5/3/1 First Impressions

Introduction

The last time i did regular barbell work was back in 2008 when i worked in a country club gym. Since then, i only touched the barbell on and off, mostly off.

There are many barbell based programs and systems out there. And i got interested again in barbell training quite some time ago in the PIT.

I downloaded Stronglifts 5x5 (SL) which is free and quite well known in the strength training world. However i did not actually get to do it because it is meant to be done exclusively, three barbell lifts a day, three times a week and no conditioning. This does not fit into CST 4x7 protocol so it remains undone.

Other programs/systems that i have heard and are quite well known include Starting Strength (SS) and 5/3/1 and Westside Barbell.

I took interest in 5/3/1 when i read the fine print "the simplest and most effective strength training system for raw strength". After reading some reviews online i took even greater interest.

Pull Factors

5/3/1 can be done 4x/week, 3x/week, 2x/week or even 1x/week.

Only one main lift per day. No squatting three times a week (SL and SS). No deadlifts after squats (though you can choose to do it if you like).

Assistance exercises are entirely up to you. You can even do none. This leaves you a lot of room for unconventional exercises a la CST.

Only three work sets. This keeps the volume minimal and leaves you more time and energy for other things. The low volume is particularly attractive to me because i know very well that volume can cause a lot of DOMS, which i hate (try TACFIT India from TACFIT 26 if you don't know what i mean).

Slow progression of the weights. No "add 5lbs to the bar every workout" (SL). Though "squatting 225lb after 12 weeks" (SL) is very attractive, yet the stress it places on the body would be very great.

Conditioning is encouraged and can be done on any day (same days or separate days). To be more specific, 2 to 3 days of conditioning are to be done.

Plugging 5/3/1 into 7x4

Taking the 2x/week protocol, this is what i came up with:

Week 1:
Day 1: No
Day 2: Low
Day 3: Mod: 5/3/1 Press
Day 4: No
Day 5: Low
Day 6: Mod: 5/3/1 Deadlift
Day 7: High: Conditioning

Week 2:

Day 8: No

Day 9: Low

Day 10: Mod: 5/3/1 Bench

Day 11: No

Day 12: Low

Day 13: Mod: 5/3/1 Squat

Day 14: High: Conditioning

Plugging 5/3/1 into 4x7

Modified from the 2x/week protocol, i got this:

Cycle 1:

Day 1: No

Day 2: Low

Day 3: Mod: 5/3/1 Press

Day 4: High: Conditioning

Cycle 2:

Day 5: No

Day 6: Low

Day 7: Mod: 5/3/1 Deadlift

Day 8: High: Conditioning

Cycle 3:

Day 9: No

Day 10: Low

Day 11: Mod: 5/3/1 Bench

Day 12: High: Conditioning

Cycle 4:

Day 13: No

Day 14: Low

Day 15: Mod: 5/3/1 Squat

Day 16: High: Conditioning