What's Your 5/3/1 Template Look Like?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
81

I ran 5/3/1 SST for about 4 months(check my training log which I haven’t updated in a while) and then 1 month meet prep and had a 40lb pr on deadlift and 20lb pr on squat, mind you that was my first ever meet and only 4 months of 5/3/1 and training in general, not actual meet prep! I was also 20lbs heavier my last squat pr! bench, well lets not talk about bench, fucked that up at the meet haha.

I took a week off after my meet, and doing sort of a conditioning month this month to see where I’m at, yesterday I did squats, Dialed back two cycles, and added in joker sets and first set last pause squats. Well hit 365 on squat and that felt pretty good and smooth, Thats a 20lb pr for me, and I had missed 370 at the meet, so I was quite happy.
here was yesterday’s workout

Squat- 3sets 5reps, joker sets, 3005,3302,3651, fsl- 3 sets of 3 pause reps
straightleg dl-prog’s 5’s, 3sets 5 reps
back raises(barbell) 3sets 10 reps
ab circuit x2- decline crunch10 hanging leg raise*10, side bends(75lbs)*20per side

pretty much gonna be doing this for bench and deadlift as well, overhead press I’m going to exclude joker sets until 5/3/1 week. bench and ohp I’ll do bench/ohp, main assistance lift and 2-3 assistance lifts.

next month I’m thinking of doing SVR training.

by the way, a beginner friend of mine has been coming with me to the gym consistenly over the past month and a half, minus the two weeks I took off(deload/off, meet, off) and he has gotten incredibly stronger.

About a month and a half/two months ago he never squatted over 155, I’ve had him doing workouts with me and he hit 260 on squat two weeks ago, last night with joker sets he hit 255*2, and got about halfway up on 280, needless to say hes addicted and always wants to workout with me now. Before he would occasionally go to the gym and just “lift.”

82

Day 1:
Press 5/3/1
Row SST
Dip 5 x 10
Ab Wheel
Yoke work

Day 2:
Push Press 5/3/1
Deadlift 5/3/1
Kroc Row
Swing 100 reps
Weighted Sit-up 5 x 10
Yoke work

Day 3:
Floor Press 5/3/1
Press 5 x 10
Weighted Pull-ups
Triceps 5 x 10
Yoke work

Day 4:
Power Clean 5/3/1
Squat 5/3/1
Good Morning SST
Swing 100 reps
Hanging Leg Lift 5 sets

83

Warm up sets super setted with air guitar
Work sets super setted with air drums
Assistance work super setted with sexting

84

Box Jump
Squat 531
Deadlift 5x5 - 75%
Front Squats 3x5-10
GHR 3x
Abs 3x

Plyo Pushup
Bench 531
Close Grip 5x5
Pullups 75
DB Row 5x10
Pushdowns 3x20

Box Jump / Sprint
Deadlift 531
Squat 5x5 - 75%
Stiff Leg Deadlift 3x5-10
GHR 3x
Abs 3x

Press
Bench 5x5 - 75%
Pullups - 75
DB Row 5x10
Lateral Raises 3x10
Biceps 3x10

85

Recent purchase of Beyond 531 has resulted in a switch from the basic BBB 4 week template to a 6 + de-load week pyramid plan with a 5 X 10 (50/60% of TM) for the opposite lift at a light weight afterwards, (Bench/Dead lift & Press/Squat)

Due to up coming work and family commitments my gym time over the next month or so is going to be hard to come by so having to stick in what I can. The assistance work dips, Chins, back raises and good mornings are staples but everything else is on a play it by ear basis. But the Jack Shit point of view is helping me set a few new PRs and knowing that I haven’t planned in lots of sessions that require a lot of time mean I am much more focused when I am there.

Big thanks to Jim for putting the time and effort in to write the plans.

86

Bumping an old thred in hope for some love :slight_smile:

Mon:
Squat 531
BBB 50-55-60% (weekly)
Leg Curl 5x10
Weighted Situps 3-5 sets
Pallof Press 3-5 sets

Tue:
Bench 531
BBB 50-55-60% (weekly)
Dumbbell Row 5x10
Barbell Curl 5x10

Thu:
Deadlift 531
BBB 50-55-60% (weekly)
Side Bend 3-5 set
Hanging Leg Raise 3-5 sets

Fri:
Military 531
BBB 50-55-60% (weekly)
Chins/Pulldown 5x10
Dips 5x10
Face Pulls 5x10

Actually, this is what I am intend to start next week. I have 4 years of powerlifting-ish experience.
My concern is Friday. Do you think this will fry my shoulders? Maybe should rearange the excercises?

87

I follow the original template for the main lifts, but at the end I add either two back-off sets for added volume or 4-6 singles with my training max with <60sec rest. That’s basically it.

For assistance work I’ve recently switched to a bodybuilding-esque that has been working fantastically. Everything has blown up, even my problem areas. My work capacity keeps increasing and I get mindblowing pumps, almost to the point of being painful.

Monday:
Military Press 5/3/1 then either two back-off sets or singles with TM
Lateral Raises 3x8
Plate Raises (Front) 3x10
Decline French Press 3x6
Dip 3x10
Cable Pressdown 3x15

Tuesday:
Squat 5/3/1 then either two back-off sets or singles with TM
Walking DB lunges 4x~40ft
Standing Calf Raises 5x10
Leg Extensions 3x15
Leg Curl varies

Thursday:
Bench Press 5/3/1 then either two back-off sets or singles with TM
Incline Bench Press 3x8
Cable or DB Flys 3x12-15
Barbell Curl 3x6
Hammer DB Curl 3x8
Cable Curl 3x15

Friday:
Deadlift 5/3/1 then either two back-off sets or singles with TM
Barbell Row 3x6-8
Chinup Ladder
Face Pulls 3xFailure

I know there are a lot of exercises but I get it done in 45min to an hour for each workout, and this has worked fantastically for size, work capacity and conditioning. At some point I will probably prune it back down to a triumvirate and add in some sprints and hills but for now I don’t do any cardio at all except for turning my PR sets into breathing sets occasionally, and I feel very good about that.

My diet is generally whatever I want, but recently I’ve started to add in more clean foods, high protein sources, slow carbs, veggies, etc. to try to push out the bad rather than just taking all the things I love out completely.

88

Current:
Monday Squat 5/3/1, 5x10 @70%
Tuesday Deadlift 5/3/1, 4x10 deficit deads @70%, 5x2 speed/technique reps (basically saving 10 reps of 5x10 for technique work)
Wed Bench 5/3/1, 5x2 speed work, 5x10 db row, 5x5 dips
Thursday Olympic lifting day - full clean, power snatch, snatch balance - basically a recharge/mobility day
Friday - Metabolic circuit
Saturday - OHP 5/3/1, 5x10 db press, lots of accessory triceps and some rowing

For the final 6 weeks going into my meet (starting after an unload next week):
Monday Olympic lifts, Squat 3x10, sled walking
Tuesday Deadlift 5/3/1 (Jokers on 3’s week), 5x5/3/1 @80/90/TM (progressing every two weeks)
Wednesday Bench 5/3/1 + Jokers, 5x10 db press, dips & rows
Thursday Squat 5/3/1 + Jokers, 5x5/3/1 @80/90/TM (progressing every two weeks)
Friday deficit deads 3x10 (light)
Saturday OHP 5/3/1, bench 5x5/3/1 @80/90/TM (progressing every two weeks), rows & triceps

I’ve built up to handling this volume over a couple of years. Makes meet day feel like a day off.

89

My training is really intricate right now…

Mon DL - go hard on top set, occasionally add jokers
double overhand sumo 3 sets x5
leg curls 5x10
hanging leg raise 3x10

Wed bench - go hard on top set, occasionally add jokers
BBB 5x10
BB curls 5x10
rotator cuff

Fri squat - go hard on top set, occasionally add jokers
BBB 5x10 either standard bar or spider bar for reduced stress on the shoulders
decline sit ups 5x10

Sat press - go hard on top set, FSL 2-4 sets x whatever reps are challenging but doable
alternate all sets of press with 4 pull ups
DB row 5x12
face pull 3x15
rotator cuff

agile 8 every day whenever I feel like doing it

90

I do original 531 w/ slingshot bench instead of OHP and Jack Sh*t for assistance work. The only thing that will change is 3 weeks out from a meet. I’ll only do required reps plus joker set singles by feel. Works great for me. Well recovered. Not beat up all the time. LIfe is good.

91

Cock push ups 5x10
Wrist curls 5/3/1 and some burpees… I’m a tank now

92

Day 1:
Back Squats 5/3/1
Front Squats or Overhead Squats - usually do 5 sets anywhere between 1-5 reps
Weighted lunges or weighted box step ups usually 5 sets anywhere between 5-10 reps
Conditioning

Day 2: REST

Day 3:
Bench Press 5/3/1
Joker Sets
Ring Dips 5 sets of 10
Conditioning

Day 4: REST

Day 5:
Deadlift 5/3/1
Power Cleans 5 sets with reps from 1-5
Pullups 5 sets of 15 reps
Conditioning

Day 6: REST

Day 7:
Strict Press 5/3/1
Push press 5 sets with reps from 1-5
Push Jerks 5 sets with reps from 1-5
Conditioning

Before I start the process over again I take another rest day. And I EAT a lot of food after after training session.

93

[quote]Raubtier wrote:

Actually, this is what I am intend to start next week. I have 4 years of powerlifting-ish experience.
My concern is Friday. Do you think this will fry my shoulders? Maybe should rearange the excercises?
[/quote]

Looks fine.

94

I’m following the Beyond 1.1 template here on T-Nation with a few tweaks that I know will work for me.

On days where SQ/Press are the main lifts, I do 5/3/1 sets not pushing on the last set, then I get at least 5 reps at >90% of my actual max (maybe singles or a mix of singles, doubles, etc)

I do BP and DL days as written.

On the days when SQ is not the main lift, I do whatever I feel like: as written, a set of 20, 3 sets of 10 w/60s rest.

On the day where BP is not the main lift, I do 5x5/60s on incline.

On the day where Press is not the main lift, I do 5 sets w/60 s rest, but try to increase the number of reps week to week.

For pull ups, I follow Harry Selkow’s pull-ups 101 program.

95

Sun

SQ 531 (5s Progression)
FSL sets of 5 pause squats
TBDL 3 x 5
Calf Raises

Tue
Press 531
FSL sets of 5
CGB 3 x 8
Weighted CHins 3 x 5
DB Row 3 x 15
Face Pulls 3 x 15

Thu
SQ Repeat 5’s day (65%,75%,85%)
Dead 531
Calf raises

Sat
Bench 531
Joker set
FSL CGB 3 x 8
Weighted CHins 3 x 5
DB Row 3 x 15
Face Pulls 3 x 15

96

[quote]some_dude wrote:

[quote]Raubtier wrote:

Actually, this is what I am intend to start next week. I have 4 years of powerlifting-ish experience.
My concern is Friday. Do you think this will fry my shoulders? Maybe should rearange the excercises?
[/quote]

Looks fine.[/quote]

Thanks for your input!

97

Sunday: OHP Spinal Tap (supersetted with chin, curls and rear lateral work)
Tuesday: Deadlift SVR (Front Squat, Hanging Leg Raises)
Thursday: Bench with Paused Bench Assistance (rows, curls, rear delt work)
Friday: Squat SVR (sumo DL, situps)

I am pleased with the variety and effectiveness.

98

I am 4 rounds into 5/3/1 and this has been my introduction to lifting heavy. Previously it was only body weight workouts. I would appreciate any criticism to really help tweak my existing program. To me it really seems to be working. I am definitely putting muscle and size on and i really want to cut my body fat down. Between each lifting day i do a conditioning day such as sprints, or Insanity workout, Hurricanes. ect.

Day 1:
Warm up\Stretch
Med Ball Slams 4 X 10
Pull-ups\Chins 4 X 10 (alternate between med ball slams and chins sets)
Overhead Press 5/3/1
Overhead Press - 65% - 70% 1RTM 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10 (active recovery)
Bent over BB Row 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
Weighted Dips 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
DB Shrugs

Day 2:
Warm up\Stretch
Box Jumps 4 X 10
Pull-ups\chins 4 X 10 (alternate between box and chin sets)
Deadlift 5\3\1
Deadlift 65%-70% 5 x 10
Chins 2 X 10
Good Mornings 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
HGR 4 X 10 (weighted)
Bicep Curls 4X10
Farmer Walks 4 Sets

Day 3:
Warm up\Stretch
Med Ball Slams 4 X 10
Pull-ups\Chins 4 X 10 (alternate between med ball slams and chins sets)
Bench Press 5/3/1
Bench Press 65%- 70% 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
Incline Bench Press 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
DB Bench Press 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
T-Bar Row 5 X 10

Day 4:
Warm up\Stretch
Box Jumps 4 X 10
Pull-ups\chins 4 X 10 (alternate between box and chin sets)
Squats 5/3/1
Squats 65% - 70% 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
Leg Press 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
Leg Extension 5 X 10
Chins 2 X 10
DB Calf Raise set
Farmer Walks 4 Sets

99

My template for doing powerlifting. Just do one upper day and replaced OHP with floor press. Seems to be working great for me!

Monday
Deadlift- 531 (traditional-no backoffs. Singles only done close to meet)
High Box Front Squat (feel like the overload works abs some and then I get some extra hip work without more taxing deadlift volume)
Good Mornings
1A DB Row

Tuesday- Abs/Conditioning

Wednesday
Bench- 531 (first set last, jokers close to meet)
Floor Press- 531 (first set last, jokers close to meet)
Shoulder/arm stuff
chest isolation

Thursday- Conditioning

Friday
Squat- 531 (first set last paused, jokers close to meet)
Front Squat
Pull Ups
Leg Curls

Saturday- Conditioning/abs or hockey game if scheduled.

100

Monday
Deadlift for 5/3/1
pick 1
Dimel Deadlifts, 3x15-20
Deadlifts with bands 5x5
Good mornings
Rack pulls 5x6-8
pick 1
Hypers
Leg curls
pick 1
Abs any kind, my partner chooses

Tuesday
Bench for 5/3/1 reps
Pick 1
Floor press with bands 5x3-5
incline dumbell 3x6-8
pick 1
Pullups
Pulldowns
pick 1
Chest supported row
Krock rows

Thursday
Squat for 5/3/1 reps
Front squat paused in hold for 3 seconds, 3x5
Single leg work
Abs

Friday
Military press for 5/3/1 reps
Some sort of side delt work
Krock rows
Arm work suppersetted with rope skipping

Note: 2 sprint sessions per week, have a ton of different intercal options I choose between depending on feel
2 walks of 1-2 miles on the steepest incline possible. Mobility work is the first listed in beyond 5/3/1, do it morning and night
stretch pecs and hip flexors for 2 minutes before every session

Last cycle
Bench 245x12 medium grip
Military 145x8 medium grip
Deadlift 405x6
Squat 315x8