2 or 3 sets of 5 for a cycle, but 5x5 is a very normal FSL way of doing things.
About the PTās comment sounds a bit weird, what program did he recommend?
Lots and lots of peeps have gotten stronger by either Bills or Jims programming. They are both simple progression programs.
I like Jims because you work your way from quite high reps for the first cycles to lower reps.
You assistance could be in any rep range youād like for whatever lift you choose. So I think he is a bit off.
I would highly recommend you to do Jims work for the rest of the year, keep the PR sets keep track of you rep PRās in all rep ranges from 1 up to 20 reps.
At some point youād have to reset because you stall out, this is where youāll learn something about yourself and what to do to push through.
Yeah, it sounds like the PTās opinion is based on an incomplete understanding of the program. Heās not wrong that varying rep ranges has value, but thereās quite a bit of that in the program, and like @mortdk said thereās also room for variation in the assistance/supplemental exercises. In the past Iāve varied with 3x8 FSL, 5x3 SSL, moved things around based on what I was working on. Neither 5/3/1 nor 5x5 are a magic bullet, but theyāre both good programs that will give you back what you put into them. I like 5/3/1 better because itās built to be infinitely customizable, but thatās probably a personal bias.
Cardio day this morning. I think I chose the wrong thing to do - I did Complex A recommended by Dan John in this article Rebuild Yourself with Complexes
I was pretty shot by the end of it. I shouldāve done something less intense or at least with fewer concentric movements (something like prowler or farmers carries).
Oh well, tomorrow is a total rest day so Iāll get 8 hours sleep tonight, plenty of food and I should be good to go on Friday!
I hear ya - there are no magic bullets. I think there will be programs / routines that are better suited to different individuals - not just their biomechanics, genetics and recoverability but also their life, personality and enthusiasm.
The ability to customise 5/3/1 is great and its one of the things I like about it. Iāve said before I have a problem with program hopping and the fact 5/3/1 can be customised by changing accessory lifts means I can āprogram hopā to an extent without changing the core aim / measure of progress: getting stronger on bench/OHP/squat/deadlift.
Unfortunately due to my extreme program-hopping over the years, Iāve sampled many different routines but without actually giving any of them a real go. Iāve actually done 5x5 before, for 6 weeks and even that was not a pure version of it - I bastardised the bejesus out of it.
So I will stick with 5/3/1 for at least 6 months and then look at 5x5ā¦unless 5/3/1 has turned me into a behemoth!
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Time to get my geek onā¦the blue line on the graph shows my weight change (in lbs, left hand axis) since the start of the year. The orange line is the waist measurement (in cm, right hand axis). I stopped cutting in the first week of March
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And this graph shows the change in average weekly calories Iāve been consuming over the same time frameā¦its been a slow day at work!
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5/3/1 SST; Cycle 2; Week 1; Squat day
WARM UP:
My own stretching routine which lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Warm up sets with band pull aparts in between.
BACK SQUAT:
47.5kg x5
52.5kg x5
60kg x12 (+6 reps vs. last time @ 60kg)
50kg x5 x5
SLDL:
45kg x10, 55kg x10, 65kg x10
Superset with
GHR HYPER EXTENSION:
BW x20, BW x20, BW x17
REVERSE LUNGE:
40kg x10/leg, 40kg x10/leg, 40kg x10/leg
Superset with
CABLE TWIST:
12.5kg x12, 12.5kg x10, 12.5kg x10
SIT UPS:
BW x30, BW x29, BW x25
CONDITIONING:
INCLINE WALK
12 incline, 4.5 kph, 10 mins
NOTES:
The warm up sets for squat did not feel right, something was off in my head - I wasnāt really focused, Iāve been a bit sneezy and stuff. Overdid the caffeine before the workout; I had 3 espresso and pre workout so I think that messed with my head!
But in the end I was actually quite happy with the top set - 6 more reps than 2 weeks ago. I was taking a good 10-12 breaths between the last 4 reps. After that the FSL felt easy (I actually did slightly more than FSL - shouldāve been 47.5kg but I did 50kgā¦naughty me!)
Felt fully worked by the end of the session. Could not have done more even if I wanted to. Thatās why I went for easier walking cardio rather than trying KB swings or assault bike sprints.
I wonder if the extra squat volume with FSL plus putting in squats on deadlift day has had an instant impact? Makes me wonder about squatting even more oftenā¦
I have managed to (legally) find a PDF copy of the actual Bill Starr āThe Strongest Shall Surviveā book; all 228 pages of itā¦thatāll keep me occupied during those incline treadmill walks!