What do you mean by twice a week? I was thinking that if I squatted once a week, lighter one week, heavier the next, that would be enough of that. I was doing squats 2x a week before.
I feel like a broken record on this subject, but 5-3-1 is a great routine for us older folk. Like you, I try to balance my other MA interests with lifting (mega-hiking and climbing in your own case) and have found that the twice a week routine works quite well for me. Also like you, I like having the opportunity to feel strength on the mat. A 5-3-1 routine done twice a week has you lifting in 6 rather than 4 week cycles with 2 heavy weeks coming at you in 2 of those 6 weeks. So every 4 weeks you go heavy. Unlike you, I am trying to be a competitive and excel in my other MA interest.
As for more information, just be patient a while longer. Andy Baker et. al. are working on a book for us Senior SSr'smand our programming. In the interim, I'd go with 5-3-1 twice a week.
What do you mean by twice a week? I was thinking that if I squatted once a week, lighter one week, heavier the next, that would be enough of that. I was doing squats 2x a week before.
Day 1 Squat, Bench (plus assistance exercises if you wish)
Day 2 Deadlift, Press (plus assistance exercises if you wish)
Week 1, top set of 5's, Week 2, top set of 3's, Week 3, top set of singles.
I do, and it works well for me.
At 40 soon-to-be 41, I am a relative young one and have been running 531 for 21 cycles (84 weeks). I run it with more volume on my press and squats -- twice a week, sets across vs. AMRAP and No deload, just repeat week 1 in the cycle my 4th week and have found it to be a great long term programming choice.
It is very easy to tweak based on what your lifts are doing and I have found that stalls can usually be addressed via volume. I am a big fan.
That said, I am a boring guy. I like to know what I am doing every day in the gym, don't like to change programming and am ok with only adding 60 pounds per year to my lifts. It has gotten me to an over 500 pound dead lift and over 400 pound squat. So I will just keep running it as long as I can.
Last edited by crookedfinger; 09-28-2015 at 12:43 PM.
Yes, this is my understanding. My intention is to increase my lifts as long as I can. I recognized that the time for strength increases are limited at my age and I need to get as strong as possible before the impending cliff arrives. I have time to accept slow and steady progress while staving off injury, but not enough time to be foolhardy and stupid with my programming.