For the past 6 months ive been doing 5/3/1 BBB with good results. My lift numbers have gone up and ive seen an increase in size, but im starting to get a little bored. I go to a CF gym and use the workouts for my conditioning, and was doing them on top of 5/3/1 too and ended up fatigued. So heres my question, im looking at restructuring my program to this:
M-Squat and Shoulder Press 5/3/1 + arm acc.
Tu-CF
W-rest
Th-Deadlift and Bench 5/3/1 + arm acc.
F-CF
Sa-CF
Su-rest
Does this look pretty good? What acc. movements would you guys recommend for the arm work, and would you switch them each week or use the same couple of lifts and add weight each week? Ive never done a whole lot of iso stuff so im kind of learning as i go here, thanks in advance.
[quote]GetitUp wrote:
For the past 6 months ive been doing 5/3/1 BBB with good results. My lift numbers have gone up and ive seen an increase in size, but im starting to get a little bored. I go to a CF gym and use the workouts for my conditioning, and was doing them on top of 5/3/1 too and ended up fatigued. So heres my question, im looking at restructuring my program to this:
M-Squat and Shoulder Press 5/3/1 + arm acc.
Tu-CF
W-rest
Th-Deadlift and Bench 5/3/1 + arm acc.
F-CF
Sa-CF
Su-rest
Does this look pretty good? What acc. movements would you guys recommend for the arm work, and would you switch them each week or use the same couple of lifts and add weight each week? Ive never done a whole lot of iso stuff so im kind of learning as i go here, thanks in advance. [/quote]
What are your goals? Are you wanting to starting doing CF as in being semi competitive or just doing the Metcon’s for the hell of it? If the later then you have way to much time devoted to it and not enough to strength, if the former, then you don’t have enough time devoted to strength in my opinion. If you are just doing this to enjoy yourself then take off it makes you happy but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t render the physical results you are looking for.
There are so many variations withing 5/3/1 that you could go for 10 years, changing up the one you are doing every 6-week cycle and not repeat… Get the ebook “Beyond 5/3/1”, flip the book open to any page, and start there.
But then I happen to love 5/3/1 precisely because of that.
Not sure why all the hate, i didnt think i was switching up the routine enough to “fuck it up real fast.” Ive been doing 4 days 5/3/1 and 2-3 metcons a week anyway so its basically the same amount of work in the end, right? Ill just be lifting on different days than conditioning instead of doing both in one session. If thats incorrect then i could see where you’re coming from.
As for goals, not exactly 6pack and bi’s, just looking to cut a little bodyfat(probly 16-18% currently) while still building on 5/3/1. Not looking to be competitive at CF i just enjoy doing it. Also, if i could cut a few lbs then the bodyweight and gymnastics movements would be a little easier on me.
Changing stuff up when it’s not working makes perfect sense.
Changing stuff up when it’s working… well, it’s hard enough to find stuff that works well for you, why mess with it while it’s still working? Eventually it will probably stop working; that’s a much better time to make a change.
But the other question is: do you care more about getting results or being entertained? You can get both, but one has to take priority. That’s what’s going to drive your decision.
Most people are going to answer your questions assuming that you want results, hence the responses you got.
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As far as cutting BF, that’s going to come with diet, but I’m assuming you know that.
I can’t see anything wrong with changing a program after 6 months. I’d actually advise it as it can prevent overuse injuries and can add some spark and life back into training again if you are getting a little stale. Some of us feel invigorated by trying new things that a different program can offer. Hell just read what Christian Thibaudeau has done in the past few years.
The thing is whichever program you switch to it is generally planned in a certain way and is meant to be followed that way for a reason. One of the reasons a program is structured a certain way is for recovery purposes. Now if you go and add a whole lot of extra training to an otherwise solid program it may not yield the most productive results as it otherwise would because your body just isn’t recovering enough. You could also become lacking in energy and burnt out.
These are things to keep in mind. More is not always better.
Your goals are the important issue here.
If you want to get stronger then try one of Tim Henriques programs.
If it’s size your after then try a John Meadows or Clay Hyght program.
If you’d like to try some Cross Fit then get stuck into that but trying to mix them all into one may not be too productive.
You know what’s exciting and entertaining to me? Breaking PRs. If I am on a program that produces size and strength gains continally for a steady 6 months I would and he would be a idiot to change it up.
But, that’s just me I don’t need a new program to get excited I just need a extra rep or a few more pounds than a week or two ago. But maybe that’s why I have been able to consistently add 30-50lbs to my total ever 3 months I compete.
Nothing basicly wrong with your set up. You are doing 5/3/1 two days with CF conditioning.
I would drop the “arm stuff” though. Concentrate on getting stronger with 5/3/1 and give it your ll in CF. After a few cycles, see if it is actually “necessary”.
My problem with combining two work outs, is the mental part. Too many people will let one lag behind. Next thing you know, both are lagging, next thing you know you loose interest and so on and so forth.
“I have to go easy on legs today, I have lunges tomorrow”.
As a side note, take what I am about to say with a grain of salt.
Most people that get 'bored" are the people that have no goals. Once you find a goal worth reaching, nothing will stand in your way. Once the goal is reached, the feeling you get is amazing. You will now set your next goal because you are looking for that feeling again. It is quite contagious and rewarding.
[quote]GetitUp wrote:
Not sure why all the hate, i didnt think i was switching up the routine enough to “fuck it up real fast.” Ive been doing 4 days 5/3/1 and 2-3 metcons a week anyway so its basically the same amount of work in the end, right? Ill just be lifting on different days than conditioning instead of doing both in one session. If thats incorrect then i could see where you’re coming from.
As for goals, not exactly 6pack and bi’s, just looking to cut a little bodyfat(probly 16-18% currently) while still building on 5/3/1. Not looking to be competitive at CF i just enjoy doing it. Also, if i could cut a few lbs then the bodyweight and gymnastics movements would be a little easier on me. [/quote]
4 days of 5/3/1 and 2 days of conditioning(CF) sounds the best in my opinion. You can definitely build mass and cut some bodyfat with your nutrition locked in. What are you eating daily? This will have the biggest influence in your physique.
Reed- “bored” was a bad choice of words on my part, i enjoy doing 5/3/1 a lot and im definitely driven by results and PRs. For example, my last cycle on squats i got 11 reps on the 1+ set with the weight that was only about 5-10lbs less than my 1RM the last time i was lifting seriously so im pumped with that big time.
JFG- i feel you on the 2 lift workouts back to back, but ive done it both ways and dont really have a preference on either. One main reason i had thought about going to 2x a week is so that my CF workouts wouldnt interfere with my main lifts.
Ripsaw- i listed a typical days worth of diet in my “Nutrition Check” thread here on the beginner forum where Chris asked, but its quality meats and a lot of veggies and good fats.
Question for you guys that have done 5/3/1, did you notice any difference if you didnt do the lift on the same day of each week? In other words, it would work out much better for me doing 4x week if i could look at the CF workout and pick which lift would fit best before that workout. Does that make sense?
Well, the template you’re doing is called Boring But Big, so most people do find it boring, but the results are supposed to compensate for that.
I’ve never done 531 or CF… but another option that I’m surprised nobody has mentioned is to do the 531 “Not Doing Shit” template, where you basically just do the first lift (or maybe first two?) in standard 531 format.
You could then follow that with CF for accessory work instead of the standard BBB stuff. (WOD may need to be adjusted/shortened a bit to facilitate recovery)
With what you want to do, I really think you should check out some of Chad Wesley Smith’s articles on crossfit and training, the Juggernaut Method, maybe even see if you can get your hands on his Cowboy Method because he lays out a weekly plan to train with crossfit.
1 Man Island - thanks and thats pretty much what i’m doing at the moment. Seems to be working pretty well so far, as long as i stick to shorter workouts that aren’t huge volume. I’m also mixing in some tabata sets and some row/run intervals or weighted carries as conditioning finishers if i don’t do a WOD after lifting.
Jb - thanks man this sounds about perfect for what i’m looking for. I have heard of Juggernaut but have never really looked into it, i will be now.
Looks like for now i’ll stick to 4 days of 5/3/1 and just try to work my CF around the lift for the day. Coming up on a reset of my OH press, but everything else is coming along nicely. Is 10% still pretty much the standard deload percent?
[quote]GetitUp wrote:
Is 10% still pretty much the standard deload percent? [/quote]
Effectively: yes. You take your new tested max (once you stall, you automatically know your current max, right?) and use 90% of it as your new training max.
[quote]GetitUp wrote:
Is 10% still pretty much the standard deload percent? [/quote]
Effectively: yes. You take your new tested max (once you stall, you automatically know your current max, right?) and use 90% of it as your new training max.[/quote]
Thanks and one last question for you, i haven’t “technically” stalled yet. My last cycle i got 5 on the 5+ set(i did have to use a little dip to get the last one up), 3 on the 3+ set and 1 rep on the 1+ set. So should i go ahead and reset, or try the next cycle and see if i fail before resetting?