Jim, Evaluate This Training Plan?

Training 5/3/1
1

Hi Jim,

Please evaluate my training plan. Any advice will be wellcome.

age: 50yo
height: (1,83m) 6’0’’
current weight: 138,0 kg (303 lb)
BF (hand-bipolar bioimpedance, fasted): ~35%

I have been lifted in an intermitent basis. My December 2017 numbers were 163/132/200 [kg], but I don´t think that I can repeat this same performance today. So, my intention is to enter with lower numbers on the spreadsheet.
I am thinking about to decrease 15% (I mean 15% plus the usual 10% the spreadsheet allways consider to do the maths).

Mon #1:
-Squat 5/3/1
assistance:
-Squat 5x10 reps (~50% or below)
-snatch ~15 to 20 lifts above 50%

Wed #1:
-bench 5/3/1
assistance:
-bench 5x10 reps (~50% or below)
-Pull-Up (elastic band assisted) (total of ~50 reps)

Fri #1:
-deadlift 5/3/1
assistance:
-deadlift 5x5 reps (I will try 5x10…no promises…)
-Ab-Wheel (total of 50 reps minimum)

Mon #2:
-OHP 5/3/1
assistance:
-OHP 5x10 reps (~50% or below)
-clean & jerk (15 to 20 lifts above 50%)

Wed #2:
-cycle is repeated

cardio:
-45 minutes on horizontal bike (can´t walk during long time due to a spondilolistesis on L4-L5)
-Tue, Thu, and Sats

diet:
-regular diet (good foods, trying to avoid cheat days, macro controlled, blah, blah, blah)

2

I think it’s asking a lot of Jim to critique your specific plan when he’s written literally thousands of programs which you could select from.

2 Likes
3

Your plan is:

a 531 main lift, then a BBB supplement (which you call assistance). This is a bread-and-butter program in the 531 catalog.

…but you are only selecting a single assistance exercise, and on two of the days the assistance you choose is not 531 approved (the clean&jerk and the snatch). Jim has said if you want to do olympic lifts, do those first then do your 531 workout.

So, keep the first two on your list, then choose push, pull, lower/core assistance moves (ex: dips, pull ups, rows, push ups, HLR, DB squats) to reach ~50 - 100 in each category.

Very simple. No need overthink it or deviate from the well established 531 programs (which give you plenty of leeway for exercise selection, as it is).

1 Like
4

The reason I´ve submitted this 5/3/1 program is because I did read a previous post of a morbidly obese, 42 yo, person, which did not lift weights for a long time. For that case, Jim wrote a more simple plan with less requisites than the usual 5/3/1 programs.

I am also morbibly obese, according to the data I´ve posted on OP, 50 yo, but my situation deviates a little from the previous case, because my physical conditioning is a little better. I am sorry if I did not put this in clear text, only numerically.

So, due to this difference, based on a specific plan for people like me that Jim posted, I wrote a 5/3/1 plan and submitted it here asking for some help from Jim Wendler.

5

Please, could you confirm if there exists this concept regarding approved exercises’ as well as the olympic movements?

I ask you this because what I´ve read on Wendler 2009:

On page 32:
“You must keep training economy in mind. Training economy means getting the best bang for your buck from each exercise. That’s why squats are always better than leg extensions. There are no right and wrong exercises, per se, but here’s a small list of the movements I feel are best. Please note that this is my list, but you can certainly feel free to copy it. All of these exercises have helped me grow stronger in my four main lifts.”

On page 70:
"Question: Can I use power cleans (or something similar) in this program? If so, where would you put them?
Answer: Yes, this is a great idea. I’d recommend doing power cleans, hang cleans, power snatches or hang snatches if want to choose an Olympic movement. If you want to do these along with the regular training, I’d recommend doing them before you perform your squat or deadlift workout. "

–>So, as an assistance exercise, I think the two olympic movements are “the best bang for my buck”, and they are very economic in terms of recruting several muscles. I even don´t need to worry about rest because the submitted program is 3x/week/48h rest.

–>The ‘only one’ assistance exercise (besides the 5x10 series) is due to my conditioning (obesity, 50 yo, etc).

–>Yes, I agree with you regarding the squat day, do execute snatches before the 5/3/1 program. My main intention writing the program in that order is to express that I am submitting a 5/3/1 program, not ‘a specific’ one. But on OHP day, I can execute it in that order, without problem according to the Q/A previously pasted here.

–>Do you really think this submitted program is a deviation from the original one? This is basically a BBB, as you already mentioned, with just one assistance work, as you also already mentioned and I made the respective justification. If you can give more advice it will be wellcome.

–>My main concern is regarding if this program is ok (intensity, volume, frequency of BBB combined with the assistance work) according to what Jim can prescribe for obese people (or old people… or people that are long time far from weights… I don´t know. This is because I´ve wrote my OP). I am not 20 years far from weightlifing, but my physical conditioning is diferent from a 20 yo pearson. There are some old aliens. I am not one of them.

Sorry about my English if I am showing my ideas in a not so clear perspective.

6

Something like this might fit what you’re wanting to do. He uses the power clean and hang clean as examples, but he says you can use the different Olympic variations.

1 Like
7

Thank you, bro!