5/3/1

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Madcow or Wendler 531?

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cajuntank
cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
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Figured I'd pose the question in this group to gather some more info. I've been doing StrongLifts now for about 38 weeks and Madcow (Bill Star's 5x5 version) for the past 6+ weeks or so for squats. I'm moving my deadlifts next week to Madcow and still on 1x5 for my other core lifts probably for a few more weeks. Thinking about just running Madcow for a few months once all my lifts move over, but was wondering if any of the Wendler templates would be better suited in my situation. I've still got about 28-30 lbs to lose before I can even think about eating at a caloric surplus, so I have to be mindful of slower recovery an keeping accessory lift volume down. I noticed that he has a Full Body and a Simple Strength template that looks interesting. I am currently reading both his books, 531 (second ed.) and Beyond 531; but so far what I've read, the man does not believe in cutting back on food. So this of course poses a dilemma on my part at the moment.

Thoughts?

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  • sluggz
    sluggz Posts: 134
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    The philosophy of 5/3/1 is about getting bigger, stronger, faster... that being said, if you went light on the main lifts and kept the assistance work simple, and most importantly for your goals (as I understand them) - focus on the conditioning aspect, I think it could still work. Just understand that strength gains will be slower.
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    5/3/1 is geared towards getting stronger and faster as sluggz said. But Wendler did drop some weight by cleaning up his diet and creating this program.

    He doesn't advocate counting calories and starving yourself to be lean, but if you're significantly overweight or have a few pounds to lose, you will still benefit from this program. Just understand that the strength will come slower.

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