I just finished Starting Strength and would like to move onto the Wendler 531 program. Any advice on where to begin? My main goal is strength but I enjoy doing higher reps and would like to incorporate “hypertrophy” work as well, especially “aesthetic” hypertrophy exercises such as lateral raises, incline dumbbell press etc.
Your assistance work can be whatever you want to cover those muscle groups. The more assistance work you add though, The more reserved your supplemental work should be. This is a version you may find suitable and you can swap some of the exercise choices as you see fit, but this is a good sample. It features no supplemental work since it’s very Assistance-oriented.
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Have you read any of the books? You can find them on Amazon electronically or on his store.
My personal experience was reading the first book and doing the standard template for a couple of cycles. I got the bug and purchased the other books.
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Thanks, that looks like a great program. When it says 4x12 I am assuming that some of these can be taken to failure, e.g. lateral raises?
Also would it be ok to make this into a 6 day “bro split” with dedicated arm and ab/core days or would that hinder recovery? The extra days will be kept light but I feel like I would benefit from the extra work especially for arms which is a lagging muscle group.
No I have not. Is the first book “531 Forever”? I am happy to just follow a template and am not too interested in the ins and outs of the programming to be honest, would you still recommend reading the books?
my favorite is 5/3/1 bbb (boring but big)
I would STRONGLY advise trying the program first before you try to fix it.
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Forever is the latest book. I am currently reading “Beyond”. I’m also just now getting back into it and using the “Beginner” Template. As T3hPwnisher already stated I would pick one of the templates and just do the work, before you “fix it”.
You can. The program neglects vanity muscles ( it’s a power program) and the bodybuilding template is mediocre at best for a divided goal. Even with AMRAP sets, 5/3/1 isn’t the most intense program out there, and it isn’t supposed to be per Jim’s own words. It can be supplemented.
I’ve run the 3 day 5/3/1 template with 3 other days as supplemental/accessory lifts only and it was fine. Just make sure you’re paying attention to recovery and nutrition.
It sounds like you’re new to lifting, and I would echo sentiment above that you try the program as written for a while first. Maybe three or four cycles of the original template, then pick boring but big or something for a few more and go from there.
But if hypertrophy is a goal, definitely figure out a way to align training while you’re getting newbie gains for it.
My opinion: if you’re wanting a “hypertrophy version” of 5/3/1, go with Krypteia or Building the Monolith.
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I absolutely would recommend with reading the first 5/3/1 book, 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength. Run it as written for a few cycles and see how you go. You need to understand the %'s and the concept of TM and how it all fits together in order to give it your best shot.
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Thanks for the BBB=Boring But Big. I have been scratching my head on that one.
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I second this. Growth will come from playing the long game successfully. I see too many people in the logs go balls-to-the-wall right out of the gate, make progress for a while, and then just flame out after a year or so.
Steady and consistent will win out any day.
Step one, buy his book, step 3, profit.