5/3/1 SST in 3 Days?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
1

Hi all

I’ve been making great progress on 5/3/1 over the last year and wanted to pick up the SST template because I love the idea of periodizing another 4 big lifts. However I can only make it to the gym 3x a week and wanted to somehow make SST work on a 3 day split.

The best way I managed to do that was to put Squats on Press day, drop tricep assistance from that day (since it already has close grip press), and drop the hamstring/low back/abs assistance for the squat day, and move the SLDLs to Deadlift day and just use those as the hamstring assistance there.

Essentially the end result is as follows. Is this a huge mess up? Or something I can work with? Any suggestions for improvement? Ideally trying to keep it at no more than 6 lifts per session just like the original SST

Day 1:
Squat 5/3/1
Press 5/3/1
Close Grip Bench 10/8/5 (sst progression)
Lats 3x10
Upper back 3x10
Bicep 3x10

Day 2:
Deadlift 5/3/1 (semi-sumo style, which helps me justify adding SLDLs here)
Front Squat 10/8/5
SLDL 10/8/5
Back extension or GHR 3x10
(Maybe triceps 3x10 to make up for dropping it from day 1?)
Abs 3x10

Day 3 (Bench day exactly as is in the book)
Bench 5/3/1
Incline 10/8/5
Lats 3x10
Upper back 3x10
bis 3x10
Tris 3x10

Thank you for your time

2

Doesn’t the book set out three day variations?

EDIT: IMO there is too much assistance. I’ve run two lifts on the same day and generally I find it hard to get much assistance in beyond bare necessities.

3

It didn’t have 3 day variations of Simplest Strength.
In my experience, squatting and pressing the same day has been fine. And the amount of volume per session here is the same as what was outline in the Simplest Strength template in the book.

4

I wouldn’t do this or have any athlete I work with do this. But if this is what has worked in your years of experience, I think you should do it. You know yourself better than me.

5

What about it wouldn’t you implement?

6

I’d change the main lifts, the supplemental and the assistance. I’d also include jumps, throws and conditioning work (and mobility work).

1 Like
7

Interesting. Well this is based exclusively on your simplest strength template…with just a few tweaks to make it 3 days.

Do you have any other suggestions to implement your Simplest Strength template on a 3 day schedule?

8

I would just add in an extra day of rest to the regular program. I don’t think it has to be any more complicated. Have a A B C D workout (one workout for each main lift) and let’s say you can work out Monday Wednesday Friday. So first week is workout A on Monday, workout B on Wednesday, workout C Friday then when the following Monday rolls around you do workout D. After that I think you get the pattern. I’ve done so much better with this set up then I did with trying to jam a four day routine into three days. Just my two cents for what it’s worth.

9

Thank you. I have seen that suggestion in the book too and am starting to incline towards it. I’m assuming I would skip the deload week then?

10

No you would not. Deload after every or every second cycle.