Do you deload every 3 weeks or every 6 weeks?
Are you running the weeks 5/3/1 or 3/5/1/?
Deloading every 6 weeks. I’m running 3/5/1, not PR-ing at the 5s week.
If you deload every 3 weeks, you won’t interrupt your training cycles, and will be aligned with how 5/3/1 was originally laid out. 1 cycle, deload, 1 cycle, deload.
Although I’m underperforming on the 1s week, and I think it’s because of the PR set on 3s week, and not completely resting on the 5s week like on a deload week.
Do you think on peak cycles, deloading inbetween is usually the case?
I pretty much never peak to be able to say. But performance is about fatigue management.
Jim has made recommendations in the past to not go for PR sets on the middle week, and just hit bare minimums.
So how would you get stronger? Sometimes some rest from volume is required as far as I understand, so peaking is sometimes necessary to drop the volume. With me I feel like intensity is harder on me than volume.
Yep I’m doing that, but maybe I need to go even lower, like cutting/dropping the FSL sets.
So how would you get stronger?
Accumulation. That’s when strength is build: peaking is just realizing it. I don’t need to realize it. Even as a competitor, I’d rather just keep accumulating and compete as is vs peak for a competition.
Sometimes some rest from volume is required as far as I understand
Yeah, this is intensification. That’s absolutely what I do in between accumulation phases.
But if you would’ve realized it, you would be stronger in your accumulation phase, and thus perform better.
I can’t say that I agree with that.
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3/5/1 PR Sets FSL 3s week
So I decided to do a deload next week. This week is going horrible, I’m very fatigued and nothing moves so it’s time for some rest.
The warmups on deadlifts were hard, and I knew this isn’t going to be a strong session. I’m not even mad about that, I know now I’m fatigued, whether it’s CNS or muscle fatigue, so I know what’s the problem and am gonna fix it.
So I would be doing a deload, after that I wont be doing another peak cycle, that’s enough and I rather reset and do it better later. My plan is going back to accumulation. I don’t know if I would be doing BBB, I’m thinking about BBS, but it seems like I recover better from volume rather than intensity. Jim recommends doing FSL with this program, but it’s going to be pretty intense. 10x5? Damn that’s pretty long. I usually rest 3 minutes, so only the supplemental work will take me half an hour, whereas on BBB it takes me about 10-15 minutes, if I’m not doing FSL.
If I’m doing FSL, then BBS would be easier I feel like, but I don’t plan to. I lean more to BBS because it’s for strength, and BBB is just hypertrophy mainly. BBS without FSL would be pretty easy, so I need to think about it.
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Earlier, you and I discussed a GPP/conditioning focused block of training, and your response was that you didn’t believe it was necessary.
Seeing you struggle with recovery and saying this
I usually rest 3 minutes
Leads me to, once again, believe it may be helpful.
I hear you, but I’m resting 3 minutes not because I can’t anymore, it’s just a specific rest time I’m giving myself. On BBB supplemental lifts I rested about 2 minutes, even less.
On FSL, I rest 3 minutes, so I can make sure I won’t miss any rep and compromise my technique. Do you really think it’s because I’m not conditioned? I think I’m conditioned, I’m not gasping for air between sets, I’m fairly calm throughout the workout. I play basketball and I have no problem with running. I probably can do it in less time, but why?
I probably can do it in less time, but why?
Because of this
Damn that’s pretty long. I usually rest 3 minutes, so only the supplemental work will take me half an hour, whereas on BBB it takes me about 10-15 minutes, if I’m not doing FSL.
And this
so I can make sure I won’t miss any rep and compromise my technique.
If it CAN be done in less time, the second issue isn’t an issue and it will resolve the first issue. If it truly can’t be done in under 3 minutes, time spent improving conditioning will improve the ability to recover between sets such that it can be done in less time, which will resolve that.
I don’t find FSL weights heavy enough that a set of 5 of them requires 3 minutes of recovery. If you do find that to be the case, it’s something that could be addressed, which will improve overall ability to recover, which would include your ability to recover from intensity.
I imagine all your basketball playing has made you very talented at basketball, which is going to reduce it’s effectiveness as far as conditioning/GPP goes.
I can reduce the rest time, I just want to get the volume in without impacting recovery after the workout. I also said that BBB supp sets take me 10-15mins so ~2 minutes per set.
You might be right, I never tried, I just worry about recovering after the workout, thinking it may fatigue me more. My logic is that if I get the volume in, with a reasonable rest time, then I’m good to go. That’s what I saw also in many sources.
Is doing 5/10 (10 if doing BBS) sets of FSL suitable for deadlifting? I see that Jim recommends doing 3/8 sets because it can be more fatiguing.
Yep it made me pretty good throwing toilet paper into the toilet.
I can reduce the rest time, I just want to get the volume in without impacting recovery after the workout.
And I am saying you won’t have that concern if you’re better conditioned.
Is doing 5/10 (10 if doing BBS) sets of FSL suitable for deadlifting? I see that Jim recommends doing 3/8 sets because it can be more fatiguing.
I’ve never struggled with high sets of deadlifts, but I’m built to deadlift. It’s going to depend on the individual.
Thank you for your advice. I’ll try to implement it.
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3/5/1 PR sets FSL 3s week
Great OHP workout today. Did 62.5x7 as a PR set, and it went smooth. Jumped to 67.5x2 joker, went good as well. Today I took shorter rest times other than the PR set and the joker, so I finished my FSL sets in like 10 minutes including pull ups. Did 7 sets of dips as well with some rows, also with short rest times. Biceps and done.
Definitely felt my heart rate more elevated, but it didn’t hold me back.
Next week a deload because I’m aborting this peak cycle. Still haven’t decided if I’m gonna do BBS with FSL or BBB after the deload. BBB gave me a good amount of muscle, mainly in the legs. It didn’t give me as much as I wanted on my front upper body, but back growed very good as well. So I’m still conflicted, should I bring my horse from 2nd place to a winner, or should I try a new horse that may win? I’ll think about it.
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If you want to prioritize upper body pressing muscles, there’s always 5/3/1 Building the Monolith. 200 dips will do some good.
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Yeah definitely. Next cycle anyway I will be adding more dips. My plan is to just add another 5 sets of dips in a upper body session, so in total 10 sets, and totaling 200 reps per week. I started emphasising my chest more on the dips, and it definitely grew some.
I don’t like doing two big lifts at the same day. I rather just add another day. But sure I’ll take some influence from it.
Another great way to get in extra pressing volume is to sneak it into conditioning. Bodyweight circuits with push ups and dips.