Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results

Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for

Extraordinary Results

By Jim Wendler

Before you embark on any physical fitness program including one that involves

lifting heavy weights in your hands, on your back and over your head, please

consult a doctor. You may want to get a doctor to examine your head

because this is some pretty stupid stuf that we do with barbells.

This book may not be reproduced or recorded in any form without permission

from the author.

Copyright 2013 by Jim Wendler

Edited by Laura Koss

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Table of Contents

5/3/1 Principles – 4

5/3/1 and the Fatherland – 26

Importance of the Training Max – 6

24 Boring But Big, 2

6 Week Training Cycles –

Days/Week – 24

7 The Warm Up – 10

Boring But Big, Rule of 50 –

25

5/3/1 Variations – 11

5/3/1 SVR – 30

5/3/1 Pyramid –

The Rule of 10 –

12 First Set Last –

30 Joker Sets – 31

12

First Set Last, Multiple Sets –

Joker Supersets – 34

13 First Set Last, Rest Pause –

Beyond 5/3/1, Training Maximally –

13

35 Full Body Training - 43

First Set Last, Pause Squats and

Full Body, Power Clean – 44

Benches –

14

Full Body, Power Clean 2 –

5/3/1 Strength Phase – 15

45 Full Body, Full Boring –

5/3/1 and Dynamic Work –

46 Spinal Tap Training –

16 Boring But Big – 17

46 Spinal Tap Training, 2 –

Boring But Big, Variation 1 -

48

19 Boring But Big, Variation

5’s Progression (Beginner/Advanced) –

50

2 – 20

More on the Deload –

Boring But Big, 6 Week Challenge

51 Full Body Deload –

– 21 Boring But Big, 5x5 – 21

52

Boring But Big, 5x3 –

High Intensity Deload – 53

22 Boring But Big,

28 Weeks of Training –

5x1 – 22

53 Advanced 5/3/1 – 55

Boring But Big, 13 Week Challenge –

2 Day/Week Training – 59

Phase - 65

Hypertrophy Phase – 62 Strength

Assistance Work – 67

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Table of Contents (continued)

2 Day/Week, New Template –

Prowler Challenge – 106

70 S.S.S., Singles, Speed, Size

100 Rep Challenge – 113

– 71

5/3/1 Rest Pause Challenge – 118

12 Week S.S.S. Program –

5/3/1 Frequency Project – 123

74 Volume Work, 75/85 –

5/3/1 Frequency Project –

75

128 The Big Question – 129

5/3/1 Challenges – 80

Final - 131

Boing But Big Challenge –

82 Strength Challenge – 88

The 5/3/1 Principles: Fuck You, Pay Me

Since the original 5/3/1 book and the second edition came out, I’ve been working

to improve the 5/3/1 program. The program was originally written for selfish

reasons as I wanted a simple and easy program to follow, a program that held true

to the principles in which I believed and one that I wanted to actually use. I

question whether the many programs and training ideas written by “authorities”

have even been used, either by themselves or anyone else, programs that exist

simply to waste paper, space and time. When you have your own training, body

and strength on the line, you tend to give a lot more effort, time and care into

designing a program. I’m sure that at some point I will be

forced to use test subjects for my research but until then, I will burn this body until I

cannot

stand.

The changes and tweaks in this book represent years of training, research,

injuries and mistakes. Hell, there is even a new program – Beyond 5/3/1. When

I first wrote the original program in 2008, I had no idea that I would be able to

expand the program into what it is today. After 25+ years of training and writing

programs, I still have that youthful desire to create something new, unique and

amazing. When you lose that, you lose life.

The principles of the 5/3/1 program kept me grounded and I made sure that every

variation stayed true to them: emphasize big, multi-joint movements, start light,

progress slow and set personal records. Using big movements such as the squat,

bench press, deadlift and press is nothing revolutionary in the quest for strength. It has

been done since the barbell came into existence.

Setting a personal record (PR) is somewhat unique as not every training program

makes it a priority. Plenty of training programs achieve success without setting a PR,

but personally, I love going into the weight room with a goal to shoot for. I love

the challenge, to push myself. I love leaving the weight room feeling stronger than

when I entered.

There is a downside: You will not set PR’s every time. Understand that PR’s aren’t

given to you; they are earned through work, struggle and sacrifice. Often, those

who become depressed and discouraged after a bad workout are beginners and young

lifters who don’t yet realize that greatness doesn’t always show up. There will be

bad days –
really
bad days.

But that’s what makes the PR’s so special. So the next time you have a bad workout,

embrace it, remember it and do whatever you have to do to make your next workout

better than the last one. Let me give you a tip – moping around like a sad puppy dog

isn’t going to help you. Change your attitude. Attitude is the one thing you have

total control over and

the minute you let doubt, depression or martyrdom creep in, you set yourself up for a

long

life of mediocrity.

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I receive thousands of questions about training templates, assistance work and “form

videos” all hoping that there is a reason for their lack of PR’s, lack of progress or

simply looking for the magic formula for getting stronger. Yes, if you are

squatting with the barbell on your forehead, you will have to make a change. But

the factors that no one even

considers are Will and Desire. These two things can force a square peg to fit into

a round hole. The world is filled with millions of examples of people doing

extraordinary things with Will and Desire. Why not you? I see so many people

settling for mediocrity simply because they think successful people have some kind

of advantage. Sure, you may have been dealt a tougher hand in life. Make it

happen. This reminds me of a quote from the movie “Goodfellas:”

“Now the guy's got Paulie as a partner. Any problems, he goes to Paulie. Trouble with the

bill? He can go to Paulie. Trouble with the cops, deliveries, Tommy, he can call Paulie.

But now the guy's gotta come up with Paulie's money every week, no matter what.

Business bad? "Fuck you, pay me." Oh, you had a fire? "Fuck you, pay me." Place got hit

by lightning, huh? "Fuck you, pay me.”

If you want something to happen, have the Will and Desire to do the necessary work

and the attitude to go along with it. Excuses are nothing more than you showing

the world you have given up. You get what you expect and you get what you

deserve. Embrace that in your life and watch what happens.

The Importance of the Training Max

The last two principles of the 5/3/1 program, start light/progress slow, are based

on the idea of the Training Max (TM), which is the most unique part of the

program. Although it has been bastardized and criticized, the training max is as

essential and important to training for strength as squatting and pressing are.

The training max is a representation of 85-90% of your weight room max – not

your competition max. This is the number on which all of your percentages of the

5/3/1 program are based. Now everyone wants a way to cheat the system, to

use their real max for their percentages, or to increase their training max at a

faster rate believing that this will somehow make them stronger. Let me tell you a

little secret: it won’t. It will catch up to you quicker than that nude photo you

texted to the “love of your life”.

The training max exists to allow for the ebb and flow of life and training. By

using 85-90% of your weight room max, you allow for a window that still keeps you

accountable for your training while allowing some room for the inevitable bad day.

Essentially, the TM is a number you can hit on any day in the weight room after a

warm-up. You can go into the

workout knowing that you will hit your numbers regardless of the situation.

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Most of the ebb and flow of training is related to stress in your life. While you can

sometimes funnel life’s stress into your training in a positive way, it will inevitably

catch up to your performance. Your boss is a thoughtless asshole/bitch and rides

you incessantly because he/she haven’t been laid in months? Your squat workout just

went in the shitter. You just found out your wife racked up $20,000 in credit

card debt this year? Good luck on that press workout.

On the other hand, there are days when the weights feel a hundred pounds

lighter. The bar

is screaming off your back at the top of each squat rep. Your speed and form are

dead on.

Luckily, the 5/3/1 training program has enough flexibility to cover each of these areas

and to keep you progressing forward. On a bad day, do the workout, try your

best for a PR and move on. Come back to fight another day, this time with more

fire.

On a great day, you now have two options: you can push the last set for a