people with lifting experience and knowledge

astronomicals

How well do you adhere to your program?

Do you ever deviate to keep things interesting?


I sometimes get the feeling that I've read enough that I could switch up my workout whenever I want and I'd be just fine. Doing allpro's beginner routine is just boring me these days (been thru 7 5-week cycles). Im going to switch to 5-3-1, but, I wonder if there would be any drawback to just going in and doing whatever sometimes. I know how to hit all my muscles properly. I know how much volume I typically exert on each muscle group. I'm leaning towards having a free for all once every week or two where I just go in and work with lifts that aren't in my typical repertoire. Some people may call this F***arounditis, but, I know what I can do and whats too much for me. Id like to mess with rep ranges, set occasional 1RM PRS, do the occasional high volume burnout/pump, etc.

jimmmer

I was on a regimented routine for a long while until the birth of my daughter 9 weeks ago. I also had the added complication of having to change the nature and location of my business. A lot going on.

I chose to forget a regimented routine and instead do something where I pick a lift to fit the hinge, squat, push, pull and carry and just doing "something". Stay away from maxes. Just get it done. This is Dan John's easy strength. Nothing heavier than 40-50% of your 1 RM. Basically lifting maintenance mode. Just sort of go by feel with the lifts and the weight.

I used the time to work on some lifts I'd ignored (front squats) and never done (Fat grip deads).

After 8 months on a heavy routine I was feeling it, 8 weeks of no sleep would have killed me. This allowed me to bounce back, work on something technical on new/neglected lifts without a load beating me up. I even did a rotation where I left the barbell alone for 2-3 weeks and just did double kettlebell work instead.

I haven't really suffered by this "messing around" instead I learned to appreciate new lifts (Double Kettlebell Clean and jerks are a new favourite), sharpen up some technical issues (front squats) and let my body bounce back while I worked construction/destruction 12 hours a day and got minimal sleep due to a new baby.

Now I'm ready for something regimented and hardcore again. I feel primed and ready to go. I'd say that was worthwhile

If you are going to do it, don't beat yourself up too much with it. Enjoy it and work on some stuff. Everyone fears they are going to slide backwards uncontrollably if they do something like this, but your body will probably thank you.

pandorakick

I hear you about getting bored! Did All Pro's SBR for 6 cycles myself and switched this morning to his Intermediate 1 routine.

Personally I follow my program pretty as is, because I like the structure it gives me. I do see myself further down the road swapping out exercises for other ones targetting the same muscle groups. That way the structure and progression would stay in tact while also keeping things interesting.

JoRocka

I haven't ever used a program.

I have a loose idea of what I want to hit- but I don't usually even have a set day that I hit a set group of exercises.

I might consider going into a more structured program to get more tailored to my needs- but currently- no I do my own thing - it isn't random workouts whenever- but it's not a set thing either. I know during the week roughly what I want to hit and when but I'm flexible to change.

juliewatkin

I've been lifting for over 6 years and competing for 5. I've tried a number of programs. At the moment I'm running Madcow 5x5 advanced for bench/squat and Coan-Phillippi for deadlift.

For the most part, I adhere to the structure of the program but will modify if I feel I need to. Because I'm cognizant of how my body works, I generally choose programs that I know work well for me in terms of volume and intensity. I don't select programs that I know will be a fail. For instance, I have a thing in my head that I'd like to run smolov for squats but I already know that it would grind me down and kill my numbers because my body doesn't react well to that combination of heavy volume and intensity. I've run smolov junior for bench for a couple of cycles with good results.

I've modified the madcow in a variety of ways to suit me. However, I've been lifting long enough to have a good idea of what works for me. You reach a level that you have to be able to either create your own program or modify an existing one rather than blindly adhering to someone elses because one size does not fit all.

I always know what I'm doing when I go into the gym. Because I'm often peaking for a meet, I need the structure and to have a good idea of where I'm at.

By the way, it's not enough to 'read' enough. Reading and research are fine but actual experience under the bar is something else altogether.

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DavPul

I do what I want. I have a basic idea of what I want to get done on a particular day but I'll let how my body feels be the guide on how many sets, reps, and total exercises I'll do that day.

Leadfoot_Lewis

I'd love to do a program like 5/3/1 or Starting Strength but I would be bored out of my mind, so I understand where you're coming form. My program has enough variety that I stay interested but just to change things up every 5th week or so I'll just have a week when I do different things - Kettlebell, TRX, GVT, etc.

halleymw

What kind of progress did you guys that were doing all pros routine make? I switched to it from stronglifts because I had stalled, but find myself stallling on it also, took me three cycles to pass bench, maybe that was because of poor initial weight choice, or because I had been on my weight loss cycle. I am eating mainenance for the last 4 mos now and still not making much gains or seeing that much "body recompisition".
Mike

astronomicals

Thanks for all the responses. I expected someone to chew me out, but, I havent seen it yet. Hopefully playing with assistance exercise selection on 5-3-1 will keep me content. It seems opinion is varied, but, there is also plenty of successful people here who aren't exactly to the T.

Julie makes a good point that reading isnt the same as experience, but, it's still more than just doing whatever for no rhyme or reason. I still see where she is coming from though. The plan I have floating around is to finish cutting on 5-3-1 because I'm slightly worried about reducing intensity while in a deficit. After that I want to try a higher volume, lower intensity program. Why? I've seen better mass gains just a few years back when doing higher rep work with higher volume. That seems like a good enough reason to try it. Maybe 3 weeks of volume buildup followed by a week of high intensity. Point being, I can;t figure out what works through experience unless I go out and experience it. I wont jump ship every month, but, I'm going to switch programs more regularly and find what works through trial and error. Goal? More hypertrophy to accompany my strength gains and more upper body hypertrophy specifically.

cats847

Well, if you do 5/3/1, there are a whole bunch of accessory exercises you can choose from to battle boredom, and those will be your "do whatever you want" parts. However, I would suggest being strict with the programming for the main lifts.

juliewatkin

Thanks for all the responses. I expected someone to chew me out, but, I havent seen it yet. Hopefully playing with assistance exercise selection on 5-3-1 will keep me content. It seems opinion is varied, but, there is also plenty of successful people here who aren't exactly to the T.

Julie makes a good point that reading isnt the same as experience, but, it's still more than just doing whatever for no rhyme or reason. I still see where she is coming from though. The plan I have floating around is to finish cutting on 5-3-1 because I'm slightly worried about reducing intensity while in a deficit. After that I want to try a higher volume, lower intensity program. Why? I've seen better mass gains just a few years back when doing higher rep work with higher volume. That seems like a good enough reason to try it. Maybe 3 weeks of volume buildup followed by a week of high intensity. Point being, I can;t figure out what works through experience unless I go out and experience it. I wont jump ship every month, but, I'm going to switch programs more regularly and find what works through trial and error. Goal? More hypertrophy to accompany my strength gains and more upper body hypertrophy specifically.

Pretty much what I mean with less words Experiment a bit. See what works for you. I've tried a bunch of stuff and I still have to make changes.

mustgetmuscles1

I think the 5/3/1 is a great program for what you are talking about. Of course it is usually taboo to change his program and admit it but just the basic program is really a great bread and butter strength program. The accessories you do can compliment it or go towards a different goal.

Wendler even designs different programs for it and you might find one you dont need to change much at all.

Like one for body building.
http://www.jimwendler.com/2012/09/531-and-bodybuilding/

I dont have his newest book yet but Im sure there are more options in there as well.

astronomicals

Thanks for the link. I havent visited his website. I'll do some reading there before I start the program.

I dont plan on changing the fundamentals of 5-3-1... I was suggesting I may completely abandon the program (or any program I'm doing) every once in a while just for a day of mixing things up. Thats not modification, its a break.

Regarding modification of 5-3-1, he says to adhere to your accessories for at least one cycle before changing them. He goes on to say that if you arent doing the accessory for a good reason then it's a waste of time. He's not firm on what the accessories should be, just that they should aid the main lift and not hinder recovery from the main lift. So, according to the book, I could change all my accessories every month. In reality, I'll probably find that I feel some are working great and that others need replacement to aid in forward progress.

Anyone who thinks you have to pick one of the 6 suggested accessory routines, hasn't read the book. However, if you don't know what to do to aid your lifts, they seem like a pretty solid starting point.

DopeItUp

I adhere to my program at least 95% of the time. I used to do whatever I felt, and pretty much always bounced between doing too much and hurting myself, and doing too little and not making any progress. Once I settled down and followed a program word-for-word suddenly everything started going smoothly. Maybe once I have 5 years under the bar or something like that I will be better prepared to make my own program but as a relative newbie a strict plan has worked well for me.

RECowgill

I've been lfting for 1 year, I have a program and I break it just as often as I stick to it. My progress doesn't seem to suffer doing this, just showing up and working hard seems to have as much value as sticking to the routine.

What gives progress I've noticed is putting in hard work, eating well and getting lots of sleep. No surprise right?

CoachDreesTraining

I think it's fine to listen to your body. As a beginner I would recommend staying pretty strict with your routine, but as you progress, I think it's fine to play around a little bit. I think most immediate/experts lifters stay pretty strict on their main movements of the day, and adjust their accessory work to how they feel. Understand though, they probably have 5-30 years of training experience under their belt, so they have a very good idea of what works, and what doesn't work for them.

I personal see better results using a structured program that I have designed in advanced, instead of just doing what feels good that day. I think my own knowledge and intuition gets in the way of hard work sometimes, and if I have something written down I force myself to do it.

Whatever works for you. I know a few guys in my gym that have a structured program 4 days a week, then on their "off day" they come in and do some strong man stuff, or whatever they decide on that day.

Vonwarr

I'd say it depends on your experience level, as other posters have mentioned.

What is your total like? Check out http://www.strstd.com/

If you have tested 1RM lifts that are in the high intermediate to advanced category then you probably have enough experience to make your own program. If you're still in the beginner range, you will probably benefit from sticking to a more structured program.

Edit: You can also do some ****ing around during a deload week. That's when I try new lifts or training techniques. If it works well, I incorporate into my next cycle.

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mustgetmuscles1

I think the 5/3/1 is a great program for what you are talking about. Of course it is usually taboo to change his program and admit it but just the basic program is really a great bread and butter strength program. The accessories you do can compliment it or go towards a different goal.

Wendler even designs different programs for it and you might find one you dont need to change much at all.

Like one for body building.
http://www.jimwendler.com/2012/09/531-and-bodybuilding/

I dont have his newest book yet but Im sure there are more options in there as well.

The new book blew my mind. He stuck to the basic tenants of the first book, but all the accessories lifts are just all over the map. Basically, do what ever you feel like doing. If it's OHP day, and after your main lift, you feel like squatting, then f-ing squat. I mean, he pretty much says stuff along those lines. So, there is still emphasis on the main lifts, the whole book was mostly about the accessory lifts, along with ideas to shake up the main lifts also. Like, different patterns, instead of the traditional 5/3/1, to really pick up your game.

I really need to get it. I have been pretty happy just sticking to the program I have been doing for a year now.

I read an article about "F**karounditis" awhile back and it made a lot of sense. Guys constantly jumping from one program to the next and not really making much progress. I figured I was not really qualified to make a program of my own other than small tweaks to proven programs. Found the 5/3/1 program which seemed to incorporate everything I was looking for in a structured program with a bit of flexibility on the accessories lifts.

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astronomicals

Thanks Jerry... I must have read a previous version.. I'll have to get the newer one.

TX_Mike

I do what I want. I have a basic idea of what I want to get done on a particular day but I'll let how my body feels be the guide on how many sets, reps, and total exercises I'll do that day.

Agreed. I have my plan of what body groups I'll target during a workout but time and availability of gym equipment dictate what I exercises I choose. Most days I only have my lunch hour to get the workout done so I don't have time to waste. Depending how I feel, I'll decide set/reps/weights.