Jim Wendler's 5 year plan
chrisdavey
Posts: 9,834 Member
Jim Wendler’s 5 year plan
1. Your program will be based on 4 exercises: squat, bench press, deadlift and the press.
2. You will train in the weight room 2-4 days/week.
3. You will do some kind of “hard” conditioning 3 days/week. This consists of pushing the Prowler, running hills, running stadium steps or pushing a car. If it looks hard and awesome, do it. If your mom can do it, put it aside until you go through menopause.
4. You can do any kind of assistance work that you want provided that you do chin-ups/pull-ups and either barbell or dumbbell rows.
5. If you are fat and out of shape, you must do some kind of conditioning every day. If I were fat and out of shape, I’d be pushing a Prowler every day to combat the adipose.
6. You will not program jump and hop on the latest trend – your program should be flexible enough to adjust/tweak to include new ideas while maintaining the core principles and integrity of the program.
7. Diet –If you need to lose fat: eat good food, less crap and eat “right” 90% of the time. If you need to gain weight: eat more food. This is not a hard concept.
8. Your body is not different than anyone else but your attitude can be.
9. You will not be impatient; the grind is where character is made. Focus on what you have to do TODAY to make tomorrow better. This is a lifelong project.
10. Whenever you lose focus, consult this list to clear your head and get you back on track. And when in doubt, squat and run hills.
1. Your program will be based on 4 exercises: squat, bench press, deadlift and the press.
2. You will train in the weight room 2-4 days/week.
3. You will do some kind of “hard” conditioning 3 days/week. This consists of pushing the Prowler, running hills, running stadium steps or pushing a car. If it looks hard and awesome, do it. If your mom can do it, put it aside until you go through menopause.
4. You can do any kind of assistance work that you want provided that you do chin-ups/pull-ups and either barbell or dumbbell rows.
5. If you are fat and out of shape, you must do some kind of conditioning every day. If I were fat and out of shape, I’d be pushing a Prowler every day to combat the adipose.
6. You will not program jump and hop on the latest trend – your program should be flexible enough to adjust/tweak to include new ideas while maintaining the core principles and integrity of the program.
7. Diet –If you need to lose fat: eat good food, less crap and eat “right” 90% of the time. If you need to gain weight: eat more food. This is not a hard concept.
8. Your body is not different than anyone else but your attitude can be.
9. You will not be impatient; the grind is where character is made. Focus on what you have to do TODAY to make tomorrow better. This is a lifelong project.
10. Whenever you lose focus, consult this list to clear your head and get you back on track. And when in doubt, squat and run hills.
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Replies
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Are you starting this?0
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Love this! And I love integrating things into his 5/3/1 program like barbell complexes or sprints. He's onto something
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Stock standard...0
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I intend to live longer than 5 years.Jim Wendler’s 5 year plan
This is a lifelong project.
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Are you starting this?
I already do pretty much all of that stuff Just a FYI hehe
Keola is on 5/3/1 now though and loving it.0 -
I've been getting more and more interest in Wendler the more I understand it (I know, I'm behind the curve...people have been raving and praising him for a while now...)0
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Good stuff here!0
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Great plan! It seems to have a lot in common with Stronglifts/Starting Strength.
What would you say are the main differences?0 -
If I had kids, their mom would be able to push a car. I call shenanigans.0
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Great plan! It seems to have a lot in common with Stronglifts/Starting Strength.
What would you say are the main differences?
5/3/1 is a more intermediate program, and a great place to go once you have milked your gains from SS or SL. It's done as a 4 day split, each day targetting one of the main lifts (Squat, Bench, DL, OHP) + assistance work. Instead of a flat 3x5 or 5x5, the work sets vary depending on the week. The first week is sets of 5. Second week is sets of 3. And third week is 5 reps, then 3 reps, then 1 rep (5/3/1). Forth week is deload. Then it repeats, with 10 lbs added to the training max of the lower body lifts and 5 lbs added to the upper body.
Once you've stalled out and reset a few times in SS or SL, check out the 5/3/1 ebook. There's a lot greater detail in there, and I've left out quite bit of the finer points. It's fairly "complex" as far as setting working out your training max and setting up the training schedule, but not "complicated"... if that makes any sense. And once you've got it all entered into a spreadsheet, you're good to go.
I've made great gains doing 5/3/1. On my 12th month now, and I have no intention of moving away from it, as I am still reaping the benefits.0 -
If I had kids, their mom would be able to push a car. I call shenanigans.
Yeah, there's a fair bit of sexism the comes out of Wendler's mouth, unfortunately. Makes it a tough sell to women IMO.0 -
thanks for explaining Taso 0
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I prefer 5/3/1 to SS as a beginner. Instead of having to hit 3x5, you just have to hit the prescribed and then hopefully go over a bit. I found missing reps on SS to be very demotivating.0
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I think the 1's week in a few cycles is possibly too heavy for most beginners.
People just need to realise on SS that eventually you won't make the reps. If linear progression worked forever with no deloads we'd all be totalling 1000kg in no time 0 -
Good read! Thanks for sharing, CD.0
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<---- Also doing 5/3/1 and it's working well and I'm loving it.
I'd still not suggest it for a beginner as I think linear progression can take you further, faster, when starting out.0 -
bump0
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I wish I knew when I started lifting what I know now. I don't care if you start with StrongLifts or 5/3/1 or hell if you get ballsy and try to run sheiko or something outta westside.
Consistency, more than anything else, matters. None of the greats got to where they did by slacking off. Push yourself and results will come eventually.0 -
If I had kids, their mom would be able to push a car. I call shenanigans.
Yeah, there's a fair bit of sexism the comes out of Wendler's mouth, unfortunately. Makes it a tough sell to women IMO.
For the record, Mehdi of StrongLifts is no better ... maybe worse. I wonder why so many women are uncomfortable lifting?
In any case, I'm doing 5/3/1 and really enjoying it. Easy to stick to, and leaves some room for fun with the accessory work.0 -
Bump since I"m starting to stall consistently with SL0
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<---- Also doing 5/3/1 and it's working well and I'm loving it.
I'd still not suggest it for a beginner as I think linear progression can take you further, faster, when starting out.
Tell me what you think about how I see 5/3/1......
Because a beginner is doing it, it IS linear progression, just the rep amounts change every week. For example if I use wendler's method for calculating my 1RM, and week 1 I get 5 reps, well week 2 I should only be able to get 3..... but somehow instead I get 5, then on week 3 instead of only getting 1 rep I get 4. Well my body isn't getting stronger only after the third week with the deload, I got stronger each week after each session. My calculated 1RM went from say 180 to 190 to 200. So really I added 20lbs in three weeks to say my max squat, not 10lbs/month......
This is why I think 5/3/1 is so great is because you aren't working at your limits all the time like you are with starting strength(in my experience). I don't like having to do 3 sets of my 5RM and pray I can get my last rep on the last set... It's much less psychologically taxing to say, well I'll get at least 3 and then push myself for whatever I can get after, I don't feel like I've failed since I at least got the prescribed reps.0 -
Bumbeen - sounds like you are enjoying the program and you are making progress on it. That's 2 green lights. Therefore, I will say well done, and keep it up!
Something that feels better, both mentally and physically, certain trumps the standard advice.0 -
Something that feels better, both mentally and physically, certain trumps the standard advice.
I wish more people would listen to this advice. It's a marathon, not a sprint.0 -
Are you starting this?
I already do pretty much all of that stuff Just a FYI hehe
Keola is on 5/3/1 now though and loving it.
I've been doing this since July (with a little break over the holidays). I can't imagine ever quitting it.0 -
Everything works, but not forever
So if whatever program you are doing is currently working for your goals then there is no reason to switch. Program hopping is not a good thing. (which I was guilty of in my earlier days)0 -
I started 5/3/1 in January on the advice of a strongman-competitor friend of mine. My progress had stalled in the last year, and I was getting frustrated. As a 50-year-old woman, I thought maybe I'd just reached genetic potential and it was time to hang up my spurs.
I'm having good results so far on 5/3/1. I'm on Week 7, and I'm still working weights that are less than what I was using before I started. But I don't mind going slowly and building up a good base. I have a powerlifting meet in May, so the proof will be in the pudding then, so to speak. Even if I don't set any records that day, I'd still recommend the program based on its basic principles. At my age, not getting carried out of the meet on a stretcher is a win! :drinker:0 -
great to hear
And at the last meet I went to there were two ladies in their 50's there. I hope I can compete at that age some day too.0 -
great to hear
And at the last meet I went to there were two ladies in their 50's there. I hope I can compete at that age some day too.
Yeah, I'm usually the only one. There are a few gentlemen my age, but sometimes I'm the only woman of ANY age. Kind of a lonely sport, ya know?0 -
Thank you!Great plan! It seems to have a lot in common with Stronglifts/Starting Strength.
What would you say are the main differences?
5/3/1 is a more intermediate program, and a great place to go once you have milked your gains from SS or SL. It's done as a 4 day split, each day targetting one of the main lifts (Squat, Bench, DL, OHP) + assistance work. Instead of a flat 3x5 or 5x5, the work sets vary depending on the week. The first week is sets of 5. Second week is sets of 3. And third week is 5 reps, then 3 reps, then 1 rep (5/3/1). Forth week is deload. Then it repeats, with 10 lbs added to the training max of the lower body lifts and 5 lbs added to the upper body.
Once you've stalled out and reset a few times in SS or SL, check out the 5/3/1 ebook. There's a lot greater detail in there, and I've left out quite bit of the finer points. It's fairly "complex" as far as setting working out your training max and setting up the training schedule, but not "complicated"... if that makes any sense. And once you've got it all entered into a spreadsheet, you're good to go.
I've made great gains doing 5/3/1. On my 12th month now, and I have no intention of moving away from it, as I am still reaping the benefits.0 -
5/3/1/ looks very interesting; I have been reading up on this. getting
Just complete week 7 of MadCow and its getting heavy and hard and stalling is constant now. (I enjoy the heavy day challenge, light day and the high BB end of week day as these give a nice variation)
I am taking a week off training for CNS recovery and will either de-load back to 90% and work backup to my PR's; I am cutting also which make thing harder due to strength decreasing but muscle mass is constant while body fat is lowering.
But
I would like to try run 5/3/1 as it seems to be good for cutting as well however I really do enjoy Squatting 3 times per week and would have liked to incorporate this in.
Possibly may end up making my own program with the 5/3/1 template and weight increases.
Any advise on this would be appreciated.0
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