12-22-2022, 02:12 PM
âwhy havenât you heard about this yet?â and that is exactly how I feel about Jim Wendlerâs 5/3/1 program for raw strength. I can see how itâs probably far less intimidating to go with whatever everyone else is doing, like the latest bikini body in 30-days program, Zumba/Kickboxing class/Yoga class (all in one now!) , P-90X, or the latest Jillian Michealâs DVD because your neighbor (Iâm not your neighbor), BFF, co-worker, etc did it and so why canât you? You might be the same person who thinks a powerlifting program like 5/3/1 is only for powerlifters, but it isnât. The way this program is written (simple), everyone from the relative beginner to an experienced lifter can bust through a training plateau (weâve all been there), set new personal records, and get a whole lot stronger⦠man or woma
One single cycle lasts a brief 4 weeks, with the final week being a deload week, so technically, you can see measurable results in three weeks. The program is built upon 4 basic strength training exercises that weâve all seen: the squat, bench press, the deadlift, and the overhead press. Each workout is incredibly quick, with the main focus being to kick your own butt hard on the last set. You know how when you get done with running 4 miles on the treadmill and say âboy am I glad thatâs over?â This program leaves you with a real sense of accomplishment, because on 5/3/1 you set a new record for your maximum number of reps with a certain weight on the final set. You can end the workout right there, or as one of my favorite friends on the Body Building Revealed forum put it: âRack the weight and scream victoriously. Punch shoulders, high fives, etc, optional.â If youâve got more time, the program allows for assistance work. For more details click here
Some of my proudest moments on 5/3/1 include: bench pressing my own body weight, deadlifting 175 lbs for reps, and hammering out 52 body weight pull-ups. Yeah, I should clarify that one. On OHP day, the âtriumvirateâ option for assistance work calls for 5 sets of 10 reps of body weight chin-ups or pull-ups. I had to break my work into more than 5 sets, and I easily could have stopped at failure around 5-7 reps. I didnât though, and managed to get in more than 50 total reps for pull-ups by doing 10 sets. Iâm proud of me, even though according to my three-year old, I look like a âlittle big pink dinosaurâ when I do pull-ups. Moral of the story: donât do pull-ups in hot pink pants.
Yeah, the snow may be melting for some of us, and there are certain warm, spring-like days where you canât turn your head without seeing another jogger pounding the pavement. As nice as the sunlight is, itâs not as tempting as setting my back and shoulder blades into position under the weight of the barbell for squats and feeling a weight that could possibly crush me. Nor is it as rewarding as knowing my dainty hands can pull a (relatively) heavy weight off the floor by dropping my hips and pushing the earth away for a heart pounding set of deadlifts, or âbench press a fitness modelâ (i.e., I benched my own body weight) for another proud moment on a âregularâ old day at the gym. You could endure another boring work out in which you make zero progress, or set your own personal record in an otherwise mundane and uneventful gym.
One single cycle lasts a brief 4 weeks, with the final week being a deload week, so technically, you can see measurable results in three weeks. The program is built upon 4 basic strength training exercises that weâve all seen: the squat, bench press, the deadlift, and the overhead press. Each workout is incredibly quick, with the main focus being to kick your own butt hard on the last set. You know how when you get done with running 4 miles on the treadmill and say âboy am I glad thatâs over?â This program leaves you with a real sense of accomplishment, because on 5/3/1 you set a new record for your maximum number of reps with a certain weight on the final set. You can end the workout right there, or as one of my favorite friends on the Body Building Revealed forum put it: âRack the weight and scream victoriously. Punch shoulders, high fives, etc, optional.â If youâve got more time, the program allows for assistance work. For more details click here
Some of my proudest moments on 5/3/1 include: bench pressing my own body weight, deadlifting 175 lbs for reps, and hammering out 52 body weight pull-ups. Yeah, I should clarify that one. On OHP day, the âtriumvirateâ option for assistance work calls for 5 sets of 10 reps of body weight chin-ups or pull-ups. I had to break my work into more than 5 sets, and I easily could have stopped at failure around 5-7 reps. I didnât though, and managed to get in more than 50 total reps for pull-ups by doing 10 sets. Iâm proud of me, even though according to my three-year old, I look like a âlittle big pink dinosaurâ when I do pull-ups. Moral of the story: donât do pull-ups in hot pink pants.
Yeah, the snow may be melting for some of us, and there are certain warm, spring-like days where you canât turn your head without seeing another jogger pounding the pavement. As nice as the sunlight is, itâs not as tempting as setting my back and shoulder blades into position under the weight of the barbell for squats and feeling a weight that could possibly crush me. Nor is it as rewarding as knowing my dainty hands can pull a (relatively) heavy weight off the floor by dropping my hips and pushing the earth away for a heart pounding set of deadlifts, or âbench press a fitness modelâ (i.e., I benched my own body weight) for another proud moment on a âregularâ old day at the gym. You could endure another boring work out in which you make zero progress, or set your own personal record in an otherwise mundane and uneventful gym.