5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength Kindle Edition

I love buying fitness books; I'm not an expert, never will be (I think I missed my true calling), but I was an overweight guy who lost 60+ pounds about ten years ago by following the programs in the magazines and the internet. I did succeed, but that was more dumb luck than knowledge. After about 18 months to 2 years, I stalled, and I didn't change my physique at all. At 190 pounds, I was weak. I could crank out some pushups, tons of situps, yes, but my first attempt with a real barbell in 2005 was a humbling attempt to bench 125 lbs. From them until 2012, well, I played with medicine balls, dumbbells, chinups, etc. in a sort of haphazard fashion.This second edition has more programming options than the first edition. The first edition, however, has everything you need. The second edition addresses our (meaning us men) for many different options so that we can put our own personal stamp on our training program.I have a whole bookcase of stuff--yes, many of them were cheaper, but only a few (Rippetoe, Dan John) are worth as much as Wendler's 5/3/1. If you love working out and love having a precise plan, Wendler's program is for you. If you would rather "wing-it," and work chest and biceps whenever you feel like it for whatever weight feels "right" until "failure," this book is not for you. Read on if curious; if not, you have my go-ahead to spend your hard-earned money. It is short and sweet: no science or explanations or sales-pitches, just the plan. My only negative remark for Jim: for $25 bucks for each black and white book, hire a proofreader who will ensure your product is professional (some formatting and punctuation issues/typos).The programming in 5/3/1 is not revolutionary; this is not an insult, I've read enough of Wendler's internet articles/posts to tell you that he would agree. What is a revolutionary is the way you determine your poundage. Many workouts tell you to use a "weight that you can lift for X reps." Not here, every lift is planned based on a percentage of your working load (which is 10% less than your 1 rep max). You rotate through four workouts (there are other variations), with each workout focusing on a primary lift to build pure strength: squat, deadlift, bench, and press (overhead). On each lift, you follow a predetermined template; for example, during week one, assuming your press 1RM is 117 lbs, you take 10% less, 105 lbs. You warmup with 40% for 5 reps, 50% for 5 reps, and 60% for 3 reps. Then, it's 5 reps at 65% (70 lbs) and 75% (80 lbs). Now, the fun part: your final set is 5 or more at 85% (90 lbs). By the time you go to week 3, you are going for one or more reps at 95% (100 lbs in our example). Week 4 is a deload: no heavy lifting, no breaking goals or going for as many reps as possible. Then, you start a second round, but you add 5 or 10 lbs to your working load and do it all again.Yes, you have to do some math. I created a spreadsheet, complete with the 1RM calculations, to calculate the prescribed weights for up to a 10 month period (or until you reset). I'm sure a quick Google search will help you find a template. In order to compare "rep maxes," Wendler recommends a formula to calculate your 1RM (the Epley formula), which gives a fair estimate of your 1RM based on your weight and load.In my experience, lifting a "load that feels right" offers very little progress; you need to push past your comfort zone. It might sound simple, but following a predetermined chart removes the guesswork and forces you to "try" to lift a weight that you might not have tried until you were "sure you could lift it." Well, follow the program, and the pounds just keep going up--slow and steady.After the primary lift on each day, you follow up with assistance exercises for mass building (the "sets of 10" you are accustomed to). Dumbbell stuff, chins, rows, lunges-all stuff to keep you well rounded and offer variety for those (like me) with a serious case of exercise ADD. Also, in contrast to many experts who want to build muscle and maximal strength--Wendler recommends "conditioning," hill sprints or similar hard activity to condition your body. I agree that conditioning should be a part of every well-rounded program. Human beings should be strong AND able to move (or walk a flight of steps).Don't skip the "deload" week. I did--it felt too easy to follow a week of easy lifting. I paid for it. I never thought I could be "over-trained"; after all, I'm not an athlete, I'm a father with a job and a hobby that involves lifting my cheap barbell set in my cold garage. Anyway, I followed 5 evolutions (my own term) without de-loading. By the 6th cycle, my whole body hurt, and I was completely unable to beat my PRs (personal records). I was sore, my joints hurt, etc. I was too greedy. I needed to reset the weights back a few cycles and lift twice in 10 day period before things felt right again. Then, I started my second "season" (again, my own term) of 5/3/1.As you can probably tell, I like writing reviews. So, you're probably wondering about my personal experience. Well, I have no intentions of competing (power lifting or bodybuilding), but I sure love competing against the barbell. My lifts have steadily increased over the six months or so that I have followed 5/3/1. My bench max is finally over my body-weight--all because I decided to keep "trying" at the heavier weights instead of just cranking out 'sets of ten.' Also, I am convinced that my improvements came because I made steady, slow progress and because of the periodized workouts (each week a slightly different rep/weight focus).Speaking of body-weight, I'm up to the 224 mark from a low of 188 (in 2005 after losing a bunch). Thats six or eight inches on the pants, depending on which country manufactured my garments. I believe that most of my gains came on 5/3/1 during 2012. No complaints, other than some of my jeans just don't fit (the thighs are too tight to be comfortable), and my dress shirts and suit coats are noticeably tight. I had been wearing these clothes for years. I don't measure myself, and it's always hard to tell looking at yourself in the mirror, but the clothing tells the story. The last suit I bought was 2" larger in the chest and an "athletic" cut; the smaller coats are almost uncomfortable and certainly restrictive.I finished with a full "season" of 5/3/1, then messed around with some other stuff for about 3 weeks. I finally decided to go back to 5/3/1, and, sure enough, I felt a "good" soreness/DOMS again and, after only two workouts, realized that I was absolutely starving during the workday. No, not scientific, but it is something to think about.I do my conditioning on lower-body days with limited assistance work. For example, I do some deadlifts (I limit to 10 reps, since I beat myself up with these, which might be because I'm 6'4" and/or because I could use some coaching) and some squats (for reps) followed by conditioning. I work hard: sprints, high-effort jumping rope, box jumpers, heavy-bag work, or some combination of these.I generally stick with the Boring but Big template with the "3-month challenge" twist. (Check out T-nation article for more details). Basically, I bench 5/3/1 style then press for 5 sets of 10 reps. Oh, and I grease-the-groove (Pavel's term) by doing 8 sets of chins/pullups between each set on the upper body days. I vary the assistance work occasionally but not often. I like consistency, which allows me to gauge my progress.I also like the split--one upper body day, one lower body day (alternating), up to four times per week (three is okay two; other templates are suggested for two days per week). This way, I can workout two days in a row or every-other-day to accommodate my unpredictable work schedule. I like "full-body training," but I feel like (in my thirties), I just don't "recover" fast enough to do three full-body days each week.As far as Wendler's writing style, you will enjoy his "honest" writing style. There is no pretension in his writing, just straightforward advice and a plan.I hope my fellow Amazon shoppers found this review to be helpful!

I can tell you program like this is for lifetime not for a day or a season. Highly effective - good for most wide net, good volume when using day BBB and choosing your thresholds wisely.

This is the book that every high school athlete should start with when it comes to training for sports… a simple resource that can take you a long way. I wish I had heard of it years ago… however the challenge to the younger athlete is to follow the plan in a disciplined manner in the first place.

I just wanted to say how amazing and helpful this book has been for me for the last couple of years. When I first started lifting I was not eating any carbs and doing absolutely too many exercises. Sure I was cut and slim but I was no strong. I was stuck on a plateau for two years straight with my bench press max at 225, squats at 375, and deadlift at 405. I had began looking around as to why I was getting stuck when I had arrived in Afghanistan I began doing heavy research. I still had not found this yet but I had 1 website that was pretty much letting me know I was not eating enough and I was doing too man sets for those specific muscles groups. It was a very rough and unorganized workout plan that still got me 50 pounds of muscle. Anyways....I had discovered this book about 2 years ago and my gains literally go through the roof every time I hop on these cycles. It is crazy how well the body responds to this. I had put my wife on this program and by the second month her maxes were:Bench - 165, Squat - 245, Deadlift - 250, Press - 115She had lost her muffin top along with all the flab on her arms she wanted to get rid of. She was able to do push ups, pull ups, handstand push ups, and dips on her own right around that same time frame. It was extremely easy to get her motivated because she gained strength every single week which was very motivating.As for me I'm 5'6 165 pounds when I'm not training.I have been on this program for the last month and half. My bench press is already up from 315 to 350. My squats are already at 475 coming from 315. My press went from 175 to 235. My deadlifts went from 275 to 405. I failed to mention that I have also gained 20lbs of muscle. Paired with a precise diet you cannot go wrong with this book. He even has diet plans in the book as well. Even what shoes to wear which is the sole reason why I bought my Nike ROMALEOS!!! That has also changed my entire perspective on lifting in running shoes. I think the important part I'm missing here is that I have had no injuries on these rotations. Jim Wendler has successfully defeated overtraining. That last week where you do lower percentages of your max are the best. It is so strange because that week you don't feel as though you trying too hard at all but when you come back that following week some how you've gone up 5-15 pounds in all your lifts. Well it's not some how its that recovery week that lets the deep tissue healing go into effect.I really recommend this book to anyone from beginners to advanced lifters.P.S.There are different versions of this workout to fit all sorts of life styles. I being in the military am pressed for time. Even the time crunching version of the 5/3/1 gave me more than satisfying results. Get this book you will not be disappointed. Oh Its also a short read! Quality over quantity!!

What I love about 5/3/1... It's based on clear and consistent principles, yet its not boring or monotonous because the variation it builds in keeps you fresh. Because the progression is programmed you always know what you supposed to do and when to do it, so you get a great feeling of satisfaction of small victories along the way. This is a very good thing when trying to build your strength because it invariably takes a long time to achieve something substantial. I love it that there are many ways to apply these simple principles to many different ways of training. Just pick one that suits you goals and schedule and stick at it. I wish I'd got this book at 18 instead of 47, then again I wish I'd read Mark Rippetoe's book at 16 not 45! Joe Weider did well for himself, but he didn't do that much for me.This is not a book for people who want to spend 3 weeks reading it, Wendler doesn't bother to explain or justify with references every single statement he makes, but who cares? all that stuff is out there on the internet if you want to read up on it. What this book does so well is cut through all the fog of theory, hype, fads and pseudo science, that you need a PhD to unravel, and says "do this, this and this... and stick at it and you'll to get stronger" and in the end, anyone with a brain and a barbell can do it.

There is no "fluff" in this book. Wendler tells you exactly why he created this system and what he and others have achieved with it. You get very useful breakdowns of technique for the 4 big lifts which are great to refer back to when you're lifting.A lot of the assistance work, warm up routines and cardio are suggestions rather than mandatory programs. People will have different requirements and should experiment to find what works best for them to support their compound lifting progress.I recommend this book to anyone who wants to lift heavy weights while avoiding injury and burnout, making steady progress each week.

5/3/1 is the best novice/intermediate program. The initial layout has its flaws: not enough volume, mainly. But Wendler has addressed that in Beyond 5/3/1, which you should also buy.

Training for 6 years and done a lot of the popular programs. Excel sheets online, reddit popularised programs, and even lifted versions of 531 that have made its way to the net but buying and reading the book gives 531 a proper understanding of principles. Lifting motivation too.

This is the best program I've ever done and the book is concise and cuts through a lot of the fads in fitness to just get you to work on the essentials. This is the second time I've started the program. The first time I didn't understand the significance of what to do when you stall on a lift. You will make massive progress and eventually stall but you need to recalibrate the lift.