I am doing 5/3/1 BBB @ 50% incorporating the ppl style accessories with one push one pull and one abs or neck movement each workout. I also replace my BBB 5x10 deadlifts with RDL but with the same rep scheme. I am seeing great results but I have no sex drive. i am a 6’1" 220lb 19% BF 19 year old male and on my 3 rest days, my legs (especially hamstrings) feel super tired. I don’t know what to remove. Also, I do BJJ 3 times a week and go to the beach about 3 days a week. I also haven’t taken one deload and have ran 3 cycles of 5/3/1 (because First ever cycle was only 3x10 BBB with no accessories just to get back after a 6 week recovery of tonsil removal and then I heard some people should do two cycles before 1 deload) so that might be the problem. My sleep is decent I get about 8-10 hours most days then 6 hours twice a week. As for food, I eat a shitload of clean food. As for supplements, I only take magnesium glycinate. So i don’t know where to go from here. Here are the options I have in mind.
Option 1: cut down BBB RDLS to 3x10
Option 2: Option 1 + cut down BBB Squats to 3x10
Option 3: Cut all non-BBB Accessory work down to 3x10
Option 4: Option 1+3
Option 5: Option 2 + 3
Option 6: Continue on just make sure to deload at the end of this cycle (I’m on last week before deload)
Option 7: Remove all accessories and just do BBB supplemental lifts
Here are my current accessories:
deadlift:
Dips
Pull Ups
Abs (10 sets 5 for leg lifts 5 for cable crunch)
Bench:
Lateral Raises
Barbell Row
Neck (10 sets 5 for forward and 5 for back)
Squat:
Incline Barbell Bench
Tricep Overhead
Abs (10 sets 5 for leg lifts 5 for cable crunch)
OHP:
Face Pulls
Bicep Curl
Neck (10 sets 5 for forward and 5 for back)
I just realized that this whole website is for enhanced lifters. I am not. I am natty. I just got annoyed with reddit because all the mods just asserting their power and coming up with dumb reasons to delete my post.
As for eating this is what I eat in a regular day:
In n Out
2 double doubles no spread tomato bun
Waba Grill order of rice
16 Oz Grilled Veal
12 oz of risotto salsiccia
4 average sized meatballs
12 oz minestrone soup
pint of haagen dazs strawberry
10 oz of milk with 2 scoops of grass fed whey isolate
Sleep quality I do not know. I don’t have a measuring device for that. I do get a good amount though, usually 8-10 hours and then like 6 hours maybe two days out of a week. My cardio is just jiu jitsu 3 days a week which with rolling is pretty solid and I got for a swim constantly in the ocean. BTW this sounds so dumb but I just realized this whole website is for enhanced lifters. I’m 100% natty and have never done any cycle of anything. I just started posting here because of the stupid mods on reddit.
What?? I missed the memo then. I’m a lifetime natty and have contributed quite a bit over the last 10 years or so. There are more than you think. Plus, alot of the enhanced lifters are TRT only, so not even supranatural levels, and their training and eating is still very applicable for most natties that don’t have dangerously low levels.
This is not true. But interestingly enough, a natural lifter is going to need to deload even more than an enhanced lifter, given that they cannot employ chemical assistance as a means to artificially enhance recovery, so it doubly makes sense to do that.
These are not things that are traditionally considered “clean”.
I grew up in San Diego. I love me some In n Out. American Cheese is simply not a clean food by any stretch.
I think whatever people believe on this is correct. It’s a vague notion. Enhanced…relative to what? I personally would be prone to saying yes, TRT is enhanced, but I also believe that “enhanced” is a very broad spectrum and this is the very low low end of what I consider enhanced. I believe there’s some inherent bias on either side of the discussion as well. Guys who have never used test can overstate just how much of a benefit it provides, while guys who have been on it forever tend to underestimate just how much it’s doing for them.
I more so was just meeting the OP where he was at, as I’m sure he was likely referring to several of the TRT crew when he said enhanced.
Listen to your body. I like 531 and do some variation of the program pretty much all the time but I think BBB is a stupid template and pretty much good for 3 cycles, max. I know some people do it for like a year straight and love high volume but that kind of training doesn’t agree with me. Try a different template, like original 531 (one top set AMRAP with upper/lower assistance), or the First Set Last (FSL) template, and see if it suits you better.
Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t taking synthetic test give you a pretty even and constant test level, whereas if you are natty your test levels can fluctuate based on all kinds of factors like stress, heat, fatigue, sleep, and diet? I’m not calling TRT users enhanced but I’m wondering if this difference is real or significant.
Sounds like you’re pushing hard! Maybe a bit too hard? Defo consider a deload (Option 6) and listen to your body. Those constant leg feels and low sex drive could be overtraining signs. Try Option 1 or 4 for BBB to lighten the load. BJJ and beach trips are awesome, but factor that activity level into your recovery needs. Need a thoughtful gift for a fitness enthusiast? Check out our gift baskets canada for the perfect recovery package!
