Unsure of 5/3/1

Hey guys, I have been trying to decide when it is most appropriate to start 5/3/1. I feel like I am around an intermediate lifter now. Ive done starting strength for over a year, and then started to do my own programming from what I pulled from the westside method and 5/3/1. Ive got a 350 squat, 380 dead, and 250 bench. Im on the fence about starting 531 or doing madcow for a little bit. Also, I have a powerlifting meet in a month that I want to be prepared for. My question is am I too far advanced to make gains from madcow or would it be more beneficial at this point to just which to 531 considering my stats?

The right answer is simple: do what you want, never what others tell you.

  1. No one here knows you.
  2. You will give 1/2 ass effort if you don’t 100% believe in program.
  3. Ridiculous amount of misinformation out there regarding training beginners.

Do what you want and believe in. If you don’t know what you believe, then it’s time to start looking. And no answer can be found in anonymous answers - only experience.

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Thank you for your feedback. I will go ahead and do madcow for a couple cycles and see if there is much strength gains and then move over to 5/3/1 for the long term. You’re right, I am the only one who will know what works best for me. Thanks again.

Jim’s reply should be a sticky on every training forum in the world.

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