Another Thank You to Jim

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
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Hey all, just wanted to drop in here and leave a thank you to Jim for the knowledge he has put into the 5/3/1 program. I have been following it since last August (2017) and never have I had results like I have with his programming. My initial 1rm were as follows

OHP 140
Squat 212
Bench 205
Deadlift 288
Bodyweight 198
Using the templates from the beyond book and ideas I found through the forums and blog posts have gotten me to these numbers as of last week

OHP 173
Squat 329
Bench 273
Deadlift 418
Bodyweight 228
Yes these are the new estimated 1rm as I don’t test max strength that often but back in January I did a max effort week and my numbers were on par with what the estimates were. The program is so easy there’s no thinking. I’m 39 years old and work shift work 6-7 days a week with 3 kids who all have things going on. I’m in and getting work done before the average guy at my gym is done warming up. There’s been a few times where things weren’t going well for a few days, I was able to adjust the program on the fly to accommodate. Take a week off for Vaca? No problem just see where I was last week and repeat the cycle to ease back into it. I’m watching guys struggle at the same weights for the last 6 months and I’m slowing inching past them . I actually had a bigger bodybuilding bro come up to me the other day and tell me I’m looking good . He’s noticed the work . This all done with a simple effective program . Combined with just stuffing my face with decent food I’ve never been stronger . I’m now considering entering a meet sometime in the future. And I made my daughters last date nervous at the door when I met him. Life is good and it’s thanks to Jim and all the knowledge he shares with us.
So I just wanted to leave a thank you post here and let you know I love the program.

Have a great day all

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Great to hear man! Keep at it!

Just out of curiosity what 531 templates/programs did you run during this time?

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At the start to keep it easy and no thinking I stuck with BBB for a couple cycles then switched to FSL. I stayed with fsl the most really. And made sure I did some accessory work that complemented my lifts. Nothing crazy. Recently for bench and OHP I added in 5s pro as written in beyond. So doing a complimentary accessory with 5 reps at the same % as the main. So after OHP I would do close grip bench at same percents as the work sets . I did have to find a TM for that but it wasn’t hard. Now as I start to look into more actual powerlifting I’ve changed up some accessories and added things like pause bench at 85% for 5s . But the core work has always been 5/3/1. Dips, rows, and ab wheel are constants in my programming. Sometimes I do pull-ups between presses but if I’m not feeling it I make sure there’s some sort of pulling like face pulls or cable rows or something. Also fridays after squats and accessories are done I usually do a bunch of barbell curls cuz it’s the weekend baby . Curls for the girls.

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