Beyond 531 Advanced Program for Bench?

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
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Hi Jim. Been using your program (with some tweeks based on physical impairment) for years now. Its been a great adventure. I’ve gone from grinding out a single at my bodyweight to competing in bench meets, setting a couple of national, European and World federation records (para category) I’m competing in a federation world championship in just over a month. It’s been a great adventure so far, thank you for the program that’s brought me this far!

Just wondering, do you think that the advanced program in Beyond would bring my bench to a higher level? I’ve reached a point where my training max is almost reaching my actual max, deloading just brings me back to the same point again, and rep records would be just adding about 1 or 2 reps to the top set, and doing that leaves me fairly flat for a period after. This is all just for my bench. To give an example, for this next meet, my training max currently equals my personal best, and is only a couple of kilos lower than my meet goal. My lower body lifts are fine working off the classic template because I deliberately keep the training max low.

How about switching my bench over the advanced program? I’m going to do nothing different before this next meet, because it ain’t the time for experimenting, but I’m looking at putting a plan in place for next year.

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One cycle left before this meet - so possibly deload to 90% and run classic template for this cycle, single at second attempt on 3 week, no singles for 5 and 531 weeks, then one week deload, then meet, then plot next approach for next year. That’s where the advanced program may come in?

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It could work - you’d have to really look at your training notebook and see what helped your bench before. Obviously, it may not work again HOWEVER, you can mine it for information. I do this every so often in order to keep my head on straight and keep me on the correct path.

For example, find out what frequency, what volume, what intensity, what movements, etc. seemed to work for you. Also take note about what you were doing in the squat and deadlift (and whatever other lifts you were doing). Training doesn’t exist in a vacuum; everything effects everything.

If you want to give it a shot, do it! Believe in it and be stubbornly consistent. If it doesn’t work, that’s fine. Just one more step closer to success.

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