Starting Strength or 5/3/1

FitFitzy331 · October 2014

A little background on my lifting: I've been lifting on and off over the past 4 years, it started out with the idea that i should never lift less than 12 reps of a weight but progressively moving up if it got to 15reps and wasn't too strenuous. That mindset has changed, I aim to lift 10reps, if I can do 12 then I up the weight. I've had a trainer for a bit to make sure I have proper form for squats, deadlifts, bench press. Throughout this time I've been doing my own program of lifting 4 days a week.

Estimated 1RM (from Jefit) Bench: 84lbs, Squat: 182lbs, Deadlift: 189lbs

I feel like I'm sort of plateauing on some of my lifts so I started looking into 5/3/1 which sounded like the place to go when you plateau but I just recently read something that said if you haven't been on "a proper strength program" before, then go to Starting Strengths first. Since my current one is self created I wasn't sure if it counts as "a proper strength program."

Based on my stats and info above, and being 28 years old, 5'4" about 138lbs, does 5/3/1 sound like an appropriate program or should I really be going to Starting Strengths first?

Opinions with reasoning would be nice, I already bought Beyond 5/3/1 so I am mentally leaning in that direction, but I'm not against getting SS if that's really where I should be right now.

explosivedonut · October 2014

How comfortable are you with your form? If the answer is "very" then I would go with either 5/3/1 or stronglifts 5x5. If you aren't super comfortable, do Starting Strength.

yopeeps025 · October 2014

I am starting 5/3/1 again next week.

jmc0806 · October 2014

I'd go with Stronglifts 5x5 but I'm bias, I've been doing it a little over 3 months and have seen a huge difference

SXMEnrico · October 2014

I am not familiar with 5/3/1 but I have done 2-8 week programs of SS. I started by reading the book to understand where Mark Rippetoe was coming from. It explains the mechanics of the various lifts (DL, Squat, Press, Bench, Clean) and most importantly how to avoid hurting yourself.

The beginner program has 2 workouts (A/B) which are performed on non-consecutive days. The rep count is fixed at 5 except for pull-ups and cleans which are 5x3. I personally swapped out pull-ups in favor of Pendlay rows, but I am not saying this is what you should do.

If your 1RM are around 185 then I am assuming that your 10RM is in and around 135. If you want to do Starting Strength, I recommend that you work with your coach to work yourself up to 5RM before you start. It might take you a week, but it is a shock to the body and nervous system to go from 10RM to 5RM overnight. Once you're conditioned for 5RM on all your lifts, then you can start the program. That's just how I would do it.

There's different techniques that you have to apply if you fail to make your reps. I'd research that and come up with a plan for when you fail, because you will.

odddrums · October 2014

How comfortable are you with your form? If the answer is "very" then I would go with either 5/3/1 or stronglifts 5x5. If you aren't super comfortable, do Starting Strength.

Exactly this! Get comfortable with your form then move to a more strenuous program.

FitFitzy331 · October 2014

How comfortable are you with your form? If the answer is "very" then I would go with either 5/3/1 or stronglifts 5x5. If you aren't super comfortable, do Starting Strength.

To answer this, I am very comfortable with my form, I've been with my trainer once a week for the last 3 months and she's tweaked a few things but for the last month or so she hasn't corrected anything and when I do the work outs on my own I am confident in how I am performing.

I actually forgot about Stronglifts so I may look into that as well. I am on my last couple weeks with my trainer so I was hoping to find a program to begin in late October.

If your 1RM are around 185 then I am assuming that your 10RM is in and around 135. If you want to do Starting Strength, I recommend that you work with your coach to work yourself up to 5RM before you start. It might take you a week, but it is a shock to the body and nervous system to go from 10RM to 5RM overnight. Once you're conditioned for 5RM on all your lifts, then you can start the program. That's just how I would do it.

Thanks for the tip! I'll speak to my trainer about this for next week (already saw her this week) and see how I do before deciding on a specific program!

cwolfman13 · October 2014

While 5/3/1 can be done by a by a beginner, it is really geared more towards an intermediate to advanced lifter. Your progressions are going to be much faster with Starting Strength or StrongLifts...you're really looking at daily and weekly progressions with those programs. 5/3/1 is really designed for when you get to that point where you can't make those linear progressions anymore and you start taking more of a monthly (and beyond) approach to your training. 5/3/1 is also more volume and most of the templates include assistance work which could interfere with recovery for a beginner.

Ultimately, it's really up to you and how quickly or slowly you're willing to progress. Starting Strength and Strong Lifts are both outstanding beginner strength programs. 5/3/1 is in my estimation one of the best intermediate strength/power lifting programs out there.

Keep in mind also that if you've been working in a higher rep range with moderate weight, a down shift to less reps and heavier weight can and will be very taxing on your CNS.

rick_po · October 2014

You could always start with one of the beginner programs (if your gym doesn't have bumper plates, do Stronglifts instead of Starting Strength), just to get more accustomed to working in the lower rep ranges. Start at your 10RM instead of empty bars and ramp up until you stall. Then you can shift into an intermediate program, like 5/3/1.

You will be working with considerably more weight, so be vigilant about your form.

Starting Strength or 5/3/1

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