5/3/1 Novice Question

[MAD9692]

Why would you throw in a metcom if the kid is a novice?
For a 4 day split that gets you out of the gym in less than an hour I think the following would work best on its own:

Mon: Squat/press
Tues: PC/chins

Thursday: Squat/Bench
Fri: Deads/Pullups

[Paul Sousa]

Wednesday would be a rest day, and Tuesday would just be Power Cleans (not that they aren't hard, but it would be low volume for a day). I'll try it out and see how it goes. If he feels like any one day is too hard I can reassess the order.

Thanks guys!

[Paul Sousa]

Why would you throw in a metcom if the kid is a novice?
For a 4 day split that gets you out of the gym in less than an hour I think the following would work best on its own:

Mon: Squat/press
Tues: PC/chins

Thursday: Squat/Bench
Fri: Deads/Pullups

Hmm, this one looks good too. I'll have to think about it a bit. Keep throwing out suggestions, the more thoughts and ideas the better!

[MAD9692]

I don't see why he would need any metcons if he is that light and doesnt have any prior training experience. Let's say you get him up to 180lbs he shouldnt see that much- if any body fat, he'll feel great that lifting "works" and that he got big and strong. Once he gets to a reasonable BW and he realizes that he's into lifting - then you can introduce a once/week metcon. This strategy will probably work best all around.
My 2 cents - good luck.

[scotts]

Wendler provides a three day version of 5/3/1. Do that and let your friend squat 3x a week.


.........MON..........WED...........FRI
Week 1...Press 3x5....Dead 3x5......Bench 3x5
Week 2...Squat 3x5....Press 3x3.....Dead 3x3
Week 3...Bench 3x3....Squat 3x3.....Press 5/3/1
Week 4...Dead 5/3/1...Bench 5/3/1...Squat 5/3/1
Deload...Press/Dead...Bench.........Squat

A better option is that instead of quitting SS to do 5/3/1 (I looked in your training log), you simply deload and start SS over with your friend. I'm guessing this isn't going to happen - but that doesn't mean it shouldn't. You have more linear progression in you and certainly shouldn't be doing what is essentially an advanced powerlifting routine.

[kittenSmash]

I'm with MAD on this one, a 145lb novice shouldn't do metcon. Your first 4 day split looked good if he doesn't want to do SS.

[Paul Sousa]

A better option is that instead of quitting SS to do 5/3/1 (I looked in your training log), you simply deload and start SS over with your friend. I'm guessing this isn't going to happen - but that doesn't mean it shouldn't. You have more linear progression in you and certainly shouldn't be doing what is essentially an advanced powerlifting routine.

Is 5/3/1 really only an advanced powerlifting program though? From what I've read it seems like Wendler came up with it after he stopped lifting competitively and wanted to become more well rounded of an athlete. He recommends doing a couple conditioning workouts each week on top of the program (I'd be playing sports instead). I know I could progress faster strength wise on SS, but my personal reason for doing 5/3/1 is because I realized I don't want to give up sports. I love competing too much. I honestly know that if I stayed with SS I couldn't play sports as well.

[MAD9692]

How does 5/3/1 work? Is it a 3 or 4 day plan?

[Paul Sousa]

It can actually be either. In the book Wendler gives a bunch of options on ways to implement it. The basics though are that it is a 4 week cycle based around sets of 5, 3 and 1 reps. You also calculate your percentages from 90% of your one rep max. Sounds complicated, but it really isn't I'll try to outline what I am doing.

Schedule: Monday/Press, Tuesday/Deadlift, Thursday/Bench, Friday/Squat (plus two accessory lifts each day)

Week 1: 5 reps at 65%, 5 reps at 75%, 5+ (max) reps at 85%

Week 2: 3 reps at 70%, 3 reps at 80% 3+ (max) reps at 90%

Week 3: 5 reps at 75%, 3 reps at 85%, 1+ (max) reps at 95%

Week 4 (deload): 5 reps at 40%, 5 reps at 50%, 5 reps at 60%

You then can start a new cycle, but you increase the base number for you calculations by 5 lbs. on bench a press and 10 lbs. on squat and DL.

Here's the article that got me to try it: http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a..._pure_strength

[scotts]

Is 5/3/1 really only an advanced powerlifting program though? From what I've read it seems like Wendler came up with it after he stopped lifting competitively and wanted to become more well rounded of an athlete.

Well-rounded is relative. Wendler sqauted 1,000 pounds, lost a ton of weight, and then developed 5/3/1 to get his squat and pull over 600 and bench above 405. 5/3/1 has you squatting, benching, and pressing once a week, doing different rep schemes each week, incrementing 10 or 5 pounds every THREE weeks, and uses a built-in deload every fourth week. Surely you understand that all this stuff is designed around advanced lifters. Advanced lifters can lift weights heavy enough that it takes a week or more to recover; novices can't. Advanced lifters are so strong that they can hope to add 10 pounds to their squat in THREE weeks; novices can add 15 pounds to their squat in ONE week. Advanced lifters need programmed deloads; novices don't.

I know I could progress faster strength wise on SS, but my personal reason for doing 5/3/1 is because I realized I don't want to give up sports. I love competing too much. I honestly know that if I stayed with SS I couldn't play sports as well.

It's none of my business what you do or what your reasons are for doing it, so I'm not preaching here. But since you're posting here, asking advice on how to customizing an advanced program to a novice, then I'll tell you simply: putting a novice on 5/3/1 instead of a program designed for novices (like SS) is asinine, and doing it just because it is more convenient for you is kind of a shitty thing to do. Not trying to be a dick, but that's the plain truth.