Final Review
Sorry for the delay folks.
As those of you following my log know, I did the MetCon for Muscle (M4M) program in combination with 5/3/1. This was for 2 purposes:
- Monitoring my main lifts as an indication of recovery.
- To continue making progress with a tried and true strength template.
Early on in the program (like Day 1) I believed I would have the capacity to implement some CrossFit WODs in combination with this program… Then @Christian_Thibaudeau yelled at me for it, which was much deserved. In hindsight, there is NO way I was going to be able to manage M4M and WODs - especially being in a deficit.
Throughout the program, I was able to increase strength a good bit in my 5/3/1 exercises…
Starting Training Max Numbers:
Ending Training Max Numbers:
Regarding lifts performed as written in the M4M program, I increased weights in some of these areas, but it was significantly less dramatic (to be expected, considering the nature of the program). My times for workout completion did improve throughout the majority of this program, however.
Body composition did not change much to be honest, but my diet compliance was wavering towards the last 2 weeks or so… can’t expect training to make up for subpar diet. This brings me to my next point.
During the last 2 weeks of the program, I was feeling burnt out. Whether this is due to other life factors (probable) or a very taxing program (also probable) is hard to say exactly; I work full time, I’m in college as a full time student, and I have a family at home to look after… sleeping more than 6 hours is uncommon. Luckily the training sessions were rather quick, most were completed in around 30 minutes - which helped me balance the rest of life’s demands.
This was a very difficult program to follow in a commercial gym. If I weren’t one of ‘the big guys’ at my current gym, I think I would have been getting far more weird looks. If I had a more equipped home gym, or a gym which I could fully implement this training style without jamming a square peg in a round hole - this program would have been much more enjoyable for me. This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it, simply that the program was just logistically difficult to pull off.
I will say, that the way this program was written, with or without the addition of 5/3/1, confirms a long-held internal suspicion I’ve had about “The best of every world” training methods…
- Powerlifting is the best pathway to strength (obviously) but often produces under-conditioned trainees.
- Hypertrophy training is the ideal pathway to muscle growth, but often produces trainees lacking in strength/conditioning.
- The single best attribute to Strongman training IMO is picking up something that’s heavy and walking with it.
- CrossFit is the best pathway to overall functional strength and conditioning, but often produces athletes who appear muscularly under-developed and have subpar traditional compound lifts.
If one were to be able to combine these training methodologies intelligently, it would churn out some serious athletes - none of whom would be ‘under-developed’, ‘weak’, or ‘under-conditioned’. I think this program utilizes each of these lifting derivatives’s strengths to address any weaknesses brought on by traditional training methods.
In summary, I strongly recommend this program for anyone who wants to be functionally strong, cardiovascularly fit, and muscularly developed.
@Tim_Patterson @Jared_Maggard
Any and all are welcome to ask questions/make comments, but this log will no longer be upkept beyond this post and answering questions.
P.S Don’t get mad at me for generalizing every major weightlifting derivative; you know if you fit the stereotype of your category or not.
