[quote]Cephalic_Carnage wrote:
DJS wrote:
CC, I lied yesterday when I said I didn’t have any questions I guess… he he he. Can you help a guy out with his 5/3/1 set up? I am just finishing up my deload week of the first cycle. I followed the book exactly with the Boring But Big workout. So that means as you know that I didn’t do any direct arm work, calves, etc.
I followed the four day a week model. I was hoping you could help me out with how much of that stuff I should add and where. I’m a natty regular joe. I would like to watch my volume to ensure I progress but as I’m not a powerlifter I don’t feel like not doing a curl for six months either. I already feel a bit weaker at the top of my bench press from not doing any close grip benches this last month. But maybe thats in my head.
So I could keep following boring but big for all 4 lifts and just add on an exercise or two for bis, tris, and calves or I could abandon BBB and follow a more traditional BB split besides those 4 lifts. Inlcines for chest assistance instead of more flat work etc. I’m just trying to be smart about it. Any thoughts?
Have a look at that those 2 different routines I posted recently in here. (first one was 5/3/1 on a 4-way split with 1 week waves and every muscle-group hit once a week.
The other one was similar but with regular 5 3 1 frequency (4 workouts over 3 days per week cycled) where bodyparts are hit as frequently (1.5/week) as in DC via assistance work, pretty much same number of exercises etc… I’d look into that one if I were you.
Also, I’d suggest using the 65, 75, 85 table for loading parameters for 5 3 1 exercises (i.e. the table were those numbers make up wave 1) and only do, as mentioned in my other posts, either 1 top set, 2 top sets (different weight perhaps) or 1 RP set (where appropriate and don’t use it too much) or so (perhaps 3x5 but I wouldn’t do it) on your assistance exercises. 1 top set approach will keep the workload especially manageable…
Post your exercise selection etc once you’ve decided (or if you decide to use the template(s) at all).
[/quote]
Ok so I went and found it. I believe you are talking about this one…
Day 1 - Chest/Back
-Low-Incline Bench 5/3/1
-Flat DB presses or HS machine presses ramped up over 3 sets or so. 6-12 on top-set, or 8-15, whatever you want (7-9?).
-Bent-Over Rows 5/3/1 (could do rack pulls or deadlifts here, but you’ll then pretty much be limited to machine work on leg day if you don’t want too much low-back overlap) If you do rows here, you pretty much don’t really row with your biceps or anything. You sort of shrug the shoulders backwards and retract your scapulae, as if you wanted to get into PL bench position. That should bring the bar pretty much against your abs already, unless you have very long arms. It’s important not to turn this into just a bicep+lat exercise, but actually hit your backthickness musculature.
-Rack Chins/Pulldowns/Pullups/HS lat work… 3-4 sets, ramped, 8-15 reps on top set
Day 2 - off
Day 3 - Legs
-Back Squats 5/3/1 (or front-squats or whatever)
(could do a leg-press widowmaker here, no warm-ups necessary, normally)
-Parillo Stiff-legged Deadlifts or reverse hypers or glute-ham-raises or lying leg curls… 3-4 sets, might want to go a little higher in the reps, 8-15 where you can… Obviously difficult with glute-hams.
-Calf work 3-4 sets, ramped… Either DC calf-protocol or a regular set.
Day 4 - Delts(+Traps if needed)
-Overhead Press variant (Smith High Incline Shoulder Presses or HS or whatever) 5/3/1
-Lateral Raise Machine 3-4 sets, ramped, 8-15
-Reverse Pec Deck 3-4 sets ramped, 8-15
-Shrug Variant (if you want), 3-4 sets ramped, 8-15.
Day 5 - Arms
-Tricep Press variant (In-Human Smith, Wide-RGB Smith with DC grip, Elbows tucked CGP PL setup, HS Dip Machine, Close-grip Board Presses elbows tucked…) 4 sets ramped, 6-12 or 8-15, your call. Alternatively you could even use 5/3/1 here, too.
-Extension and/or pullover variant (PJR pullover/extensions, Lying EZ extensions from a dead stop behind the head… Lie either on the floor and don’t use bigger plates than the 22.5’s or whatever you guys have, or lie on a bench and let the bar rest on the bench behind your head. Keep upper arms at an incline…, Rolling DB Extensions, Face-Away/Scott Extensions) 3-4 sets ramped, 8-15
-Alt. DB Curls, EZ Curls, whatever. 3-4 sets ramped, 6-12 (or 5/3/1 if it’s a bar-curl and you want to try that out 
-Pinwheel Curls or Alt. Hammers or whatever, 3-4 sets ramped, 8-15
(you can do some machine curls + pushdowns here if you want)
-off
-off
I need to do some thinking about this because I was doing 5/3/1 for both squats and deadlifts. Would like to keep that up but not going to do it on back to back days like that.
I was doing
day 1
shoulders 5/3/1 + pullups
day 2
Deadlift 5/3/1 abs
day 3 off
day 4
chest 5/3/1 & back thickness
Day 5
Squat 5/3/1 + assistance
If I kept the big 4 exercises in the same days I guess I could take your shoulder day directly for day 1
Day 2 had deadlift there but dont want to bench theday after shoulders so maybe back and tris as you describe
Day 3 off
Day 4 Chest as you have it and bis as you have it
Day 5 Legs as you have it basically.
How does that sound? Will have a day off after tris before i have to bench. not sure if thats enough. I guess i could do chest/tris and back bis.
Things to know… I work out at home and don’t have access to machines at all. But I have a dip station, pull ups, dip belt, etc. dumbells up to 120s and olympic barbell stuff. incline, decline, flat, squats. So no leg curls but can SLDL etc. No leg press, but can squat, lunge, barbell hack squat etc. and definitely no smith machine. I know you love that thing. 
