Hey fellas! I know your probably tired of me asking 5/3/1 questions but I can (almost) promise you this will be the last post. And Seriously thank you to anyone responding to my rookie questions!
Alright let’s get into it.
I’m referring to the boring but big 1st variation (linked above) for the rest of these questions.
So the program includes some ab assistance work on half the days for 5 sets. What about the reps? And weight? Does 5 sets of 10 reps work? And if so what exercises would you guys recommend.
The program also calls for 5 sets of 10 reps of lat work. Are bento over barbell rows a good choice for this? And if so what kind of weight should I choose. Moderate? Light?
One thing I worry about with the program is the ability for imbalances to be developed overtime (like one leg is stronger than the other.) Jim seems to realize this which is why he says
“For the squat variations, you can try doing one-leg exercises (lunges, step ups, one-leg squats). If you do this, I would limit the reps and perform 5 sets of 6 reps instead of 5 sets of 10 reps. Do not base the weights on any percentage. You would just choose a weight and get the job done.”
-How often do you guys think I should do these squat variations? Perhaps Every squat day as a substitute for my 5x10 BBB work?
-Is the 5 sets of 6 reps per leg?
-What does he mean by choose a weight? I thought lunges and step ups were only with body weight.
-is imbalances a serious concern or is it something not worth worrying about.
Again thank you for answering what are probably very obvious questions to you all.
I think this is probably the only thing you could do “wrong.”
The whole premise of Jim’s work is to do the main stuff well and the rest doesn’t matter. I’d do the main and the 5x10 and whatever floats your boat that fills out the rest of the days (I didn’t bother rereading the article, so I don’t remember the guidelines) for the first week and see how it goes. Experience tends to answer these kind of questions about what you want to do.
To the imbalance piece, specifically, you sure won’t develop any in a 6-week program.
Your getting a bit off into the weeds, but that’s ok. I think that is pretty typical of when newer lifters start using 531, especially when you find some of the stuff written around 10 years ago. That article is not necessarily beginner friendly, I think its more suited to lifters who have been running the program for quite a while, to give them a bit of variety with BBB.
In any case, as has already been said, just keep it simple.
I think he is intentionally vague here, because 5x10 of ab work could destroy some people at the start of a program. I speak from personal experience. Use a general rep range of 25-50 total reps. Follow the principles of the program, start light (or on the lower end of the rep range) and progress slowly. You can use the ab wheel on your squat day for as low as 15 total reps and build from there. Do a hanging leg raise or hanging knee raise on your deadlift day. If you prefer other movements do those.
I don’t think bent over barbell rows aren’t a good choice. You will be doing (potentially) a significant bit of lower body volume. The deadlift in particular will give your lower back a lot of stress, and another 10 sets per week of rows would be quite a bit of work. Your best bang for you buck would be DB rows in my opinion. You could do them on both pressing days. If you like variety just do a regular DB row on a bench on Bench Press day and a chest supported DB Row on an incline bench (DB in both hands at the same time) on Press day. If you still are set on the Bent Over Row, go ahead. The choice is yours, as are the consequences. Not saying anything bad will happen, but the potential for an overuse injury goes up the more you use a particular muscle/muscle group.
What are the principles of the program? Start light, progress slowly.
This is not something that requires worry, as it is easily addressed in training. And that isn’t the imbalance he is referring to. An example that would illustrate his point, is if a lifter did a lot of pressing, and little to no rowing/pulling. The increase in muscle mass for pressing without any upper back development (lats, rear delts, rhomboids, traps, etc.) will eventually lead to your pressing movements progress stalling, as the lifter doesn’t have a strong enough back to stabilize heavier loads during the pressing movements. Other things that could occur are poor posture, and shoulder pain/issues. Another example would be if a liter neglects their core, it would limit progress on squat and deadlift.
He means exactly what you wrote. You can do a single leg/lunge variation for 5x6 in place of a squat variation that would be for 5x10. Yes, it is for a total of 30 reps per leg.
Again, just follow the principles of the program. Start light. Bodyweight is fine, but you could always make them easier with assistance from holding onto a rack or using bands for assistance as well. But I seriously think, that if you are a newer lifter, you are going to get far better results doing a solid set of 5x10 of barbell back squats. Those are going to pack mass onto your whole body like nothing else will.
Final thoughts:
All your Main Work should be done for 5 reps. No PR sets. Save all your energy for the BBB work.
Start your BBB sets at 30% for all lifts. Its better if you can hammer through these workouts early on. Will build confidence and work capacity. If you find your training sessions are going very well, take shorter rest periods. If you are still hammering through feel free to increase 5-10% on the BBB sets. Don’t feel obligated to do this for all the lifts. I personally can hammer out squats for 5x10, but I don’t think I have ever been able to do 5x10 for Press. Different lifts have different rates of progress.
Set your Training Max light. 80% would probably be best. At most 85%.
If you haven’t already, consider buying one or more of the books. 531 2nd Edition and 531 Forever together is a winning combination. This will properly explain the program/methodology and give you loads of training options.
If you have any other questions about programming/progress your assistance movements, just message me directly. I won’t go into here. That could be a whole other thread entirely.