Finishing up 5x5..what next?

[Jhart2838]

I just purchased E as well as clomid and hcg. Im waiting to plateau on my 5x5 natural, take a week off and start my first cycle. Im 25 and eating well.

In a few weeks ill start plateauing on pretty much everything and that will be about the 11th and 12th week going straight.

My question is after the week off should I continue the 5x5, or should I

A.) "shock" the muscle and do a volume routine

B.) Continue with 5x5, go down to 5x3 if you have to, knowing the cycle will help you continue to add weight.

C.) Tweak the 5x5, say a Max-OT style. Which is still the heavy load lifting but in a different set and repetition routine, sort of a combination of A and B.

 

[MeatHead96]

I just purchased E as well as clomid and hcg. Im waiting to plateau on my 5x5 natural, take a week off and start the cycle. Im 25 and eating well.

In a few weeks ill start plateauing on pretty much everything and that will be about the 11th and 12th week going straight.

My question is after the week off should I continue the 5x5, or should I

A.) "shock" the muscle and do a volume routine'

B.) Continue with 5x5, go down to 5x3 if you have to, knowing the cycle will help you continue to add weight.

C.) Tweak the 5x5, say a Max-OT style. Which is still the heavy load lifting but in a different set and repetition routine, sort of a combination of A and B.

If it were me I would try option B for a little while.

 

[Bullseye Forever]

as a powerlifter myself,i would use the 5/3/1 method for a while,i personally use it for 3 montha and then switch to something else,heavy benching doesnt always mean using the flat bench BB press,you can in corporate other exotic excercises to get stronger,db floor presses,board presses,bb floor presses,decline close grip bench presses,bands,chains etc,just experiment man,it helped me alot,good luck!! also after every routine you use,always take a week of delaoding to recoup your body and recover,cause heavy lifting will take alot out of you and if you dont go light for a short while,you stand a candidate for injury,i know that for a fact lol

 

[cheppallet]

i agree. the 531 wold be the next logical step. But how do you know you are gonna be plateauing in the next week or two? What if you don't? Don't set yourself up for failure before you even get there.

If you do actually plateau... Wendlers 531 is a great next step.

 

[Bullseye Forever]

i agree. the 531 wold be the next logical step. But how do you know you are gonna be plateauing in the next week or two? What if you don't? Don't set yourself up for failure before you even get there.

If you do actually plateau... Wendlers 531 is a great next step.

very true....i dont follow his plan,i start out using 75%,80% and 85% instead of the original program,that hellped me better

 

[r1balla]

i love DC, so if you havent tried that, you could give it a shot. major strength gains

 

[lonewolf13]

dude, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. rule number one lol. go all the way until you can't progress linearly (putting on weight on the bar ever 1-2 weeks).

 

[RandyH]

as a powerlifter myself,i would use the 5/3/1 method for a while,i personally use it for 3 montha and then switch to something else,heavy benching doesnt always mean using the flat bench BB press,you can in corporate other exotic excercises to get stronger,db floor presses,board presses,bb floor presses,decline close grip bench presses,bands,chains etc,just experiment man,it helped me alot,good luck!! also after every routine you use,always take a week of delaoding to recoup your body and recover,cause heavy lifting will take alot out of you and if you dont go light for a short while,you stand a candidate for injury,i know that for a fact lol

I fully agree with this fella. I would also recommend working in a west side variation at some point. The west side for skinny bastards routine would be a cool idea, as it replaces the dynamic work with volume training. This should help with a bit of growth.