531 for Powerlifting Variant

Shafpocalypse Now · **Joined:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 11:26 pm **Posts:** 15793

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=4154581

Quote:

Modification #1: I'm a competitive powerlifter. How do I tweak this for my goals?

"I have a whole book on this coming out called 5/3/1 for Powerlifting," says Wendler. "The biggest modification pertains to switching around the weeks and adding some heavy singles.

In the original 5/3/1 Manual, the weeks look like this:

Week 1: 3 x 5 reps

Week 2: 3 x 3 reps

Week 3: 3 x 5, 3, and 1 rep

Week 4: Deload

In 5/3/1 for Powerlifting, I switched week 1 and week 2 around and added a few singles, so it basically looks like this:

Week 1: 3 x 3, plus a few singles

Week 2: 3 x 5 only perform requisite reps

Week 3: 3 x 5,3,1, plus a few singles

Week 4: Deload

This system is superior for powerlifting as it includes the necessary heavy singles, yet by switching the weeks around and only performing requisite reps in week two, you never train heavy two weeks in a row.

Thus, it allows for more overall recovery."

Blaidd Drwg · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:42 pm

before i bought the book, i read some post where a guy did 3,5,1. I ran it like that for a month and it worked pretty good. i added pause squat doubles instead of singles. that worked even better for me.

powerlifter54 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:53 pm

The mod is great, but intuitive in gear or not once you have some training experience.

Week 1 after a backoff you will feel great physically but a bit loose in the groove. The weight will feel heavy. This is your body playing Jedi mind games. Your body wants to sit on the sofa surfing the net looking for absolution form Paleo Diet transgressions, not push and pull heavy weights. Ignore it.

Week 2 you just need to get the work in. 3 sets of 5 at an RPE of 8 or so does a lot of things. Summary of them is you are stronger for week 3. If using gear good week to skip it. Speed work works well here too.

Week 3 you may feel a bit off or not so good warming up. See Jedi trick above. Repeat ramp ups until you feel better and are thinking of Pizza. Go hard and hit the singles and even some down sets. You have next week off.

Week 4. A BACK OFF IS A WEEK TO DO LESS. LESS MEANS NOT AS MUCH AS ANY PREVIOUS WEEK IN VOLUME, INTENSITY, OR CONDITIONING.

tzg · **Joined:** Fri Jul 09, 2010 2:34 pm **Posts:** 706

Good stuff. One thing I've been struggling to figure out is when it's Jedi mind games and when I'm expecting unrealistic things out of myself. I think it might be a little of both, in that I have this problem when I train on Saturday mornings (no hijinks on Friday night, but I usually train after work) and that's my "one heavy set" or "a few heavy singles" day. A little bit of Jedi nonsense, a little bit of morning coldness, and a little bit of over-ambitious programming leads to a lot of trouble.

Kazuya Mishima · **Joined:** Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:11 pm **Posts:** 3854

So, to sum it up in the simplest possible terms...???

Week 1: Heavy
Week 2: Medium
Week 3: Very Heavy
Week 4: Light

Seems like I've been reading that for years, but I just don't FOLLOW IT.

Maybe this is why I keep hitting the wall.

Blaidd Drwg · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:53 pm

Kazuya Mishima wrote:

So, to sum it up in the simplest possible terms...???

Week 1: Heavy
Week 2: Medium
Week 3: Very Heavy
Week 4: Light

Seems like I've been reading that for years, but I just don't FOLLOW IT.

Maybe this is why I keep hitting the wall.

that might be an over-simplification...and therefore unassailably true.

powerlifter54 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 6:00 pm

tzg wrote:

Good stuff. One thing I've been struggling to figure out is when it's Jedi mind games and when I'm expecting unrealistic things out of myself. I think it might be a little of both, in that I have this problem when I train on Saturday mornings (no hijinks on Friday night, but I usually train after work) and that's my "one heavy set" or "a few heavy singles" day. A little bit of Jedi nonsense, a little bit of morning coldness, and a little bit of over-ambitious programming leads to a lot of trouble.

Wendler's undulating periodization model works great for medium to higher level athletes. If you are going along a more linear progression a GUIDLINE is whatever you jump form week 1 to 2, you will get about half that jump to week 3. So on week 1 if you come in and do 315x5 as your top set, and week 2 you hit 365x5, you probably don't have much of a shot at 405x5, unless you have done it befroe and are just starting back. 385x5 is be better. Consisntency of training is important here. Once you are training consistently your cycles will be more tightly grouped.

i.e
315
365
385
bo
335
375
395
bo
335
385
405
etc.

protobuilder · **Joined:** Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:17 pm **Posts:** 6667

powerlifter54 wrote:

315
365
385
bo
335
375
395
bo
335
385
405
etc.

Another interesting cycle variation:

sumodeadlift high pulls
fly-through-the-air pullups
deadlift 200 pounds

handstand pushups
ghr situps till rhabdo
deadlift 700 pounds

I've run this cycle. It works pretty good but you might not hit the 700 deadlift right away. Give it a few months.

The Nightman · **Joined:** Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:14 pm **Posts:** 1812

protobuilder wrote:

Another interesting cycle variation:

sumodeadlift high pulls
fly-through-the-air pullups
deadlift 200 pounds

handstand pushups
ghr situps till rhabdo
deadlift 700 pounds

I've run this cycle. It works pretty good but you might not hit the 700 deadlift right away. Give it a few months.

That same cycle got me to a sub 15 minute 5k while doing no running.

protobuilder · **Joined:** Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:17 pm **Posts:** 6667

The Nightman wrote:

That same cycle got me to a sub 15 minute 5k while doing no running.

Thanks. The beauty of it is, it will make anyone better at anything all the time.

powerlifter54 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 02, 2010 7:13 pm

protobuilder wrote:

powerlifter54 wrote:

315
365
385
bo
335
375
395
bo
335
385
405
etc.

Another interesting cycle variation:

sumodeadlift high pulls
fly-through-the-air pullups
deadlift 200 pounds

handstand pushups
ghr situps till rhabdo
deadlift 700 pounds

I've run this cycle. It works pretty good but you might not hit the 700 deadlift right away. Give it a few months.

You have to do the 200lb deadlifts with a heart rate of 136-154 while manufacturing a turd with the consistency of kryptonite.

Shafpocalypse Now · **Joined:** Fri Feb 04, 2005 11:26 pm **Posts:** 15793

While doing SRG (Shitting For Regular Guys) I noticed that on days when I took my fiber (in any form, chia seeds, flax meal, or metamucil) my HR was around 93 when making a monkey tail.

On days I had to work it out, it spiked to 145.

darren · **Joined:** Mon Dec 08, 2008 3:53 pm **Posts:** 398

I have to see what kind of percentage Wendler wants you to use for the singles.

Smart man, but his advice to continue pressing if you have shoulder pain is pretty ridiculous though. I think he loves upright rows too, which anyone that know anatomy knows that is one ofthe worst exercises for your shoulders. Anyway, there is more gold than shit when it comes to Wendler.

*** · **Joined:** Tue Feb 10, 2009 6:57 pm **Posts:** 2912

Shaf,

You really have a woody for Wendler don't you?

Rant

Mountebank · **Posted:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 2:00 pm

I may be trying the PL variation in the new year. Either that or Puetz' modified Smolov sisters...

powerlifter54 · **Posted:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:24 pm

Quack Attack wrote:

I may be trying the PL variation in the new year. Either that or Puetz' modified Smolov sisters...

More Wendler, less cowbell.

Mountebank · **Posted:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 4:45 pm

powerlifter54 wrote:

Quack Attack wrote:

I may be trying the PL variation in the new year. Either that or Puetz' modified Smolov sisters...

More Wendler, less cowbell.

Alrighty then!

Trip · **Joined:** Sun Jan 02, 2005 2:29 pm **Posts:** 1334

Quote:

Modification #2: I'm a busy guy and hitting the gym four times a week is tough. Any lower frequency ideas that still yield gains?

"I get this a lot, and I have a kick-ass answer. Move everything to two times a week and do the following:

Week 1:

Monday: Squats 5/3/1, leg press 5 x 10, stiff leg deads 5 x 10, abs

Thursday: Bench press 5/3/1, dumbbell press 5 x 10, dumbbell row 5 x 10, biceps curls (yes, curls).

Include three days of hard conditioning (hill sprints) on nonconsecutive days.

Week 2:

Monday: Deadlift 5/3/1, safety bar squat 5 x 10, good mornings 5 x 10, abs

Thursday: Overhead press 5/3/1, chin-ups 5 x 10, dips 5 x 10, biceps curls (no, the joke isn't on you, biceps curls).

Include three days of hard conditioning (hill sprints) on nonconsecutive days.

That's it.

I've advised a lot of busy guys to follow this routine and virtually all got bigger, stronger, and in better shape faster — and for longer — because there's so much less potential for burnout."

What's with the leg press?

Mountebank · **Posted:** Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:42 pm

Trip wrote:

What's with the leg press?

My guess is for hypertrophy purposes while sparing the lower back fatigue.

IronGarm

531 for Powerlifting Variant

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