6’, 190lbs, 38 yrs old. Newbie here, only been lifting for just under 2 years in my garage gym. That being said I am hooked and I’m in it for the long haul. My 1rm’s are low compared to most of the beasts on here and as per Jim “I’m weak because I’m weak”. Goals are to increase size and strength. Below is my current template.
Sunday: Overhead 5/3/1 sets, BBB Overhead 5x10, Barbell Row 5x10
Monday: Deadlift 5/3/1 sets, BBB Front Squat 5x10, Weighted Sit-up 5x15
Wednesday: Bench 5/3/1 sets, BBB CGBP 5x10, Pull-up 5x10
Thursday: Squat 5/3/1 sets, BBB SLDL 5x10, Ab Wheel 5x15
1RM - squat 265, deadlift 310, bench 180 & press 100
I mixed up the BBB lifts to make life a little less boring. Is this ideal to help increase the main lifts or because I’m still a rookie should I just stick with the exact BBB layout as detailed in the 2nd Edition & Beyond?
This is one thought: You should probably do sets of ten with the bench on OHP days, by the book, and vice versa until you are benching BW on the bar for your sets of 10. I’d only think about making changes to the exercises after you’d gone at least one whole block (4 weeks) without hitting a PR. And then, change the assistance work when you know why you’ve stopped making progress. The reasons for the stall should guide the exercise selection (triceps, hams, etc). With the weights you are moving, you need as many reps as you can get with the actual lifts.
Thanks for the advice, it definitely makes sense to stick to the original layout until my numbers are up. The only reason I decided on CGBP for my BBB sets was to make it a bit tougher. The weight I use at 50% is fairly easy at the moment. I guess there wouldn’t be anything wrong with increasing the percentage on those sets until my lifts go up…