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

Day 1:
Squat 5/3/1
FSL 5x5 and I try to screw around with it by rotating SSB, box, cambered
bar, buffalo bar, chains, bands etc etc etc
This is superset with reverse hypers, ab wheel and back raises

Day 2:
Bench 5/3/1
FSL 5x5 ditto but with swiss bar, close grip, bands, chains, buffalo bar,
incline etc etc etc
Superset with some type of rows like dumbbell, chest-supported, lat
pulldowns of all grips, barbell etc etc etc

Day 3:
Deadlift 5/3/1 (with trap bar for my fucked up back)
FSL 5x5
This is superset with reverse hypers, ab wheel and back raises

Day 4:
OHP 5/3/1
FSL 5x5 ditto but with swiss bar, close grip, buffalo bar, oly bar for
instability etc etc etc
Superset with some type of rows like dumbbell, chest-supported, lat
pulldowns of all grips, barbell etc etc etc

I try to fuck around with my FSL and superset work based on feel, need and
just looking to have fun with it. Weight is usually so low that I can
afford to screw around and not over work myself but still get necessary
work like chains when Iā€™m feeling slow or close grip bench when my triceps
feel like shit.

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As a busy, non-competitive 40+ lifter trying to recover well and avoid injury (i.e. in it for the very long haul), Iā€™ve found this has been working very well:

Wednesday

BB Zercher squats (5/3/1, FSL 3X8):
DB rows (5/3/1, FSL 3X8): opposite side knee and hand on a bench to rest spinal erectors

Sunday

BB sumo deadlifts (5/3/1, FSL 3X8)
Ring push-ups (5/3/1, FSL 3X8): with elevated feet and weighted with lashing straps in an X-formation around chest and a small chain to tie plates

I begin each workout with about 10 minutes of mobility work (something like Agile 8 and some band work for shoulders). I follow the usual 5/3/1 progression from week to week, always do the de-load week (rather than a rest week), and simply add 5% to my training max every cycle. I do not do + sets to make sure I avoid going to failure (I need a rule telling me when to stop, otherwise, I will go to failure).

Although loading the ring push-ups took a while to figure out, my shoulder pain instantly went away (not surprising since my scapula and wrists can now move freely during my horizontal press, as it is supposed to do, and is not possible with the barbell bench press).

Aside from that, I go for a 30 minute walk each day which I can do on my lunch break at work. The only thing Iā€™d like to add is a bit more cardio, but time is an issue.

Old topic, but still a nice reading; Iā€™ll add my 0.2: currently on Frequency 2.0 (as per Beyond 5/3/1 e-book), with only a small twist (3ā€™s of OHP on BP 5ā€™s day). It looks like this:

Mon: squat 3ā€™s (70/80/90) + accessory (mostly 5x10-20 lunges)

Tue: bp 3ā€™s + accessory (upper back work, mostly on machines)

Wed: squat 5ā€™s (65/75/85) + DL 3ā€™s (70/80/90)

Thu: bench 5ā€™s + OHP 3ā€™s + accessory (lat work, mostly pull ups)

Fri: sq 5/3/1 + abs & lower back

Sat: bp 5/3/1 + arms or whatever

Randomy heavy singles on 5/3/1 days, 5/3 TM progression. Two months in, working fine so far.

Iā€™ve been running Boring But Big 5x5 (80%) this cycle but using the opposite lift each day. I Front Squat on my squat days since this feels more natural for me as a taller lifter (6ā€™4"). I donā€™t get too crazy with other exercises on my Front Squat and Deadlift days since I need to give those my full attention or bad things happen to me! Hereā€™s my setup for my current cycle and have been capping my top sets at 5 reps.

Monday
Front Squat (5/3/1)
Deadlift (5x5 BBB)
Abs / Lower Back x whatever

Tuesday
1A) Overhead Press (5/3/1)
1B) Pull Ups x 8
2A) Bench Press (5x5, BBB)
2B) Bodyweight Lunges x 10 (each leg)

Thursday
Deadlift (5/3/1)
Front Squat (5x5 BBB)
Abs / Lower Back x whatever

Friday
1A) Bench Press (5/3/1)
1B) DB Row x 10
2A) Overhead Press (5x5, BBB)
2B) Kettlebell Swings x 20

Saturday (Conditioning)
Lately this has been 2 mile, 80 pound vest walks but on some days this can be a kettlebell day or a track day where throws, carries and sprints / running is done. This is mostly depending on feel.

I stretch everyday and always do a prying goblet squat stretch with a kettlebell to open up my hips and hold the deepest position for about 30-45 secs.

Cycles 1 and 2

Mon
Squats - 5s Pro
Press - 5x5 FSL
Shrugs - 50 reps
Curls - 50 reps

Thu
Bench - 5s Pro
SLDL - 5x5
Chins - 50 reps
Situps - 50 reps

Mon
Deads - 5s Pro
Bench - 5s5 FSL
Shrugs - 50 reps
Curls - 50 reps

Thu
Press - 5s Pro
SLDL - 5x5
1 Arm Row - 50 reps
Situps - 50 reps

Cycle 3
Change main lifts to 3/5/1 PR Sets
Change FSL work to 3x5

This is not a template, but rather programming stuff. I just wrote this down to a piece of paper to keep me on track. Im going to apply these newer 5/3/1 concepts on my training and still do some good old PR work at the end of each program.
Ps. Im just regular lifter joe, not competing athlete.

Leaders (2 Cycles):
Warm Up/Mobility/Recovery: Daily
Jumps/Throws: 15-20
Main Work: 5ā€™s Pro
Supplemental: FSL 5x5/BBS/SSL 5x5/BBB
Assistance: Push 0-50, Pull 50-100, Core 0-50
Conditioning: 1-3 hard, 3-5 easy/ā€œtraining weekā€

7th week deload

Anchor (1 Cycle)
Warm Up/Mobility/Recovery: Daily
Jumps/Throws: 20-25
Main Work: 5/3/1 PR sets
Supplemental: None
Assistance: Push 50-100, Pull 50-100, Core 50-100
Conditioning: 1-3 hard, 3-5 easy/ā€œtraining weekā€

7th protocol TM testing
7th week deload

Adjust TMs if needed and move to next program.

So this reprecents 4 different 3 cycle programs and over a year of training. I have used agile 8 for long time but now my warm up/mobility/recovery protocol is bit different but still somewhat similar.
Assistance volume and conditioning will vary due supplemental volume, so will number of jumps and throws.

Im now on first cycle of first program (5ā€™s Pro, FSL 5x5) and I train 1on 1off with one main lift/day, since this is flexible schedule if I need to take extra day(s) rest or train 2 days in a row sometimes. I think little over a year from now I will have a pretty good idea what works for me for each lift.

Jim can correct this if something seems wrong.

Happy and heavy training to you all!

-Sami

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Mine is kind of a mix between BBB and The Triumvirate/Periodization Bible. I train M/W/F so one day gets carried over to the next week.

Day 1
Military Press (5/3/1)
Pull Ups ā€“ 50 Reps
Dips - 50 Reps
Overhead Tricep Extensions EZ Curl Bar ā€“ 50 Reps
Bicep Barbell Curl - 50 Reps
High Rep Plate Raise - 1 Set of 100 reps

Day 2
Deadlift (5/3/1)
Deadlift - 50 Reps
KB Swings - 60 Reps
Abs ā€“ 50 Reps (Hanging Leg Raises or Ab Wheel)
Band Pull Aparts - 50-100 Reps

Day 3
Face Pull - Few sets - 10-15 reps
Bench Press (5/3/1)
Incline Bench Press - 50 Reps
DB Kroc Rows ā€“ 50 Reps
Cable Triceps Extension ā€“ 50 Reps
Cable Hammer Curl - 50 Reps

Day 4
Hamstring Ball Curl
Squat (5/3/1)
Squat - 50 Reps
Good Morning - 50 Reps
Abs ā€“ 50 Reps (Hanging Leg Raises or Ab Wheel)

I make good progress with the way I have it set up and am always excited to workout.
Monday
A. Squat 5/3/1+ 3x5 FSL (paused)
B. Stiff leg deadlift 3-5x10
C1. Weighted sit-up 3-5x12
C2. Hanging leg raise 3-5x12
C3. Side bend 3-5x12
Tuesday
A. Bench 5/3/1 + 3x5 FSL (paused)
B1. Incline DB press 3-5x10
B2. Chest supported row 3-5x10
C1. Fat bar curl 3-5x12
C2. Dips 3-5x12
Thursday
A. Deadlift 5/3/1 + 3x5 FSL (deficit)
B. Front squat 3-5x10
C1. Back extensions 3-5x12
C2. Ab wheel 3-5x12
Friday
A. Press 5/3/1 + 3x8 FSL
B1. Close grip bench 3-5x10
B2. Chin-ups 3-5x10
C1. Dips 3-5x12
C2. Fat bar curl 3-5x12

I usually start with 5 sets for the assistance then take one set off each week so Iā€™m only doing 3 sets after the heavy 5/3/1 week. Iā€™ll sometimes go heavier on the big assistance lifts and do lower reps for a cycle or two also.

Iā€™ve been using a combination of pyramids and BBB, plus 3 days with some sprinting. Right now my template looks like this:

Monday: Deadlift

5/3/1 Deadlift
Pyramid down with AMRAP on the lightest set
5x10 Back Squats
3x12-15 GHR/Hypers
10-15 minutes sprinting

Tuesday: Bench

5/3/1 Bench
Pyramid down with AMRAP on the lightest set
5x10 OHP
3x12-15 GHR/Hypers

Thursday: Squat & Powerclean

5/3/1 Power Clean
5/3/1 Squat
Pyramid down with AMRAP on the lightest set
5x10 Deadlifts
3x12-15 GHR/Hypers

Saturday: OHP

5/3/1 OHP
Pyramid down with AMRAP on the lightest ser
5x10 Incline Barbell Bench Presses
3x12-15 GHR/Hypers
10-15min sprinting.

I superset lat exercises with OHP, middle-back with bench and abs with deads and squats

This is a great idea for a thread. With that said, let life get hectic and get in the way the last few weeks and havenā€™t really gotten anywhere in a couple of months and going for the epic Comeback rally in the T-transformation challenge

1 year(April/1/2018) training goals: (current)
First, Drop 40 lbs of flubber (240)
Then, Deadlift five plates: 500lbs (425)
Squat 4 plates w/ no wraps: 405 (365)
Bench 3 plates: 315 (285)
OHP 2 plates: 225 (175)

Short term goals:
#1 nutritional discipline
Develope strong conditioning and work capacity
Drop 15 lbs by June 1
3 miles in 20 min(current 1.5 mi in 11min) by July 1
Deadlift 455 and bench 300 by September 1

Mon:
Deadlift: 5s Pro (SS w/ dips)
Deadlifts BBB: 5x10 (SS w abs 5x10)
Conditioning: running

Wed:
Bench 5s Pro (SS chin ups)
Bench BBB: 5x10 (SS rows 5x10)
Curls: 50 reps
Conditioning: HIIT training (100/200/400 m sprints, Farmers/zerchers/overhead carries)

Fri:
OHP: 5s pro ss w chins
OHP BBB ss w rows
Squat 5s pro
Squats BBB

Sat:
Conditioning: running

Sun: conditioning: HITT

Nutrition: M/W/F 3000 cals, Sa/Su 2500 cals,
T/Th 2000cals

Iā€™ve found doing a pyramid down after the 5/3/1 sets are really brutal if you do AMRAP on both down sets. Give it a try and see what you think.

5th cycle in, 51 year old, general strength/conditioning/fat loss needed

Monday
OHP 531,
More OHP 5 sets of 10
Dips 5 sets of as many as I can which is not too many
10 min conditioning

Tuesday
Deadlift Day 5/3/1
Front squats subbed for more DLs, 5 sets of 10
Seated Box Jumps 4 sets of 10 30" box
10 min conditioning

Wednesday
5K easy run

Thursday
Bench Press Day 5/3/1
More Bench Presses 5 sets of 10
BO barbell Rows, 4 sets of 8
Some barbell curls or chinsā€¦depends
10 minutes conditioning

Friday
Squat Day 5/3/1
More Squats 5 sets of 10
Barbell Box Step up 4 sets of 8
10 minutes of conditioning

Sat/Sun rest days, maybe a 30 minute walk each day

So far conditioning is random; usually EMOM; wall balls, bear complex, beginners snatch complex, skipping rope/kettle bell swings, rowing intervals, farmers walk. I just pick the one I donā€™t want to do and am weakest on usually

Off-season. I use this and pick exercises to strengthen the weak areas for the lifts. I would think of this as a 531 template with DUP.
Day 1 & 3 both use jokers and FSL.
Day 1: 531 Squat/Bench Press; 3 sets x 6-8 reps for assistance work. 2-3 exercises/heavy ab work.
Day 3: 531 Deadlift/Overhead Press; 3 x 6-8 for assistance work. 2-3 exercises/light ab work.
Day 5: Bodybuilding exercises for upper body. Final sets get rest/pause 2 times after final rep.
Day 6: Bodybuilding exercises for lower body (leg work is mainly compound exercises with 15-20 rep schemes). Final sets get rest/pause 2 times after final rep. Some isolation work/reps for ab work.

I use this mainly for female clients because their recovery ability is always higher.

Want to give a shot to this:

1- DL day
Original 5/3/1 with PR set
Joker sets
5x5@FSL
Assistance

2- Press day
Original 5/3/1 with PR set
10x5 BBS@FSL
Assistance

3- Squat day
Original 5/3/1 with PR set
Joker sets
5x5@FSL
Assistance

4- Bench day
Original 5/3/1 with PR set
BBB@FSL
Assistance

With the 3/5/1 weeks scheme (Jokers only on the first and third week).
Just for a cycle to start for, see how I do with Jokers and BBS (never done them before).
Just quickly skimmed through Forever, Iā€™ll have to give a better in depth read next week

Currently my ā€˜weeksā€™ are two weeks long, following the ā€˜Template for Noncompetitive Liftersā€™ from 5/3/1 for Powerlifting. Most of my assistance work comes in the form of bodyweight exercises. Conditioning is from Hardstyle Kettlebell Training and running.

I do up to 5 heavy singles if I get good numbers of reps on my 3x3 and 5/3/1 PR sets (8 or more on 3x3 week and 5 or more on 5/3/1 week). Theyā€™re at no more than 95% of predicted max by my PR set.

My lift days are like this (I do jumps/throws as recommended in 5/3/1 Forever):

First week:

Day One -

Bench 5/3/1
Power Clean 5/3/1

Day Two - Squat 5/3/1

Second Week:

Day One -

Press 5/3/1
Weighted Chins

Day Two -

Deadlift 5/3/1

Assistance work is entirely bodyweight and kettlebell based.

Five reps on the 531 week should be the absolute minimum, and it should usually be more than that. If you canā€™t get AT LEAST five strong, fast reps on the 531 week, your training max is too high.

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Thanks @kbama . I just recall in Beyond 5/3/1 there was talk of ā€˜rep cappingā€™ for most people. Jim had said that most people should cap 5s week at 10 reps, 3s at 8 reps, and 1s at 5 reps. I might well have misunderstood there.

Right now I canā€™t squat or deadlift due to an anterior pelvic tilt. Iā€™m working on getting this corrected(more core work) so right now Iā€™m doing a 3 day a week program

Monday
Bench Press 5/3/1 with 5x5 FSL Template
Assistance work - Kroc Row, Tricep Pushdown, Neck Extensions

Wednesday
Leg Press 5/3/1 with 5x5 FSL Template
Assistance work - Chin Ups, Standing Calf Raises, Neck Extensions

Friday
Shoulder Press 5/3/1 with 5x5 FSL Template
Assistance work - DB shrugs, Face Pulls, Neck Extensions

Once I can get this anterior pelvic tilt fixed, Iā€™m going to start doing deadlifts again. Canā€™t wait. Really is my favorite exercise, they just destroy my lower back right now.

I just started the 5x5 FSL template. Iā€™m going to do that for 2 cycles, then switch to 5 proā€™s SSL for 3 cycles, then back to 5x5 FSL template. Rinse and repeat.

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Starting SVRII leader 2 cycles then svr ii anchor cycle before going into a few cycles of 3/5/1 SSL before I choose my next program.

Powerlifting offseason 5/3/1. Technically itā€™s for 3 months, but Iā€™ll probably do it for the rest of the year.