5/3/1 Beginner Assistance

Training 5/3/1
1

Workout A
Squat – 5/3/1 sets/reps, 5x5 @ FSL
Bench – 5/3/1 sets/reps, 5x5 @ FSL
Assistance work

Workout B
Deadlift – 5/3/1 sets/reps, 5x5 @ FSL
Press – 5/3/1 sets/reps, 5x5 @ FSL
Assistance work
Stats:
67 kg for 1RM BP: 75 SQ: 85 DL:120(all in kg)

  1. Can I do in the FSL sets for bench, close grip bench?

2)What assistance should I do? Is it okay do to 3 exercise if I did in total 100 reps?

  1. Should I add lateral raise if my goal is being aesthetic too and not only strong?

Push ups 5x10
Chin up 5x6-10
Row 4x10-14
SS lateral raise & face pull 3x10-15
Split squat 3x8-12
Rdl/back raiee 3x10-14
SS Abs & calves 4x8-15

Is it too much for assistance?

2

Personally, I would start simple, observe what happens and adjust from there. If things go wrong you have a baseline and a simple way to capture the impacts of changes.

If you start with lift variations, complex assistance work plus seek validation from external places you just set yourself up for victimhood. No way to measure anything, someone else to point the finger to.

2 Likes
3

One of the best things I’ve ever done. Making small changes over time really show you how your program is actually working or not.

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  1. I’ve used volume sets (5x5, 5x10) as an opportunity to do variations on the main lift sometimes. When I did BBB, and 5x10 at 50%, I used a wider grip and a Guillotine press to the nec. Doing 5x5 at 75% right now though, (with 7x5 at 75% to come) I tend to treat the same as my 5/3/1 work.

2 & 3. Three assistance exercises are what I’ve done, emphasizing pulls. From your list, chin-ups, rows, and face pulls would be my preference - supersetting where I can to save time.

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5

What would you suggest to start with?

6

Do the standard template with one or two assistance movements from each category. Choose assistance that will help the main lifts and don’t skip conditioning.

Keep a log and try to learn something from each cycle that you can apply to the next. There’s hundreds of templates, understand you goals and use the templates, your goals and your log to guide your training decisions.

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8

Mate if I will have more volume of push than pull I will suffer from different problems it is known.

So if I have 40/34 reps of push every workout and more 50 reps of push ups I need 100 reps of pull don’t you think?
Also if I want to have healthy rotator cuff should I do rear delt exercise in addition to the 100 pull reps?

And what about legs? My quads and hams don’t need at least 30-50 reps to grow?

My goal is to get stronger and bigger as the same and I really appreciate your opinion.

9

See my previous post. You won’t have all the answers up front, dont let that lead you to failure from the start.

If you start to experience issues, note it in your log and adjust.

Eg. Cycle 3: Did less than 30 reps on leg assistance work and my leg fell off. I need more assistance work.

Cycle 22: didnt do direct rear delt work for 2 cycle and now I walk like a chicken. Include rear delt in some form in each cycle.

10

Have you tried all that assistance?
On top of this

Put all the effort to that one topset of 531 then work really hard on the 5x5 FSL on staying tight, bracing hard focusing on bar speed.
AND then do about an hour of assistance.
Do some BPA/face pulls between bench and OHP. and you’ve event out the press/pull question.

Assistance is what it is: assistance.
do 50 pushups one day 50 dips another
pullups one day row another
Do single leg work one day - core work the other.

531 is all about that one main top set, then some on the backoff sets. And assistance if there’s anything left.

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12

The number of reps isn’t necessarily what’s important. You have to take into account what kind of work you’re doing. 50 chins will give your back just as much, if not more, work than 100 push ups will give the front. Put some quality work in on chins and rows, and maybe throw in face pulls sometimes, and you’ll be fine.