Hello Titans, today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite programs 5/3/1. Written by Jim Wendler its beauty is in its simplicity. Based on percentages, it’s perfect for someone who has outgrown a basic linear progression, such as Starting Strength, but is not yet experienced enough to do well using a program based on RPE. I personally use this program for myself when I’m in between other programs that were designed to focus on one thing.
So, what is 5/3/1?
5/3/1 is a program that centers around the four main barbell lifts: the squat, the bench press, the deadlift and the overhead press. It uses percentages and like many programs of its kind as the volume decreases the intensity increases. So what sets 5/3/1 apart? First you establish a training max. After you test your max you take 90% of that and that’s what you base all your percentages on. For example, if you test your deadlift and it comes out to 500 lbs. then our training max would be 450. 450 would be the number that you would base all your working sets on. A cycle of 5/3/1 lasts 4 weeks. Every cycle you increase your training max as appropriate.
Basically 5/3/1 is broken down like this.
Actual max 100%
Training max 90% (pull the following percentages off the 90% number)
|
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
| Set 1 |
65% x 5 |
70% x 3 |
75% x 5 |
40% x 5 |
| Set 2 |
75% x 5 |
80% x 3 |
85% x 3 |
50% x 5 |
| Set 3 |
85% x 5+ |
90% x 3+ |
95% x 1+ |
60% x 5 |
Every training day on your final set you do an AMRAP for whatever your main mover is for that day, except for the 4
th week which is your de-load week. After every 4 week cycle you would increase the lower body training max by 10 lbs. and the upper body training maxes by 5 lbs. By matching the reps of the previous cycles and going for rep PR’s you slowly get stronger.
One common problem that has been brought up with 5/3/1 is the frequent de-load weeks. While necessary for some people, they come far too often for many others. The solution to this is to instead run the first three weeks twice and then do your de-load week after the 6
th week. After the first three weeks you increase your weight and then again after your de-load week. Personally, I’m able to do this with some of my lifts but others require the full 7 weeks to increase the weight. On those lifts I just focus on increasing the reps of my AMRAP sets.
My personal issue with 5/3/1 is that it doesn’t have the right amount of volume at the right intensities. No matter what week I’m on the first 2 sets always feel like warm up sets and as a result I’m only getting one actual working set. This leads me to becoming un-trained. So as a result of this I’ve made the following adjustment and it has worked very well for me.
|
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
| Set 1 |
65% x 5 |
70% x 3 |
75% x 5 |
40% x 5 |
| Set 2 |
75% x 5 |
80% x 3 |
85% x 3 |
50% x 5 |
| Set 3 |
85% x 5 |
90% x 3 |
95% x 1 |
60% x 5 |
| Set 4 |
85% x 5 |
90% x 3 |
95% x 1 |
60% x 5 |
| Set 5 |
85% x 5+ |
90% x 3+ |
95% x 1+ |
60% x 5 |
Each week when I get to my 3
rd set, instead of immediately doing an AMRAP I perform two sets with the prescribed reps and then I go all out on my AMRAP sets. This hasn’t taken away from my performance on the final set, in fact, I believe that knowing what the weight is going to feel like in my hands has caused me to approach the AMRAP set more prepared. This also means that I get more volume in with the heavier weight.
Another thing that has helped me is using the formula for calculating my 1 rep max to determine whether to increase my training maxes. If you don’t know how to find this, it’s very simple. All you do is use the following formula “(weight x reps x .0333) + weight” When I get to my 5/3/1 week and I do my 95% AMRAP if it comes out to less than my actual 1RM then I won’t increase the weight and will instead focus on beating my previous rep PRs.
So, there you have it. That’s how I approached the intensity problem in 5/3/1 and it has worked very well for me.
If you haven’t read Jim Wendler’s books I highly encourage you to pick them up. Also, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to
email me at
cameron@atlasstrengthshop.com.
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Release your inner Titan,
Cameron Ray
