Wendler’s 5/3/1

[Jqlarson]

Anybody else running the Wendler’s 5/3/1 lift program? I’ve been doing it a few months with some good results. Wanted to see if anybody else finds it to go well with any other kind of training for backcountry hunts.

 

[WDO]

I had good luck with it when work was busy and I didn't have much time, so it was a "get in get out" game at the gym(mixed with running and rucking I could do anywhere).

In my opinion its good way to continue progress, but if you have the time to dedicate, I think programs like MTNtough and Soflete fit the bill better.

 

[Vandy321]

Anybody else running the Wendler’s 5/3/1 lift program? I’ve been doing it a few months with some good results. Wanted to see if anybody else finds it to go well with any other kind of training for backcountry hunts.

Wendler and rucking.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Currently doing 5/3/1 two days a week, with a mix of rucking, trail runs, hill sprints and stair climbs for conditioning on the other days. After hunting season, I'll do a month or two of linear progression to get my strength back quickly, then switch back over to 5/3/1. I like that the moderate training volume of 5/3/1 still leaves you with enough left in the tank for sport-specific conditioning.

 

[swavescatter]

I've been doing 5/3/1 for years, and for me the beauty is that when you have rough patches and life interrupts your training you can just drop a little weight and quickly pick back up.

The one modification I made to truly see progress (focus on strength gains) was to also track total volume. Simply trying standard sets and reps can hide that you are not increasing volume and that's the reason you plateaued. No matter if I PRd, I make sure I move at least 5lbs more than my last workout, even if that means more reps at lower weight.

I haven't hunted in awhile (just getting back into it) but I assume that being able to do lots of reps at squat/deadlift will help. Living at altitude is also a bonus.

 

[Hoodie]

After hunting season, I'll do a month or two of linear progression to get my strength back quickly, then switch back over to 5/3/1. I like that the moderate training volume of 5/3/1 still leaves you with enough left in the tank for sport-specific conditioning.

This hits the nail on the head.

The beauty of 5/3/1 is how much leeway it gives you for other stuff (i.e. sports practice, conditioning).But its loading scheme is sloooooow. Most people can make way faster progress on linear progression first.

For most people not into competitive lifting I think Starting Strength followed by 5/3/1 is the beeś knees. Let the conditioning slide for a few months on SS to put on weight and make recovery easier, then pick it back up once the easy gains are off the table and the volume gets lower on 5/3/1.

 

[Poser]

This hits the nail on the head.

The beauty of 5/3/1 is how much leeway it gives you for other stuff (i.e. sports practice, conditioning).But its loading scheme is sloooooow. Most people can make way faster progress on linear progression first.

For most people not into competitive lifting I think Starting Strength followed by 5/3/1 is the beeś knees. Let the conditioning slide for a few months on SS to put on weight and make recovery easier, then pick it back up once the easy gains are off the table and the volume gets lower on 5/3/1.

Yeah, I agree. LP should be exhausted before moving to an intermediate program and for
Most active people who are going to have training interruptions for extended hunting trips etc, LP can/should be revisited. It makes no sense to go on a 10 day trip, loose 10 lbs and come back jump into 5/3/1 when you are going to have a significant reset. 2 weeks of LP can cycle right back to where you left off.

I think the advantage to 5/3/1 is also a disadvantage. If you are doing lots of conditioning, you can cycle in a bigger dose during the deload week, but if you aren’t doing that, I think the amount of regular Deloads is unnecessary for most anyone with a typical lifestyle and not pushing massively big numbers with consistent training for years. If you are deadlifting, say, 700 lbs and have never missed more than a handful of days of scheduled training in the last 8 years, regular deloads are of benefit. If you are deadlifting 300 lbs, have regular life occurrences, vacations and trips, life schedules your deloads for you and cycling them every 3 weeks, while not hurting anything, is making your progression unnecessarily slow.

I’ve worked with a number of intermediate programs including 5/3/1, Texas Method and HLM (Heavy-light-medium), HL (Heavy-light) and find the last 2 templates to be the most productive for an active lifestyle and in conjunction with lots of conditioning. I revisit LP opportunistically, sometimes for just 3 consecutive sessions following a trip, injury or taking a break from sports, conditioning etc.

All that being said, strength is a long game, so if you stay consistent with 5/3/1, it will
Absolutely work over time, just make sure you have exhausted LP and 5/3/1 is absolutely too slow for someone off the couch, new lifter, etc. a 17 year old male, for example, has 0 business with a slow program. you’re talking about adding weight to the bar every 3 weeks: that should only come after you have exhausted adding weight every workout, then weekly, then bi weekly: that’s a lot of training to get to a 3 week schedule and I have my doubts that most people using this template have exhausted those options.

 

[mtwarden]

I’ve been using it for about four years now. I tried 5x5 prior to it and found Wendler much better suited for me.

I’m not 17, so the slow progression works pretty well. I’ve bastardized it a bit to fit into the rest of my training (mostly hiking single track trails in the nearby mountains). I lift twice a week combining squats/bench and deadlifts/overhead press- I mix in pull-ups, dips and core with the first one, chin-ups, lunges, core with the second.

I’m in and out the gym in 30 minutes (give or take a little). Every other week instead of a deload, I do a high volume workout with 70% of of my 1RM- 10-9-8-7....,3/2/1. I do these alternating between lifts ( ie 10 reps of squats, 10 reps of bench).

Anyways, I think it’s a pretty good program for building strength, albeit maybe too slowly for some, but not for me.

 

[UTJL]

I’ve been pairing it with CrossFit for ~8 months now. My strength has sky rocketed since then, while still being able to take breaks from 5/3/1 for holidays, vacations, etc when I know I won’t have time to complete a full cycle.

 

[bigbuckdj]

Finally I can contribute to a thread. I just consume info on this site because I don’t know anything about backpack hunting.

I do 5/3/1 variation with 5x5 first set last and then I do 5x10 of two accessory lifts. I used to do the boring but big variation but I don’t think it gave me enough volume at a higher weight.

My favorite thing about the program is that if you just stick to it, you’ll go up. You also can be in a calorie deficit and still get through your workouts and hike/ruck/whatever.

The forever 5/3/1 book is a little confusing with leader and anchor templates but for a normal guy just trying to be strong, I think the old templates work fine. The info in the new book about explosive warmups and the importance of warmups is good stuff.


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[ThrowawayPNW]

I’ve done Rippletoe’s SS, Wendler’s 5/3/1 and I’ve recently got onto K. Black’s tactical barbell. Vol 1 is nothing revolutionary basically a waved progression (90%/80%/70%/95%/85%/75%) with 1RM retesting every 6 weeks. The templates are legit though with something for everyone where it really comes together is with Vol 2: Conditioning. But I do agree with the idea to use linear progression while you can.

 

[Poser]

I’ve done Rippletoe’s SS, Wendler’s 5/3/1 and I’ve recently got onto K. Black’s tactical barbell. Vol 1 is nothing revolutionary basically a waved progression (90%/80%/70%/95%/85%/75%) with 1RM retesting every 6 weeks. The templates are legit though with something for everyone where it really comes together is with Vol 2: Conditioning. But I do agree with the idea to use linear progression while you can.

What’s the purpose in testing a 1 RM if one is not a (competition) powerlifter? The risk for injury is higher, form breakdown is common, and it’s unnecessary fatigue with little ROI. Beyond that, it’s still not very accurate. If someone held a gun to your head, could you have squatted 380# vs 370#? Then 370# is not your true 1 RM. it’s not worth the effort or risk for a sliding scale, inaccurate datapoint just so you can load %s, which are then inaccurate as a result of inaccurate 1RM. Just add more weight to the bar on a regular and consistent timeline and don’t worry about %s of inaccurate 1RMs unless you are on a platform and there are judges and your goal is to peak on this one day.

 

[mtwarden]

^ agreed; would much rather base that 1RM on an initial estimate. if you’re finishing all the reps in that month, add weight and simply carry on

 

[swavescatter]

What’s the purpose in testing a 1 RM if one is not a (competition) powerlifter? The risk for injury is higher, form breakdown is common, and it’s unnecessary fatigue with little ROI. Beyond that, it’s still not very accurate. If someone held a gun to your head, could you have squatted 380# vs 370#? Then 370# is not your true 1 RM. it’s not worth the effort or risk for a sliding scale, inaccurate datapoint just so you can load %s, which are then inaccurate as a result of inaccurate 1RM. Just add more weight to the bar on a regular and consistent timeline and don’t worry about %s of inaccurate 1RMs unless you are on a platform and there are judges and your goal is to peak on this one day.

The same reason people run marathons/5k's for best time, race cars/bikes in the 1/4 mile, hold out for that trophy bull, put bigger tires on their truck, hit the driving range and slide into home base: sometimes a guy just wants to test his mettle. Playing it safe is usually smart, but not always fun. I enjoy knowing I can put XXX lbs up. I'll never be competitive, but at least I know where I stand...

 

[ThrowawayPNW]

You don’t do an actual one rep max lift. You do a set of 3-5 reps with a proper and specific warm up sequence then you enter it into a calculator. It’s all about tracking your progression and using that info to plan your workouts. If you’re not lifting weights to get as strong as you can then why would you lift weights?

 

[deerhunt1988]

If you’re not lifting weights to get as strong as you can then why would you lift weights?

To look good for the girlz

 

[Jqlarson]

You don’t do an actual one rep max lift. You do a set of 3-5 reps with a proper and specific warm up sequence then you enter it into a calculator. It’s all about tracking your progression and using that info to plan your workouts. If you’re not lifting weights to get as strong as you can then why would you lift weights?

This is what I do. I try to find the point where my form is still solid but it’s a heavy weight I can get 3-5 reps in and calculate out what that would be estimated as a 1RM


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[mtwarden]

risking a possible injury for a 1RM doesn't make any sense; if you're going to meets sure, if not, 3 max reps will give you a very good idea of what your 1RM is

 

[ThrowawayPNW]

To look good for the girlz

But of course... curls for the girlz, tris for the guys... wait.

 

[Poser]

risking a possible injury for a 1RM doesn't make any sense; if you're going to meets sure, if not, 3 max reps will give you a very good idea of what your 1RM is

Even a 5 RM is a great and accurate data point. From spending years in the gym, I’m much more impressed by a heavy triple, better yet a *super* grindy set of 5s than a single any day of the week.