First week of 5/3/1 a beginner's review

shor0814

I have been doing Starting Strength for a few months and I can't recommend it enough. My SS workouts started to take more and more time because I needed the rest between sets and I didn't have the time in my morning to finish. My squat form also took a dive when I hit body weight+. I started to hurt and wasn't recovering because I was leaning forward at the bottom and levering back up with my back. I was lucky and found a world class lifting coach to help me. He fixed my squat and my deadlift in a couple of hours. He also told me to start light again and record my squats and review them.

This restart caused me some problems. As I got back to my 250+ squats I started to get a feeling of nervousness and almost fear that I wouldn't be able to handle the next day's weight. I think I was telling myself that I hurt last time I tried this and that I was going to hurt again. It is funny because once I got under the weight and made the first lift I was golden for the rest. All that anxiety for nothing really. 100% mental I know.

In order to cut down on the time in the gym and build some confidence and recovery I switched to 5/3/1; since I know squats are my feared lifts I used the "More Squatting" template to get more comfortable with them. So I now squat 5 days a week and have huge amounts of confidence. I even modified the template slightly so that I was adding weight to my low rep off day squats. This gives me confidence under the bar that I can handle the extra weight on the next cycle.

After the first week, I know I made the right choice. I feel so comfortable now that today I finished my 1 rep squat and realized it was missing a 10 lb plate on one side (how come I didn't feel the imbalance this time?). I just put the plate on and did it again, after all, it was just one rep. On Monday I do my "official" squat day and I am excited to do it because I already did that much weight for 5 reps today so I can do 7-8 or more without worrying about the weight.

I also see a difference in deadlifts between the two programs, I was completely wasted after my deads today; I lost count and am not sure if i did 7 or 8. It was all I could do to unload the bar and slowly walk down the stairs to the showers. SS never had me that emptied on deadlift days.

My opinion as a beginner; do SS, give it your all, if/when you get to the end mentally or physically, switch to a 5/3/1 and read Wendler's book and apply the template that you feel best suits your needs. And read the templates carefully, I didn't read Boring But Big correctly and didn't see the 5x10 squats on squat day which would have probably ran me over on gym time. If you hate squats, do more squats, if you hate bench, do more bench press. Use the accessory lifts to gain in your main lifts.

My only criticism of 5/3/1 is that it is slower than SS, but I really can't call it a criticism because it is designed to be slower and it is probably better to call it a criticism of my inability to take it slow and steady. I am already looking forward to and calculating when I can hit 3 plates, so I need to learn to temper the enthusiasm and make sure I am ready both mentally and physically.

QueenBishOTUniverse

I switched from SS to 5/3/1 for similar reasons. It fit my schedule better, kept my daily time in the weight room down, and allowed me to give more to both my squats and my deadlifts. I 100% agree that SS is the best program for beginners, but I'm loving 5/3/1.

I'm currently doing the triumvirate with a couple modifications, I do dumbbell pec flys instead of dumbbell bench, and hip thrusts instead of leg press because I wanted more work on my glutes. I only had three days in the gym this week so I doubled up and did my deadlift and bench workouts on the same day. Unfortunately this left me doing deadlifts the day after squats. Needless to say my @ss was TOAST, but in a good way! :laugh:

DavPul

So you're squatting big weight 5x per week?

SunofaBeach14

5/3/1 isn't a beginner's program but I'm glad you've found it and it's working, though I can't imagine squating 5 days a week. I'm currently transitioning back to it after rebuilding my basic strength after an injury. The only changes I've made is that I do each of my major lifts (other than deads) twice a week, once as an accessory but at close to regular weight rather than at a higher rep weight, and I do my primary squats and deads on the same day. These may change over time.

QueenBishOTUniverse

It didn't sound to me like he's doing heavy squats each time, but I admittedly scanned a bit. I agree 5/3/1 isn't for beginners but he did say he did 5x5 for a few months.

I also transitioned after a few months. While I was new to barbell lifts in February, I wasn't new to lifting in general and already had a decent amount of strength. Doing squats every workout and deadlifts and squats on the same day started to feel like it was more limiting for each lift than building. I switched over so that I could focus more on each lift independently and build in more accessory work. So far, it seems to be working well for me.

shor0814

5/3/1 isn't a beginner's program but I'm glad you've found it and it's working, though I can't imagine squating 5 days a week. I'm currently transitioning back to it after rebuilding my basic strength after an injury. The only changes I've made is that I do each of my major lifts (other than deads) twice a week, once as an accessory but at close to regular weight rather than at a higher rep weight, and I do my primary squats and deads on the same day. These may change over time.

This is the More Squatting template

Monday Squat – 5/3/1 sets and reps
Dumbbell Bench Press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets of 10 reps
Tuesday Squat – 65%x3, 75%x3, 85%x3
Dumbbell Incline Press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Chin-ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
Wednesday Squat – 75%x3, 85%x3, 95%x1
Bench Press – 5/3/1 sets and reps
Chins/Pull-ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
Thursday Squat – 65%x3, 75%x3, 85%x3
Incline Press – 3 sets of 10-15 reps Chin-ups – 3 sets of 10 reps
Friday Squat – 75%x3, 85%x3, 95%x1
Press – 5/3/1 sets and reps
Deadlift – 5/3/1 sets and reps
Saturday/Sunday:
OFF

Wendler, Jim (2012-12-05). 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (p. 84). Jim Wendler LLC. Kindle Edition.

I messed with the Wed and Fri squats to add a bit more weight (+5lbs on each day) to get me comfortable with the bar.

And Wendler thinks 5/3/1 can be good for beginners:

Question: Is this program for advanced or beginner lifters?
Answer: I’ve used this program with both beginning and advanced lifters. Steady, slow progression will never go out of fashion, and neither will the big exercises. The trick is to teach beginners correct form at the start. For advanced lifters, the most important thing is to remember long term goals, and not basing unrealistic maxes on what you did four years ago.

Wendler, Jim (2012-12-05). 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength (p. 107). Jim Wendler LLC. Kindle Edition.

SunofaBeach14

If it's working for you, then it's working for you. I'm certainly not one to talk when it comes to using what I find works and rejecting things I don't like. Wendler would probably throw **** (though, with as many combinations as he's put together over the last few years, who knows), but finding the combination of things that gets us stronger than where we were yesterday is as much art as anything else. If I had the luxury of a coach, I'd have one, but instead I stumble along reading everything I can and pouring over my own data. Good luck

DavPul

*reads OP's routine*

*pours out a lil liquor for the OP's hip flexors*

smarieallen85

I'm not doing any of these programs. I'm just doing what I'm doing and now feel anxious I should be following one of these things.

shor0814

*reads OP's routine*

*pours out a lil liquor for the OP's hip flexors*

Hey now, come on, it isn't that bad.....yet. I actually do Pilates once a week to help with the hips and shoulders because they are still tight.

I have always believed that if you are weak at something, do more of it until you are no longer weak at it. I assume I was a weak eater when I was young because I certainly got good at it.

The nice thing about 5/3/1 is there are a lot of templates to choose from and tweak so you can easily stop doing what isn't working.

DavPul

I'm not doing any of these programs. I'm just doing what I'm doing and now feel anxious I should be following one of these things.

Well, that sort of depends on 1) what you're doing now and 2) what your goals are

DavPul

I have always believed that if you are weak at something, do more of it until you are no longer weak at it. I assume I was a weak eater when I was young because I certainly got good at it.

When it comes to getting better form or acquiring a skill, practice practice practice. When it comes to actually being physically weak, the body grows stronger during the periods of rest. Leave out the rest and you're hindering your long term progress.