Wendler 5/3/1

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Replies

  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    On the third week aren't you on 95%? And that should be based on only 90% of your 1rm. And if you're pulling 3 reps when you got one on the agenda...You're fine.

    ETA sorry if that made no sense. I took 20mg of melatonin that has seriously caught up to me.

    Haha it's ok! Sorry I wasn't very clear. Prior to starting 531, I was not used to pulling 90% or more for more than 3 reps. So you are right; the 3rd week has you do AMRAPs at 95%, of 90% of your 1rm, and that week for DLs I was struggling to even maintain my grip on the bar until given chalk.

    It sounds like your TM is too high. 95% of 90% is still only 86% of your 1rm.

    You are not supposed to base your TM on the 1rm you got that one day months ago when the stars aligned and everything you lifted felt like fluffy clouds. The idea is to start low. Struggling in your first cycle is not supposed to happen.


    WOW no need to be condescending! The first 2 weeks weren't a struggle. I just felt really crappy on that week 3 for deadlifts BUT ALL OTHER LIFTS FOR MY FIST CYCLE FEEL GREAT SO DON'T BE A FEMALE DOG ABOUT IT!!! :s

    I'm not being condescending. I am stating a fact. Many people who find 5/3/1 via TNation or another online source do not follow through on understanding the program before implementing it. The #1 failure I see people make with it is not setting their TM properly. If you are struggling three weeks into the program, you did not set your TM properly. If being correct makes me a *kitten*, I will happily bark all day. But I also encourage you to learn to take constructive criticism without calling names. It's an important life skill.

    So how would you suggest setting your TM.

    Any half-way decent app should do it for you, assuming you have a good sense of what you can lift.

    The app DOES create a list of 1rep maxes based on the AMRAPs I already performed. However, it did have me enter my 1rms in advance before starting the program.

    Also, thank you for the valuable advice. I also re-read the t-nation article and decided that I will bring down my accessory work to 2 exercises per day along with the main lift AND I plan to purchase and read the book.

    Personally, I'm not a fan of basing the next cycle off of the past AMRAP sets... it's too variable for me as a good day can easily have me doing 10+ reps and a bad day could have me at the minimum. If you're basing your TM off of your actual, current 1RM, then you're probably fine.

    FWIW, be careful basing any meaningful decisions on what you read from Tnation.

    Don't worry. Only planning on sticking with my original number. And even if the article was published by Jim Wendler himself :s ?

  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.

    Oh yeah. I meant do maybe DL and OHP one day and squat and bench the other. I wouldn't want to test OHP and bench on the same day either. Bleh.
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    edited July 2016
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.

    Oh yeah. I meant do maybe DL and OHP one day and squat and bench the other. I wouldn't want to test OHP and bench on the same day either. Bleh.

    Also, a part of me just wants to ride out this deload for the rest of this week before testing maxes since it is so nice and light and fun.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.

    Oh yeah. I meant do maybe DL and OHP one day and squat and bench the other. I wouldn't want to test OHP and bench on the same day either. Bleh.

    Also, a part of me just wants to ride out this deload before testing maxes since it is so nice and light and fun.

    Oh well do that then. I was thinking you were still in the 3rd week. Take your deload and enjoy it :)
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    edited July 2016
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.

    Oh yeah. I meant do maybe DL and OHP one day and squat and bench the other. I wouldn't want to test OHP and bench on the same day either. Bleh.

    Also, a part of me just wants to ride out this deload before testing maxes since it is so nice and light and fun.

    Oh well do that then. I was thinking you were still in the 3rd week. Take your deload and enjoy it :)


    Haha noope. I'm at the end of "cycle 1". So far the only struggle with deload has beeen setting up for deadlifts. No bumper plates under 45lbs means propping my bar up on the 45lb bumpers and struggling to keep the bar even. But other than that, deload is awesome!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    You know, choosing a program and having success with it requires more than just physical strength - you need research and planning, which you have not done. And this thread shouldn't serve as a substitute.

    People here are trying to help you and you're getting ridiculously defensive and making personal attacks rather than, you know listen to what they are offering you.

    I frequently ask my friends about programs when I am switching, after they make suggestions -- I research them and see how they work and what will work best for me/my goals.

    If you are serious about lifting and making strength gains, you have to treat the process with a fair amount of diligence. You could have seriously hurt yourself running this program wrong and lifting too much weight.

    You're lucky you didn't.

    Now, listen to everyone and READ the book.

    I only was defensive towards ONE PERSON. I've been listening to everybody else and moral of the story is I will buy the book--or ebook if that is available, but hopefully nobody on here has a problem with that :o .

    After researching multiple programs and their goals/designs I DID decide that Wendler would be best for me at the moment. However, I have yet to purchase the book, but it is now on the agenda.

    Soo wise sages of MFP...once I get the book, do you think I should start from square one with new TMs? How would you fix this for a dipstick like me?

    Yes, I would start from the beginning. What I would probably do (and mind you this is just how I'd do it) would be to take a week where I tested myself on each of the 4 big lifts. I'd probably do 2 one day and 2 another day (1 upper, 1 lower each time) and then if I wanted to do another strength workout or two that week I'd do whatever I wanted (free day!) Then I'd have a clean start the next week, with the new TMs. Or you could do the 2 test days and start the cycle mid-week but I am a bit fussy and that would bug me :smiley:

    Sounds like a solid plan :]. Except I might spread it out to three days because a very experienced powerlifter I know told me you never want to go heavy for bench and OHP in the same day.

    Oh yeah. I meant do maybe DL and OHP one day and squat and bench the other. I wouldn't want to test OHP and bench on the same day either. Bleh.

    Also, a part of me just wants to ride out this deload before testing maxes since it is so nice and light and fun.

    Oh well do that then. I was thinking you were still in the 3rd week. Take your deload and enjoy it :)


    Haha noope. I'm at the end of "cycle 1". So far the only struggle with deload has beeen setting up for deadlifts. No bumper plates under 45lbs means propping my bar up on the 45lb bumpers and struggling to keep the bar even. But other than that, deload is awesome!

    I can commiserate. I train at home and have no plates larger than 25 pounds. I have several of those so, depending on how much I'm lifting, my setup can be a little bit higher or lower. I've mostly gotten used to it with deadlifts but hack squats are a bit trickier.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    jacksonpt wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    On the third week aren't you on 95%? And that should be based on only 90% of your 1rm. And if you're pulling 3 reps when you got one on the agenda...You're fine.

    ETA sorry if that made no sense. I took 20mg of melatonin that has seriously caught up to me.

    Haha it's ok! Sorry I wasn't very clear. Prior to starting 531, I was not used to pulling 90% or more for more than 3 reps. So you are right; the 3rd week has you do AMRAPs at 95%, of 90% of your 1rm, and that week for DLs I was struggling to even maintain my grip on the bar until given chalk.

    It sounds like your TM is too high. 95% of 90% is still only 86% of your 1rm.

    You are not supposed to base your TM on the 1rm you got that one day months ago when the stars aligned and everything you lifted felt like fluffy clouds. The idea is to start low. Struggling in your first cycle is not supposed to happen.


    WOW no need to be condescending! The first 2 weeks weren't a struggle. I just felt really crappy on that week 3 for deadlifts BUT ALL OTHER LIFTS FOR MY FIST CYCLE FEEL GREAT SO DON'T BE A FEMALE DOG ABOUT IT!!! :s

    I'm not being condescending. I am stating a fact. Many people who find 5/3/1 via TNation or another online source do not follow through on understanding the program before implementing it. The #1 failure I see people make with it is not setting their TM properly. If you are struggling three weeks into the program, you did not set your TM properly. If being correct makes me a *kitten*, I will happily bark all day. But I also encourage you to learn to take constructive criticism without calling names. It's an important life skill.

    So how would you suggest setting your TM.

    Any half-way decent app should do it for you, assuming you have a good sense of what you can lift.

    The app DOES create a list of 1rep maxes based on the AMRAPs I already performed. However, it did have me enter my 1rms in advance before starting the program.

    Also, thank you for the valuable advice. I also re-read the t-nation article and decided that I will bring down my accessory work to 2 exercises per day along with the main lift AND I plan to purchase and read the book.

    I don't use whatever app you are using but note that there is no 5/3/1 app put out by Jim Wendler. Any app you are using is doing some of the math involved in the program, without any of the context to explain it.

    The 1rm you use to set your TM is not supposed to be based on any AMRAP sets done within the program. That is, you do not use a 1rm, extrapolated from a + set in order to determine your TM for any subsequent cycle. I can't tell if you were planning to do that or not so I thought I'd point that out.

    I think your biggest issue right now is that you based your TM on your 245 DL which, according to your profile, was pretty ugly. That's fine for your meet but as a basis for your training it's too high.

    I use that app too and it ups your TM by the standard 5/10 pounds per cycle regardless how much you got in your AMRAP. It does show you though how many reps you'd need for a new record on your AMRAP sets.
  • shor0814
    shor0814 Posts: 559 Member
    Just to make it easier can you list your 1RM's, TM's, and the number of reps you got on each AMRAP set? Weights for the AMRAPs too would be handy.

    I am not fully understanding the deadlift problem and this would help.
  • maranarasauce93
    maranarasauce93 Posts: 293 Member
    shor0814 wrote: »
    Just to make it easier can you list your 1RM's, TM's, and the number of reps you got on each AMRAP set? Weights for the AMRAPs too would be handy.

    I am not fully understanding the deadlift problem and this would help.

    Ok I will do this for DL:

    1rm is 245lbs so I had all all lifts for that week based off of 90%--220.5lbs which I can do for AT LEAST 3 easy reps.

    Week 1: AMRAP score of 6 at 185lbs. Probably could have done more but was like "I want to do as many reps as I can without letting go of the bar to readjust grip". And I was feeling lazy that day.

    Week 2: AMRAP score of 5 at 200lbs. Not too shabby!

    Week 3: AMRAP score of 4 for 210lbs. It took a while for me to get this. I was having a bad day and kept dropping the bar just before locking out. BUT it all clicked when I just stopped looking in the mirror and a trainer said to me "I see you can pull the weight. Could you make it if you had chalk?" So the answer to that was "yes".

    I mean yes, I was able to do the AMRAP, but I definitely was having what I perceived to be a bad day.

    Meanwhile bench and OHP have been pretty phenomenal, and I am pretty much where I expected to be for squats after week 3. For all of these other lifts, I have never done less than 6reps for the + sets.
  • Alex_Physique91
    Alex_Physique91 Posts: 1 Member
    Hey guys just started myfitnesspal and just purchased wendler 5/3/1 second edition and beyond 5/3/1 e-books definitely interested in this thought I'd join this group and see what people are thinking about the program
  • piperdown44
    piperdown44 Posts: 958 Member
    I'm not sure how many cycles I've run now. Used to renumber the cycles starting at 1 when I'd take a break but stopped doing that this past year.
    So currently I'm finishing cycle 11 and will start on cycle 12 in another week.
    531 has worked well for me over the years and I'll continue to run it as long as I can.
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