Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results (2 page)

new PR, or, take advantage of your strength and do Joker sets after setting a

PR. Both are what I like to call Programmable Auto-Regulation, a set way of

taking advantage of the strength you have that day. If you have been doing the

5/3/1 program for any amount of time, you should know that pushing the last set

for a new PR, is the money set. Joker sets are a unique twist on working up

during a workout when you feel great.

A word of advice: Train like hell to keep your training max 90% of your weight room

max. Yes, your TM goes up after each cycle and eventually you will not be

able to hit the required reps and have to reset. However, train, eat and sleep with

the idea and goal that your training max will remain 90%. This requires a lot of

work, but your efforts will be

rewarded.

6--‐Week Training Cycles – New 5/3/1 Training

Over the past couple of years, I have come up with a great way to plan your 5/3/1

training cycles and keep your training, mind and body on track. Even if you aren’t a

competitive lifter, the 6-week cycles will help to keep you focused, allowing you to

have fun and try new things without committing too much time.

6-week training cycles consist of two 5/3/1 training cycles done back-to-back without a

deload. After the first 3 weeks, you MUST increase your training maxes as usual.

Please read that again to make sure it sinks in. After the first three weeks, add 5

pounds to your upper body lifts and 10 pounds to your lower body lifts.

Obviously, after the 6-week training cycle and the deload, you wil increase your TM

again. To illustrate this, here is the exact training cycle:

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6 Week Training Cycle

Week 1

3x5

Week 2

3x3

Week 3

5/3/1

Increase TM

Week 5

3x5

Week 6

3x3

Week 6

5/3/1

6 Week Training Cycle, 3/5/1

Week 1

3x3

Week 2

3x5

Week 3

5/3/1

Increase TM

Week 5

3x3

Week 6

3x5

Week 6

5/3/1

After the sixth week, take a deload week, increase your training maxes and start all

over again. The 6-week training cycle is dependent on you weight training four days per

week or at least, doing all four main 5/3/1 lifts (squat, press, bench press, deadlift)

one time each in a seven-day period. If you are training using a three-day per week

template, where one lift is done per day, your training cycle would be longer than six

weeks. But the same

principles are applied – perform two 5/3/1 cycles and then deload.

Each 6-week cycle will be slightly different. I highly recommend choosing one of the

5/3/1 variations listed below for each 6-week cycle. Choose one for each lift, or

you can do all the lifts the same way – this is up to you. You will have a

myriad of choices that cover each area of training which make YOU responsible for

your success. Choose each area of your

training and make sure that it is 100% covered. You are now responsible for:

Training Maxes
– This is a given, but you must know your training maxes (TM) for

each of

the main lifts if you are going to calculate your training for the next six weeks.

Mobility/Warm--‐up
– The exact warm-up and mobility routine must be mapped

out. This is what you will do prior to your training or whenever you feel it

necessary to do your mobility work. Personally, I live on the Defranco Agile 8.

5/3/1 Set/Rep Variations
– This is all explained below. You don’t necessarily have

to

pick a 5/3/1 variation for your training. You can do the standard training model

and just

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go for rep records. When in doubt, this is ALWAYS the best way to get shit done.

Go in, kick some ass and get the hell out. People often try to fool themselves

and use “overtraining” and the hilarious “CNS burnout” as excuses not to train

hard. Don’t be that guy. Be Dan Gable not Adrenal Fatiguenstein.

Accessory lifts/Template
– This can be as detailed as you want it to be. Some

people need

each day and each exercise planned. Others just need “abs/low back” and make

the

decision during the workout. Whatever you want or need, get it done.

Conditioning
– The conditioning you choose must be appropriate for your training

goals and your conditioning levels. For example, if your goal is to increase your

squat to 440 for seven reps at the end of the 6-week cycle, but you haven’t done

any conditioning work as of late and are horribly out of shape, choosing “Do

Prowler 6 days per week” is not the best choice. I know this because this is a

question I have to answer three or four times a day.

Eating Plan/Supplements
– Again, what you consume has to be congruent with

your goals. If you want to get stronger and you eat like a bird, you now

have proof of your self- sabotage.

Recovery Protocols and Schedule
– This is very simple to do. All you have to do is

ask yourself this question: What do I need to do every day to make sure that

my body and mind are at their peak for each workout? Then, write it down. This

could be as simple as sleeping enough each night or scheduling naps during the

day. Limiting your Internet time to 30 minutes per week or shutting off your

phone after 3pm could ease stress. Maybe eating X amount of protein and carbs

every day makes your body feel great. Whatever it is, you MUST write it down

and be sure to achieve these goals daily.

If you are serious about training, you must be serious about what you do outside of

the gym to maximize your performance. I also understand that many people aren’t

terribly serious about their training – we all, at one time or another, need to put

training aside to do other things in our lives. But if you are dead serious about

achieving your training goals, if training is one of the top three priorities in your

life, you must make the effort to recover. And you must be willing to make the

sacrifices to get there.

When training for strength (absolute strength) is a huge priority in my life, the following

recovery protocols are used:

• Sleep – 8- 10 hours/day.

• Naps/relaxation – 30-60 minutes/day of quiet.

• Food – 4-5 meals/day

• Epsom salt baths – 1/day

• Mobility work – 3 times/day

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• Massage – 1 time/week

• Conditioning – 30 minutes, 3 days/week of AirDyne. Never discount the

importance of an aerobic base. This will help lower your resting heart rate,

improve blood flow and reduce overall soreness.

Because of the extra sleep, naps, massage time, salt baths, etc., required for success,

other aspects of my life are put aside. Things I like to do, such as playing music

or going out with my wife are put on the back burner because I don’t have the

time to do everything I WANT to do. I have to do what I NEED to do. Some people

might be able to get away with being a little more lenient but I do not possess the

talent to do so.

The Warm--‐up

Here is a good way to incorporate more warm-up sets into your training and get

your body ready for the work sets. You don’t have to do this – just another wrinkle

that I added into my own training. The benefits for me are:

• A set way of warming up – like the work sets, nothing is left up to chance

or

interpretation.

• Prepares my body better for the upcoming training.

• Allows for more supersets and additional exercises.

For me, these are all positive aspects of this warm-up. After using the empty bar

for a few sets, I start with a base weight. For the squat and deadlift, the base weight

is 135 pounds. For the press and the bench press, I use 95 pounds. With those

numbers as my base weights, I work backwards from my first work sets in 10%

increments. So let’s say that your training max is 300 pounds for the bench press.

Your work sets on the 3x3 week are:

210, 240, 270. 10% of 300 is 30 – so I work down from 210 in 30 pound increments.

Here

is an example:

Bench Press – TM = 300

• Bar x 10 reps

• 95 x 5 reps

• 120 x 3-5 reps

• 150 x 3-5 reps

• 180 x 3-5 reps

• 210 x 3 reps

• 240 x 3 reps

• 270 x 3+ reps

Here is another example of the 3x3 week with the squat:

10

Squat – TM = 500

• Bar x 10 reps

• 135 x 5 reps

• 150 x 3x-5 reps

• 200 x 3-5 reps

• 250 x 3-5 reps

• 300 x 3-5 reps

• 350 x 3 reps

• 400 x 3 reps

• 450 x 3+ reps

Between the upper-body lifts, the first three or four sets are supersetted with band

pull- aparts, face pulls or dumbbell rear laterals. These exercises do a great job

warming up the shoulders. The rest of the sets are done with rows, curls or some

kind of pull-up between the main lifts (bench press and press).

For the squat and the deadlift, I often superset extra hip mobility work and static

stretching

for the hip flexors, chins/pull-ups and some lighter abdominal work.

In the end, this systematic way of warming up allows you to fully prepare for the

training of

that day.

Note: When the weight reads “150,” 150 pounds is on the bar - NOT 155. I never,

ever compromise. You do it right ALL the time, not some of the time. When you let

one part of your life/training get compromised, it will all go to shit. Do it right, or

don’t bother doing it at all.

5/3/1 Variations

All of these 5/3/1 variations stay within the principles and philosophies of 5/3/1. To

remind you, these are:

• Use multi- joint exercises as the core of your program. These include the squat,

deadlift, press, bench press and power clean.

• Start too light.

• Progress slow.

• Set personal records (PR’s).

These 4 variations are the anchors of the 5/3/1 program, all of which keep you

grounded

and progressing toward your goal. I answer thousands of questions monthly about