I want to train strength... train big 3 ??
- Thread starter yadi79
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CptFKNplanet
Poop Mouth
Look into strength based programs like Starting Strength or 5/3/1. Bench, squat, and deads aren't the ONLY exercises you do in those programs. There's assistance movements included as well as OHP. You could also look into more oly movements.
What Cap said. Look into powerlifting gyms in your state and join. If you're doing powerlifting you'll need to bench, deadlift, and squat. If oly lifting you'll need snatch and clean&jerk. There are obviously other assistance and accessory lifts but the basis of your workouts should be tailored around these lifts not body parts.
The Madcow 5x5 is geared more towards athletes and reduces total volume for recovery. If truly interested in powerlifting, I'd start with linear progression ala Starting Strength then progress towards Rippetoe's Texas Method or Westside's Conjugate Method. I have nothing against Wendler but 5/3/1 is slower progression than others. It works great but only downside is it will probably take you longer to get to the same point as Texas Method or Westside's would.
R9
New member
Optimal
New member
Not R9 here but just gonna mention this: Bill Starr's is aimed at guys both on a fair bit of anabolics and with pretty decent genetics (trainee's under him have mentioned this). I think an important consideration is picking a program best suited to the individual based on their own goals & capacity.
Also, 5/3/1 is just a template, you can customize it to your own progression (though I've found that most who do, quickly find that the progression adds up very quickly on them). The main point that Jim is trying to get across (he mentions this in the book) is to learn & apply structure to their strength progression, which is a big part of the reason why he targets it at intermediates who are just learning that aspect.
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R9
New member
The best thing about 531 is that the progression is self-levelling. If the weights aren't going up fast enough for you then your reps will.
As Optimal said, it's easy to adapt it to whatever works for you.
I try to adjust the weights so that I'm doing no more than ten or twelve reps on fives week to start. BBB assistance template is nice to start with, but might start to beat you down a little as you go on. After a few months I usually throw in a powerlifting variation month (3/5/1 order) to give me a little time between the big weights.
Thanks for the replies Optimal and R9. I have only read a little into 5/3/1 but I do know it works. I've never heard the Anabolics thing about Bill Starr and I've read many of his articles from back in the day and newer ones on SS forums. I thought most of his trainees were college athletes and the like but I could be wrong. Anyway, any template that concentrates on the big lifts and minimizes the bullshit is good in my book. I happen to have tried the Madcow 5x5 a while back and thoroughly enjoyed it. Went back to linear progression for my first cycle thanks to the added recovery of test but I believe I've maxed it out again. I'm thinking of doing Rippetoe's Texas Method which is basically a volume day, recovery day, and intensity day.
Pinkbear
I am banned!
I keep track o my main lifts. Bench squat military and dead lift. I really like the 5x5. What ever day it is chest...back... Etc i start with the main lift and do a 5x5 on it once you can complete that set I move up 5lbs for next week. Seems to work great for me. If I reach a plateau I just take off about 10lbs an start over.
6'2 215
Bench 315
Deadlift 420
Military 280
Squat 400
Example of a day for me
Chest/bis
Bench 5x5
Incline dumb 6x3
Flys 8x3
Single arm dumb 10x3
Preacher curls 12x3
Rope curls 10x3
Single curls 8x3
Decline flys 12x3
Single curls 6x3
6'2 215
Bench 315
Deadlift 420
Military 280
Squat 400
Example of a day for me
Chest/bis
Bench 5x5
Incline dumb 6x3
Flys 8x3
Single arm dumb 10x3
Preacher curls 12x3
Rope curls 10x3
Single curls 8x3
Decline flys 12x3
Single curls 6x3
FlyMolo
New member
Are you sure your diet and sleep were in check? Calorie excess for strength gains, it is possible to gain on maintenance or SMALL deficit via CNS adaptions but the gains will be small and slow and you will need to go into calorie excess at some point. Get good sleep, if you are heavily erratic or continually not getting enough the training means nothing.
BTW when strength training longer rest between sets. When I get to my heaviest work sets I can take up to five minutes. When training for hypertrophy I take 1-2 minutes between sets depending on the intensity and how I feel.
A great place to start powerlifting is anything based on a westside conjugate. Brandon Lilly's cube method is a simplified version of westside.
I am your age, and progressive overload turned out to be the fastest way to cripple myself. I left prog-overload and hit westside and put 500lbs on my lifts in a shade over a year and a half.
I am your age, and progressive overload turned out to be the fastest way to cripple myself. I left prog-overload and hit westside and put 500lbs on my lifts in a shade over a year and a half.
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