I’d really like to start on 5-3-1, but I’m wondering if any adjustments could be made for someone with my low of lifts. When I start the program I’ll probably be taking in 4000-5000 calories a day and trying to gain weight like mad. Considering that my bodyweight will be going up, and that Im still a novice with pretty good recovery ability I would like to add more weight to the bar after each cycle then recommended. 10 pounds on the upperbody lifts and 20 on the lower body lifts.
I’m fairly certain I would recover from this (advanced SS would still have me adding between 5-10 pounds a week to the bar for lower body lifts so I can’t see any reason I would burn myself out as I would be adding less weight total to my lifts a month with 5-3-1 then I would be with most other useful programs for a novice/ intermediate)
In a year of following the recommended increases, your 1 rep max in the squat in the high 300s, your deadlift in the 400s, bench around 250, and OH press around 180-185, which is faster progress that the average gym rat will ever see.
Do what you must. With this program if the weight increase is not enough you make up for it by getting more reps on the last set. Try doing the program as designed, if your recovery is as good as you think you can increase the weight on your assistance work faster. The assistance lifts are basically whatever you want, theres no rule there saying you can only add X lbs per cycle.
[quote]sufiandy wrote:
Do what you must. With this program if the weight increase is not enough you make up for it by getting more reps on the last set. Try doing the program as designed, if your recovery is as good as you think you can increase the weight on your assistance work faster. The assistance lifts are basically whatever you want, theres no rule there saying you can only add X lbs per cycle.[/quote]
I fully agree with this, and think most would say the same if you asked it on the established 5/3/1 thread.