5-3-1 DOMS...

TR0berts

...When do they go away?

I'm in the middle of week 2 of my first cycle of 5-3-1 Boring But Big. Sweet Jeebus, my legs are killing me. I haven't suffered DOMS in months, but man, do I have them now. I get a little DOMS for upper body, but not nearly as bad as what's going on in my legs. I don't know if it's the extra volume, or if it's because I'm only doing each lift once per week, or both.

I'd rather not use naproxen sodium or ibuprofen, but I'm thinking I might have to. One other thing I'm thinking of is that maybe I need to - instead of the single lift + assistance that BBB uses - to maybe go to a 3-day per week schedule. With this schedule, I'd alternate workouts - squats & OHP one day, deadlift and bench the others. Maybe this would help alleviate DOMS, as I'd be doing each lift 2x every 4-5 days, as opposed to 1x per week. Or, while not necessarily do the BBB-3 month challenge, maybe try swapping the 5x10s so that I end up doing the lift 2x every week. This would look like: squat 5-3-1 w/ deadlift 5x10; bench 5-3-1 w/ OHP 5x10; deadlift 5-3-1 w/ squat 5x10; and OHP 5-3-1 w/ bench 5x10 - following the normal assistance lifts as usual.

Or do the DOMS tend to go away after the first cycle, in which case I'll just suck it up for the next couple of weeks?

IronPlayground

They will get better as you go along, but you will still have them. I do find that I have more soreness doing BBB than I would with Dave's Periodization or The Triumvirate. Those extra 5x10 on the compounds will really work you.

bcf7683

My legs always kill me after leg day (Friday). It usually starts late in the day Saturday and they're pretty sore until Monday night of the following week. It's usually the worst if I missed my leg workout the week before- then it's total hell... which is why I try to get leg day in even if I have to skip something else. Upper body doesn't really give me much trouble- chest is sometimes a little sore, but that's usually it. Calves are usually sore.

I'm starting a new program that does each muscle group twice/week, so I'm hoping that it will alleviate a little bit of soreness with more frequent workouts.

BeachIron

DOMS go away with time. I rarely get them anymore, though they do show up very occasionally.

TR0berts

OK, thanks.

When this cycle is over, I'll probably switch over to the Triumvirate version. I would go with Periodization Bible, but I usually work out in the morning before work, so my time is limited. Maybe on the weekends - squat and bench days - I'll do the extra PB and just go Tri for deadlift and OHP days.

JNick77

Are you really going to switch because you're getting sore?? You JUST started 5/3/1 and you're introducing your body to a NEW training stimulus, of course you're going to be sore. I guarantee that if you would've started with the Triumvirate or any other variation of 5/3/1 you would be just as sore. You just finished the 5/5/5+ week and now you're on 3/3/3+. The exercises are the same but the load is different, and the same with the 3rd week. You could be doing BBB for 3 cycles and then in the 4th cycle change around your assistance exercises and be sore from just doing that. Stick with something (especially if it fits your schedule better), hit it hard, and eat. Remember that in Wendler's book he talks about going "North of Vag", which doesn't include complaining about DOM's. LOL

BeachIron

Are you really going to switch because you're getting sore?? You JUST started 5/3/1 and you're introducing your body to a NEW training stimulus, of course you're going to be sore. I guarantee that if you would've started with the Triumvirate or any other variation of 5/3/1 you would be just as sore. You just finished the 5/5/5+ week and now you're on 3/3/3+. The exercises are the same but the load is different, and the same with the 3rd week. You could be doing BBB for 3 cycles and then in the 4th cycle change around your assistance exercises and be sore from just doing that. Stick with something (especially if it fits your schedule better), hit it hard, and eat. Remember that in Wendler's book he talks about going "North of Vag", which doesn't include complaining about DOM's. LOL

^ Good answer

0OneTwo3

wait, did i get this right: you are thinking about doing 2 of the main 5-3-1 lifts on the same day to increase frequency? Don't! -> nervous-system overkill!

JNick77

wait, did i get this right: you are thinking about doing 2 of the main 5-3-1 lifts on the same day to increase frequency? Don't! -> nervous-system overkill!

It depends. I think Jim's 2-day and 3-day full body templates have a couple 5/3/1 lifts on the same day but that's because there is considerably more rest-time involved. But the 4-day template and beyond is definitely too much.