I used the black iron beast calculator. If I look at the 3 months, all the main lifts are the same weight every week.
Only the assistance exercises go up every week.
Because you haven’t adjusted your TM every month. You need to do that, the calculator doesn’t do it for you. This is the issue when using a calculator instead of understanding the method.
Just because I’m nice, and waiting for my car to be fixed, I’ve calculated your squat main work below so you can get a feel for how this should work:
Month 1:
5 x 72.5kg, 82.5kg, 92.5kg
3 x 77.5kg, 87.5kg, 97.5kg
5 x 82.5kg, 3 x 92.5kg, 1 x 105kg
All weeks: BBB is 5 x 10 @ 55kg
Month 2:
5 x 75kg, 85kg, 97.5kg
3 x 80kg, 92.5kg, 102.5kg
5 x 85kg, 97.5kg, 107.5kg
All weeks: BBB is 5 x 10 @ 70kg
Month 3:
5 x 77.5kg, 90kg, 102.5kg
3 x 85kg, 95kg, 107.5kg
5 x 90kg, 3 x 102.5kg, 1 x 112.5kg
All weeks: BBB is 5 x 10 @ 85kg
So as you can see, the weights increase. Please read the article or book and learn how the program works because if you don’t, it probably won’t.
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Ah okay. Strange the calculator doesn’t do that. That’s how you get in trouble.
Do I have to put on the couch and press 2.5kg and on deads and squat 5k every 3 weeks? do the steps in between also matter?
Also have a question about week 4. In a previous post Allberg mentioned this:
Why is week 4 3x 65% and not 65%, 75% and 85%?
Thanks for your patience and explanation! Understand you’re getting a little tired of it 
I’m going to order the book and read it.
edit: i bought the book.
It was a typo
You’re going to have to clarify what you mean here
oh, I meant the bench. Autocorrect lol.
Example
Month 1, Week 1
press
5 × 22.5
5 × 27.5
3 × 32.5
5 × 37.5
5 × 42.5
5 × 47.5
bench press
10 × 57.5 [15,2.5,1.25]
10 × 57.5 [15,2.5,1.25]
10 × 57.5 [15,2.5,1.25]
10 × 57.5 [15,2.5,1.25]
10 × 57.5 [15,2.5,1.25]
Month 1, Week 4 ( i start with month 2)
press
5 × 25
5 × 30
3 × 35
5 × 40
5 × 45
5 × 50
bench press
10 × 70
10 × 70
10 × 70
10 × 70
10 × 70
What do you mean with the steps in between?
Anyway, no. Not every three weeks. Every four weeks.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4, increase TM
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7 (DELOAD)
Week 8, increase TM
And, it’s 5 pounds for upper body lifts (bench, press) which is less than 2.5 kg. 10 pounds for lowering body lifts (deadlift, squat) which is less than 5 kg.
If you increment your TM with what you wrote out you’ll stall quicker.
I saw your edit. You increase your TM by 5/10lbs respectively. Not all your set weights.
Never mind. i already got it i think.
I Thank you. I’ll adjust my program and every new cycle i’ll add 10 pounds to lower excercises and 5lbs to upper exercices.
i also will read the book. Then it will all become clearer.
Edit: i bought the wrong book. the challenge is in the beyond book.
You don’t need that book just for the challenge. 5/3/1 is what you need to understand.
Did you get Forever?
No, i got the 5/3/1 2nd edition.
Ah, you’ll be fine. You have the article to refer to,
2 Likes
Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for everything!
I’ll give you an update on the progress.
At the moment I’m in month 2 on week 2.
The first month everything felt very light of course. Now in month 2 it is a lot heavier.
Just finished training day 3 of week 2, bench press 5/5/3/3/3 and military press 5x10.
The last set of bench presses I had 107.5kg. This one was very heavy and I barely made it. before I started this schedule I did 3x110. So it looks like I’ve become a bit weaker.
The 1st week of the 2nd month I just didn’t reach the last set of 10 with bench presses and with militairy press I didn’t reach the last set of 10.
Now I make it with bench presses and militairy press on 2 repetitions not.
The assistance of the assistance I take heavy weight and don’t track it.
My question to you: is everything going according to plan and isn’t it strange that I barely made the set?
Weaker?
Or Fatigued.
I think people underestimate the effect of accumulated fatigue on perceived strength.
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You don’t want to use heavy weight on assistance movements at any time while running Boring But Big. Do light ab work, light arm work, and maybe some chin ups. Anything more intense than that will screw up your main lifts and your Boring But Big sets.
If your best before you started this program was 3 x 110kg, there is no way you should be using 107.5kg already.
3 x 110kg gives you an estimated 1RM of 120kg so your week 2 top set should be at 100kg max, but probably 92.5kg. It should also be either 5 reps or beating a previous max, not sets of 3.
Tl:dr: you’re either starting too heavy or trying to progress too quick. Reread the book and do it as Jim suggests because we know that way works.
2 Likes
I am at week 2 from month 2. I used the calculator from black iron beast.
3 x 110kg gives an e1RM at the start of the program of 120kg
Using a 90% TM (which is not usually recommended for 3 month challenge):
TM for first cycle = 108kg
TM for 2nd cycle = 110kg
Giving a week 2 topset of 100kg
Using an 85% TM (usually recommended for the challenge):
TM for first cycle = 102kg
TM for 2nd cycle = 104kg
Giving a week 2 topset of 92.5kg
Edit:
I’ve just plugged the numbers you’ve given me into the blackironbeast calculator and it comes out with essentially the same numbers as me. I genuinely don’t know where you’ve got 107.5kg from
Yeah you’re right. I don’t know what went wrong. what do you suggest now? Recalculate the program en re-do month 2 with the right numbers?