So after a few years of lurking I decided to join the forums.
Oh hey, been wanting to try 5/3/1, but my current program is working so why fix something that isn’t broken right?
I suppose my concern is related to switching programs.
Little bit of a background: I had a hip flexor injury over a year ago due to squat form that was the equivalent of Quasimodo squatting down to take a dump. Anyway, just fixed my entire squat mechanic and now I am doing Smolov to get my squat back up, because at this point it’s, quite depressingly, equal to if not lower than my bench (although to be fair where I haven’t been making strength gains I’ve been improving my technique up and down the block).
What I’m doing now is a 5x5 program that’s kind of 5/3/1 except my main lifts are: 5x5 @ 75% Week 1, 5x5 @ 80% Week 2, 5x3-5 @ 85% Week 3 and a PR attempt every 4th week (although this depends on how I’m feeling, sometimes I need another 3 week cycle before a PR week). Then the cycle restarts with either a)heavier weight based on the new PR or b)same weight higher reps/technique if same PR. This program has worked pretty damn well and still is.
Is it worth switching to 5/3/1? How will 5/3/1 differ in terms of strength/performance gainZ? I understand I’m just gonna have to stop being such a pussy and do it, but it’d be nice to get some thoughts on this.