Fatboy does 5/3/1

Chris1712

Chris1712

Chris1712

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Joined
29 Jul 2004
Posts
9,711
Location
Bristol
Hi all, long time no log. Gonna get on the 5/3/1 train and see what happens. Just using this to track lifts and get a sanity check on the way I'm doing things.

Current 1RM's:
  • Squat: 170kg
  • Bench: 115kg
  • OHP: 67.5kg
  • Deadlift: 140kg (est)

Yeah, I don't deadlift. Part of changing to 5/3/1 is to make me have a deadlift day as I hate it and thus am rubbish at it, I just guesstimated 140.

Wendler 'working' 1RMs (also rounded down)
  • Squat: 150kg
  • Bench: 100kg
  • OHP: 60kg
  • Deadlift: 125kg

I will be doing 3 days a week so can't find a spreadsheet to work for me, will be manually working things out. Any suggestions please pipe up!

Week 1 Session 1 (OHP)
Warmup
  • 5x25kg
  • 5x32.5kg
  • 3x37.5kg
Working Sets
  • 5x40kg
  • 5x47.5kg
  • AMRAP 12x52.5kg
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x47.5kg
  • 10x45kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x35kg
  • 10x30kg
WG Pulldown
  • 3x10x45kg
NG Pulldown
  • 3x10x40kg
Click to expand...
BBB is honestly brutal. I've never been one for bodybuilding style training / pump etc. so it nearly killed me! I felt like I had two lead plates on my shoulders, massively pumped and heavy I could barely lift my arms above parallel by the end let alone press.

Really need to find a good calculator for all this, might make my own.
 
I use an application on iOS/Android called big lifts 2 that is a great companion for tracking a 531 program and also offers options on assistance work if BBB is not working for you.

Good luck with the cycle!
 
5/3/1 crew checking in. I do to the 2 day version from Beyond 5/3/1 which has BBB sets increasing 10% every 2 weeks, so the final 2 weeks @70%TM is hell!

Freefaller said:
Don't do BBB :(
Click to expand...
In the gymrats thread icecold also was against it but never told me why. What's the reason for your opposition to it?

ronski said:
I use an application on iOS/Android called big lifts 2 that is a great companion for tracking a 531 program and also offers options on assistance work if BBB is not working for you.

Good luck with the cycle!
Click to expand...
I also tried that app, and it has a lot of functions, but was overly complicated for me, so I use this great little app called Wendlerized.

Good luck with the gains mate, you have some great numbers already!
 
BBB doesn't really help do anything other than perhaps let you do lots of volume for the sake of it. If you have bad form, poor motor patterns all it will do is reinforce them, thus amplifying the chance of injury or accentuating poor form. It is low intensity volume work on a strength routine.

In other words, it doesn't help build central drive and neuromuscular interaction as high intensity training should do, and as Mr Thingy has said before ot is out of place on a strength routine. Want to get big? Do AGVT or GVT or other volume programmes. Instead, do a 50% dropset or your first working set weight for AMRAP or something like that.

It's 50% of your 90% of your 1RM. All it does fatigue you and give you a "pump" and takes up a lot of time. You're following a powerlifting programme so why do 10 reps with low weight as part of the main lifts?

If you have the energy after your 5/3/1 progression to do 50 reps - you'd be better pushed to do some decent assistance work which will offer you much more benefit to your motor patterns / enhancing core strength and balancing out weaknesses. Training shouldn't just be about tiring yourself out but actually achieving a benefit.
 
Freefaller said:
BBB doesn't really help do anything other than perhaps let you do lots of volume for the sake of it. If you have bad form, poor motor patterns all it will do is reinforce them, thus amplifying the chance of injury or accentuating poor form. It is low intensity volume work on a strength routine.

In other words, it doesn't help build central drive and neuromuscular interaction as high intensity training should do, and as Mr Thingy has said before ot is out of place on a strength routine. Want to get big? Do AGVT or GVT or other volume programmes. Instead, do a 50% dropset or your first working set weight for AMRAP or something like that.

It's 50% of your 90% of your 1RM. All it does fatigue you and give you a "pump" and takes up a lot of time. You're following a powerlifting programme so why do 10 reps with low weight as part of the main lifts?

If you have the energy after your 5/3/1 progression to do 50 reps - you'd be better pushed to do some decent assistance work which will offer you much more benefit to your motor patterns / enhancing core strength and balancing out weaknesses. Training shouldn't just be about tiring yourself out but actually achieving a benefit.
Click to expand...

I see. Interesting you say that about first working set for AMRAP, in Beyond 5/3/1 he says First Set Last should now be part of the program (along with Joker Sets).
 
Week 1 Session 2 (Deadlift)
Warmup
  • 5x60
  • 5x60
  • 3x75kg
    Did some light RDLs aswell to get dem hammys ready.
Working Sets
  • 5x82.5
  • 5x95kg
  • AMRAP 8x107.5kg
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x95kg
  • 10x90kg
  • 10x80kg
  • 10x70kg
  • 10x60kg
Calf Raise (yeah really)
  • 5x15x30kg
Hanging Leg Raise
  • 5x10
Click to expand...

I appreciate the comments on BBB, I'm going to do it for the first cycle anyway :p. If I don't like it I'll look at triumvirate.

I've found this calculator that works well https://blackironbeast.com/5/3/1/calculator. It's a bit old school tech wise but works ok and allows 3 day weeks along with pyramid BBB.
 
Week 1 Session 3 (Bench Press)
Warmup
  • 5x40
  • 5x50
  • 3x60kg
    Did some light RDLs aswell to get dem hammys ready.
Working Sets
  • 5x65
  • 5x75
  • AMRAP 17x85kg (Wasn't expecting that many!)
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x75kg
  • 10x70kg
  • 10x65kg
  • 10x60kg
  • 10x60kg
Seated Cable Row
  • 5x10x50kg
Hanging Leg Raise
  • 5x10
Click to expand...

Big bench result, really varies on how happy my shoulder is in the morning.
 
Week 2 Session 2 (OHP)
Warmup
  • 5x25kg
  • 5x32.5kg
  • 3x37.5kg
Working Sets
  • 3x42.5kg
  • 3x50kg
  • AMRAP 10x55kg (This seems worse than 12x52.5? Not really sure of the progression here but ok)
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x45kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x35kg
  • 10x30kg
  • 10x30kg
Brutal still but easier than last week?
WG Pulldown
  • 3x10x50kg
NG Pulldown
  • 3x10x45kg
Just incremented both by 5kg.
Click to expand...
 
Week 2 Session 3 (Deadlift)
Warmup
  • 5x60
  • 5x70
  • 3x75kg
    Did some light RDLs aswell to get dem hammys ready.
Working Sets
  • 3x87.5
  • 3x100kg
  • AMRAP 9x112.5kg
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x95kg
  • 10x90kg
  • 10x80kg
  • 10x70kg
  • 10x60kg
Hanging Leg Raise
  • 5x10
Click to expand...
 
Failed to update log for ages, so here's some stuff.

Week 3 Session 2 (Squat)
Warmup
  • 5x60
  • 5x75
  • 3x90kg
Working Sets
  • 3x105
  • 3x120
  • AMRAP 3x135kg (was a bad day)
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 5x110kg (lol nope)
  • 10x100kg
  • 10x90kg
  • 10x70kg
  • 10x60kg
Lying Leg Curls
  • 5x10x35kg
Hanging Leg Raise
  • 5x10

Week 3 Session 3 (OHP)
Warmup
  • 5x25kg
  • 5x30kg
  • 3x37.5kg
Working Sets
  • 5x45kg
  • 3x52.5kg
  • AMRAP 8x57.5kg (Pretty happy with that)
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x45kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x35kg
  • 10x30kg
  • 10x30kg
Brutal still but easier than last week?
WG Pulldown
  • 3x10x55kg
NG Pulldown
  • 3x10x50kg
Just incremented both by 5kg.

Week 4 Session 1 (Deadlift) (Skipped because I'm a faggot)

Week 4 Session 2 (Bench Press)
Warmup
  • 5x40
  • 5x50
  • 3x60kg
Working Sets
  • 5x75
  • 3x85
  • AMRAP 8x95kg
Big But Boring (pyramid down)
  • 10x75kg
  • 10x70kg
  • 10x65kg
  • 10x60kg
  • 10x60kg
Seated Cable Row
  • 5x10x60kg
Hanging Leg Raise
  • 5x10
 
So my final week PBs were as follow:

Military Press: 8x57.5kg = Calculated 1RM of 72.5kg
Deadlift: 6x120kg = Calculated 1RM of 140kg (Can you tell this if the first time I've done any deads in ~2 years?)
Bench: 8x95kg = Calculated 1RM of 120kg
Squat: 6x145kg = Calculated 1RM of 170kg

So Bench and OHP have slightly improved. I have more in the bag for Bench I think as I actually pushed 115kg for 1 this weekend and it was easy, no spotter so didn't want to try higher but think on a good day I'll have 125 maybe even 127.5!

I've fed these new peebs back into 5/3/1 and started another cycle which should work things out a smidgen higher. I think. I don't really know but it's fun.

Cycle 2 Week 1 Session 1 (OHP)
Warmup
  • 5x25kg
  • 5x32.5kg
  • 3x37.5kg
Working Sets
  • 5x40kg
  • 5x47.5kg
  • AMRAP 10x55kg
Big But Boring
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x40kg
  • 10x30kg
WG Pulldown
  • 5x10x50kg
NG Pulldown
  • 5x10x45kg
Click to expand...
 
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