How about we share some success stories, lets give Jim something good to read instead of him having to answer the same questions for people that don’t want to take the time to research.
I’m 5’9 and weigh 260, i’ve been lifting since 2010 but have been focused on powerlifting for only 1 year. I’m drug free for right now, trying to wait as long as i can stand it before “playing that card.” I’m on my 10th cycle and have made strength gains every where. When I started my best lifts were a 410 bench, 250 press, 495 deadlift, and 425 squat.
Obviously my bench press was ahead of my squat and deadlift, didn’t care about those until i competed for the first time last Feburary. In only 4 cycles I got a 70lb PR and pulled 565, I could not believe the strengh I had gained. But of course with my luck after my deload week I came in still excited from my huge PR and didn’t take enough time to warm up and aggrivated a previous lower back injury, I have 2 slipped discs.
Took a few weeks off but hurt it again a couple months later so I dropped the deadlift out of my program and added front squat. I am doing alot of ab and lower back work hoping that I can start deadlifting again. In 4 cycles I have taken my front squat from 335 to 370, i started with a set of 285x6 and last week i got 295x8. Since I have dropped the deadlift i’ve been focusing alot more on my squat wich I have taked from 425 to 475 (no wraps) in the past 4 cycles. Havent got a new 1rm on bench yet but i have went from 315x8 to 325x10, and my press is up to 275. PR’s across the board!!! I love this program and all the options it gives me and I love Jim’s no bullshit “Just shut up and lift something” way of writing.
I bought 2nd Edition of 5/3/1 last March. I ran a couple of cycles and enjoyed the training. Then I decided to do my first bodybuilding show in September so my training and diet totally changed. After the show in September I decided I want to get stronger, finally get to the elusive 300 lb bench and deadlift 495. I bought Beyond 5/3/1 and started first week of October. I’ve noticed progress on all my lifts, but especially my deadlift.
First week I did 280x9. I’m in my 6th cycle and two weeks ago I did 340x13 on my 5/3/1 week and on the 5s week of the next cycle I did 315x18. The bar is just jumping up off the ground! I started with the Beyond Hypertrophy Challenge and liked it so much I’m repeating it. I have changed up the assistance just to keep it interesting.
I also bought a Prowler and as soon as the snow and ice melt I’m going to start hitting that thing hard. I don’t have abs anymore but I don’t care because I’m much stronger now than I was in September. Plus I love eating!
I don’t know if I should ruin this thread with my measly numbers or not but here’s an old cyborg guy (over 30 with some metal in my knee). I started with the original 5/3/1 last fall and now I have switched over to the Beyond. My starting numbers were really really nowhere:
Just a quick one. When I started little over a 1 1/2 years ago I couldn’t even DL 40kg with proper form I was a weak ass stoner guy. Shit had to change! Couple of weeks ago I pulled 147.5 kg over 2x my body weight.
Just reading Jim’s attitude about lifting and life in general has given me a new found attitude to take care of business! “Fuck you pay me”
The 5-3-1 has completely changed me as a lifter. From May of 2005 to Spring of 2012, I’d either never lift, or I’d work on bench press. But that was it. I didn’t mess with any of the other major lifts, and I completely ignored working on anything other than bench pressing.
Also during that time, I lost my mother and suffered from depression (and some background, I’d lost my oldest sister in 2003 so I had struggled with coping with grief for a whole). I gained weight. A ton of weight. It was ridiculous. Then my boss gave me 5-3-1 as a gift, and since then things have become very different.
These are the main lifts I’ve worked with and where they were when I started powerlifting in Spring of 2012 (weights in pounds):
Bench: 300 (I’d done 355 during one summer but that had been years prior to that point)
Squat: 285
Military: 145
Deadlift: 275
Dips: 3 in a row
My weight at the time: 340ish, and I could not perform simple movements without heavy breathing.
My lifts today currently stand at:
Bench: 405
Squat: 535
Military: 255
Deadlift 485 (not a great lift for me)
Dips: 24 in a row
My weight is around 290, but it’s a much more solid weight than when I was bloated and fat as hell. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made and have no plans to stop heavy training anytime soon. I am hoping to pull over 500 on deadlift sometime this year and squat over 600 sometime in the next few years. I’m pumped at how far I’ve come.
As I mentioned, I alter one thing for time purposes. I only do one lift a day. So on 3s week and 5/3/1 week, I’ll hit like 3 or 4 sets of 6-8 with the weight of my first set. Then, I do a fifth day where I do about 100 pullups.
I cut from 240 to 190 over 5-6~ months last year and managed to maintain all of my lifts, while increasing my Deadlift max to over 500 and greatly increased the amount of weight I could move doing weighted dips and pull ups. Also increased my muscular endurance with all of the big three lifts.
I switched template every coulple of cycles. I probably used triumvirate the most followed by BBB then the last two was with the bodybuilding template. The last one really wore me out.
I’ve was on “3/5/1” for about almost 2 years I switched things up and im doing the cube right now but after this cycle in back on 3/5/1 I like the cube but I love 3/5/1 and I’ve gotten use to it to say the truth .
my max lifts last time I maxed out on 3/5/1 done raw
BP:335
SQT:505
DL:455
MP:225
I have 3 weeks left on cube my main goal is just to break the 500 barrier with my Deadlift
I’ve been on 5/3/1 consistently for about 5 months now. I train 4 days a week, assistance work include weighted dips/pullups on upper body days and GHR’s and back extensions + abs on lower body days. I’m 5’11 8-9% bf
After just two cycles, coming in from a frustrated plateau:
I’ve added 40lbs to my deadlift (435-475), 10lbs to my OHP (165-175), and 20lbs to my squat (405-425). My bench has finally started showing some improvement (new 5RM this week on 5/3/1 1+ set) after switching from heels up to flat foot leg position.
I did Simplest Strength on the first cycle, then ran Pyramid Bench, Spinal Tap OHP (joker singles after the 5/3/1 portion led to the PRs), and SVR for both Deadlift and Squat (PR test on the final week for those two hence the new 1RMs).
I think I will be sticking with this for the next few years at least. Conditioning has done a lot to make me feel and look better as well, as this was something I was lacking prior. Two thumbs up.