After training several years in the gym without any proper and concrete training plan I found myself on a plateau. I consider myself quite fit but anyway i got stuck on a point where i was just tired all the time, exhausted from training and lost my motivation.
Spending 2+ hours in the gym after a full day of work several day’s a week without making any significant progress is quite exhausting. I of course gained a bit muscle anyway, i got more strength as well but still was unsatisfied with the results compared to the effort i put into my routine.
So i went on the search for a proper routine, less time consuming, more effective.
After a bit of research i stumbled upon Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 .
I found several very informative resources and recommendations about this method. Spending minimal time at the gym with maximum results. Fit’s me perfectly in combination with my Jiu Jitsu schedule.
I immediately got myself a copy of Jim’s 5/3/1 for Power Lifting (2nd edition) and started reading the whole thing. He explained exactly what i was experiencing, the stagnation, the plateau i was in, the lack of motivation and the tiredness and feeling shitty after the gym instead of feeling better.
The book gives you several options on how to approach this routine.
I personally use the 3 day schedule due to additional Jiu Jitsu lessons. This is also the schedule i describe in the below.
The 5/3/1 routine is separated in 4 training days.
The first thing to do is to figure out what your 1 rep max is.
A 1 rep max is the maximum weight that you can press, deadlift, bench or squat with 1 repetition.Google and choose a method that suits you best. In the Wendler book there is also a formula how to do it, i prefer to do it the harder way, just stack up weights until you are able to do just one rep with it.
That weight is your 1 rep max. Bare in mind to count the weight without the bar, because the bar weight varies from different bar sizes.
From that weight you take 90%. (Weight *0.9)
That is your 1 rep max you will start with. Now you can start to make your plan. A sample plan for 3 day week looks as following:
That’s week one. So on Monday you do 5 reps at 65% of your 1 rep max weight (65% of the 90% of your one rep max!), 5 reps at 75% and 5+max at 85%, the 5+max in the end means that it is an all out set. You do as many reps as you can possibly do! Write down your record! Try to break it the following week.
We go on with week 2:
As you may recognize, the % changed and the reps went down.
Week 3:
Now the % changed again higher. The reps went to 1x5, 1x3 and 1x1+max.
After this week, the de-load week starts. The de-load week is done at fairly low percentages to help you regenerate and prepare for the next cycle.
De-load week:
It is important that the last reps are NOT an all out set! Just do the 5.
Don’t get discouraged by all the percentages and calculation. Wendler describes a very easy method to set up an excel sheet in his book with all your data inside.
You do the effort once and you just have to fill in your weights and all goes automatically.
After finishing your weeks, you start again, with new maxes of course!
To each exercise you do assistance work that fits to it. Which one is that you can read in the book, there are many different ways to chose from how to do it. You can also just stick with the pure 5/3/1 without doing “Jack Shit” as Wendler says.
A example assistance work for the Military Press would be:
There are plenty of links in the net where you can find everything about it.
I will not go any deeper into the material in this article, i just can say for myself after doing it for 2 weeks now, i feel much better.
I feel how I’m improving, i already can do more reps than last week, i feel more rested and more relaxed!
It seem to be the right thing for me. Especially to be out of the gym after 60 minutes is a huge relief.
For any more information or assistance on the excel sheet, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am happy to help. Definitely give it a try!
This routine is a 5 star recommendation. It is straight forward, you have constant improvements and relatively small effort with the enjoyment of achieving gains and new records every week.
Keep on training! Stick to it for a while and see yourself.
Have fun,
Ceo.
Spending 2+ hours in the gym after a full day of work several day’s a week without making any significant progress is quite exhausting. I of course gained a bit muscle anyway, i got more strength as well but still was unsatisfied with the results compared to the effort i put into my routine.
So i went on the search for a proper routine, less time consuming, more effective.
After a bit of research i stumbled upon Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 .
I found several very informative resources and recommendations about this method. Spending minimal time at the gym with maximum results. Fit’s me perfectly in combination with my Jiu Jitsu schedule.
“Be in and out of the gym within 45-60 minutes or you doing it wrong"Sounded just too good to be true. After a bit more research and reading a lot of recommendation’s on the net i was convinced this is the right thing to do. Especially the focus on gaining strength did it for me.
I immediately got myself a copy of Jim’s 5/3/1 for Power Lifting (2nd edition) and started reading the whole thing. He explained exactly what i was experiencing, the stagnation, the plateau i was in, the lack of motivation and the tiredness and feeling shitty after the gym instead of feeling better.
How 5/3/1 works?
I try to give a quick overview about the basics here. For the whole thing, get yourself a copy of the book.The book gives you several options on how to approach this routine.
- A 4 day training schedule
- A 3 day training schedule
- A 2 day training schedule (not really recommended for good results)
- A 1 day training schedule (well guess, not recommended)
I personally use the 3 day schedule due to additional Jiu Jitsu lessons. This is also the schedule i describe in the below.
The 5/3/1 routine is separated in 4 training days.
- First day the standing Military Press
- Second day the Deadlift
- Third day the Bench Press
- Fourth day the Squat
The first thing to do is to figure out what your 1 rep max is.
A 1 rep max is the maximum weight that you can press, deadlift, bench or squat with 1 repetition.Google and choose a method that suits you best. In the Wendler book there is also a formula how to do it, i prefer to do it the harder way, just stack up weights until you are able to do just one rep with it.
That weight is your 1 rep max. Bare in mind to count the weight without the bar, because the bar weight varies from different bar sizes.
From that weight you take 90%. (Weight *0.9)
That is your 1 rep max you will start with. Now you can start to make your plan. A sample plan for 3 day week looks as following:
| Week 1 | Exercise | Reps at 65% | Reps at 75% | Reps at 85% |
| Monday | Military Press | 5 | 5 | 5+max |
| Wednesday | Deadlift | 5 | 5 | 5+max |
| Friday | Bench Press | 5 | 5 | 5+max |
| Monday (next week) | Squat | 5 | 5 | 5+max |
We go on with week 2:
| Week 2 | Exercise | Reps at 70% | Reps at 80% | Reps at 90% |
| Monday | Military Press | 3 | 3 | 3+max |
| Wednesday | Deadlift | 3 | 3 | 3+max |
| Friday | Bench Press | 3 | 3 | 3+max |
| Monday (next week) | Squat | 3 | 3 | 3+max |
Week 3:
| Week 3 | Exercise | Reps at 75% | Reps at 85% | Reps at 95% |
| Monday | Military Press | 5 | 3 | 1+max |
| Wednesday | Deadlift | 5 | 3 | 1+max |
| Friday | Bench Press | 5 | 3 | 1+max |
| Monday (next week) | Squat | 5 | 3 | 1+max |
After this week, the de-load week starts. The de-load week is done at fairly low percentages to help you regenerate and prepare for the next cycle.
De-load week:
| Week 1 | Exercise | Reps at 40% | Reps at 50% | Reps at 60% |
| Monday | Military Press | 5 | 5 | 5NOMAX |
| Wednesday | Deadlift | 5 | 5 | 5NOMAX |
| Friday | Bench Press | 5 | 5 | 5NOMAX |
| Monday (next week) | Squat | 5 | 5 | 5NOMAX |
Don’t get discouraged by all the percentages and calculation. Wendler describes a very easy method to set up an excel sheet in his book with all your data inside.
You do the effort once and you just have to fill in your weights and all goes automatically.
After finishing your weeks, you start again, with new maxes of course!
To each exercise you do assistance work that fits to it. Which one is that you can read in the book, there are many different ways to chose from how to do it. You can also just stick with the pure 5/3/1 without doing “Jack Shit” as Wendler says.
A example assistance work for the Military Press would be:
- 5x15 sets of dips
- 5x10 sets of chin-ups
There are plenty of links in the net where you can find everything about it.
I will not go any deeper into the material in this article, i just can say for myself after doing it for 2 weeks now, i feel much better.
I feel how I’m improving, i already can do more reps than last week, i feel more rested and more relaxed!
It seem to be the right thing for me. Especially to be out of the gym after 60 minutes is a huge relief.
For any more information or assistance on the excel sheet, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am happy to help. Definitely give it a try!
This routine is a 5 star recommendation. It is straight forward, you have constant improvements and relatively small effort with the enjoyment of achieving gains and new records every week.
Keep on training! Stick to it for a while and see yourself.
Have fun,
Ceo.
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