Been doing StrongLifts 5x5 for about a year so, how can I move on from it to a different FB template? Should I use DUP to vary rep ranges? Should I still be doing the same compounds every session or doing variations? Should more isolations be included?
Current Stats:
Male, 5’9, 165 pounds
Bench: 205
Squat: 245
Deadlift: 275
OHP: 135
Any help is much appreciated
Try any of these
5/3/1 for beginners (google it)
Forgot to mention my main goal is size but also want some strength. 5/3/1 Beach Body Challenge looks interesting. Does Press refer to Bench or OHP? Or am I supposed to be alternating them such as M/W/F: Bench/OHP/Bench? Didn’t see anything in the article about it. Can/should more accessory work be added in or will it just impede recovery for no reason? Thanks!
Press refers to The press, outlined here
I would run the program as is before you start modifying it.
How would my chest/arms grow on that program?
Well.
I really like beyond 1.1-1.3. Wish I got on it straight after SS. Each day you go heavy on one exercise but hit volume on another so I was never broken but made/making progress. I thought the volume would be to much after 1.1 but when I got there it was fine. Also sessions lasted 40-50 mins which fitted my schedule. I like the sets of 75% with 60 seconds rest, seem to work and they are also time efficient.
What
Is that the same as the one on the site?
They will grow well.
Am I missing something or theres no chest work though?
Not missing anything. You asked about chest and arms. Arms are going to grow very well from the curls and chins.
If you find your chest isn’t growing to your liking after 6 weeks, follow a different 5/3/1 program that has more chest work. If nothing else, you learned how to program over those 6 weeks.
Yep, free programme linked earlier. Just giving my support for it.
Definitely, you’re right. I will follow the 5/3/1 1.1 that you linked first and complete that program. Will evaluate results and try to do the BB challenge after. One question though, what rep range/load should I use for the assistance work for “total reps”? Not sure if I saw anything about it in the article. Does it not matter as long as I hit the rep goal? Thanks!
Awesome thank you 
Yup. You got it.
So I’m on my 2nd week of 531 1.1 and I just feel so weak! I know I actually am weak (my lifts say so), but I feel it also whenever I perform a lift. I wanted to move on from SL not only because I was stalling, but because I had actually started to feel weaker. I thought switching would help but I still feel weak. This had been going on for a few months or so at the end of SL: lifts would go down at times, I felt weak when performing lifts almost as if the weight I was used to doing was getting heavier somehow, the lifts started to feel unbalanced, form felt iffy, the movements feel awkward now (specifically squat and bench), feel as if I had no force when lifting a weight/movement. It seems like it has happened again this week. What gives? It is starting to demotivate me. I know it could be a number of things but I’m just not really sure at this point. I had taken some deloads towards the end months of SL when I experienced those but didn’t really seem to help. Is it just my nutrition? Need to eat more? Sleep? Overtrained? I would appreciate any sort of insight man. And if anyone else wants to chip in please do
The end of a lot of these novice linear progression programs is nothing short of brutal.
You need a recovery period afterwards. The normal transition from SS to the texas method, for example, has you return/beating your SS maxes after 4 weeks*
My question is how did you pick your weights for 5/3/1 and how did the weight feel?
*No one ever tells you that you need to be super intelligent (as a novice) about the end of the novice progression otherwise you spend 4-6 weeks crawling to add a few lbs then you have 4-6 weeks of resetting. That is, your optimal progress for a beginner has a good likelihood of coming with a chaser of 2 to 3 months of wheel spinning. And God help you if you’ve done no conditioning and eating for strength as also recommended for optimal progress
I just followed the way the program told me to pick the weights. Calculated my TM (90% of 1rm) and used the percentages given in the week from my TM. Weight felt okay week 1 (still felt a little heavy/not being able to exert full force), but this week has not felt good at all
How many reps are you getting in the “+” sets? Anyway, instead of using 90% on an estimate, you might be better off setting the TM to a weight you can do a strong 5 reps with (ie. The 5th rep doesn’t look like you re fighting for your life)
I don’t understand what this means. The weight is supposed to feel heavy and the heavier it is the more of your “full force” you should be exerting?