6 cycles of 531 & only a slightly better 1RM on bench?

[bflare]

Hi,

I did a few cycles of 5/3/1 a few years ago. If memory serves, the only thing I got out of it was a modest increase in my Bench Press, and in the Deadlift.

IMHO, 5/3/1 is a bit low on significant volume. The additional sets of the BBB version are done at a percentage that is not really high enough. Also, I personally found the weights in the recovery week too low.
to make it work, I woudl have needed to make some adjustments; I suppose that's the case for any program. If you want to stick with it, you might want to add some judicious changes and see what they give.

Hope this helps,

IPB

Thanks for this. From the replies it appears that the volume could do with looking at. I am thinking of adding FSL. What do you think? I previously reached 77.5kg x2 using Nsuns 531 which is a lot more volume. I think its about 22 sets per week. Maybe I could give that a shot again?

[Erik Y]

That's just an incorrect statement.

Maybe. It’s just been my impression that the usual advice is to push intensity first before pushing volume and to maintain weight rather than cut in early intermediate programming. Again, like I said in my accidentally-posted unedited (but maybe more accurate) first post, not a coach, might have the wrong idea. Just a guy on the forum trying to help.

What would you suggest? I am doing 5/3/1 BBB so I am doing a total of 8 sets of bench a week. At the start I was doing joker sets after my 5/3/1 then the 5x10BBB on another day after my OHP 5/3/1 sets. However, I read that it is not advisable to do joker's together with BBB but thinking back I was hitting the weight I am hitting now (67.5kg) for 3 reps after my main 5/3/1 set & I think I hit 70kg for 2. Maybe it would be a good idea to put the joker sets back in although if I am struggling to hit 67.5kg for 3 I doubt I will be hitting any good jokers now the weight is heavier.

Or maybe a better option would be FSL just to get more volume in?

Either of those could work, or anything in between, but you might want to consider something different entirely. A lot of people have had success with 8/5/2, TM four-day-split, etc., and it’s easy to add some assistance work if you need it.

Honestly, at a certain point, if strength is the adaptation you want - that is, more weight on the bar - you’re going to have to put more weight on the bar to get there. I don’t think 150-ish is going to do it for long, regardless of what you do programming-wise. Faster weight-gain - sure you might not want forty pounds back on in a flash, but if you gain a pound a week, you don’t have to stay on the same program and diet for forty weeks - coupled with a program that forces you to put more weight on the bar every few days or every week or so starts a virtuous cycle.

My own experience is that weight gain close to maintenance never worked for me once the weight started getting heavy. When I did take the plunge and gain weight - not a ton, just twenty-something pounds, and I’m 5’11” - I got fatter for a bit, but then my waist gradually came in. Just my two cents.