Age: 21
Weight: 165 lbs
Bench: 195 x 4
Press: 130 x 4
Squat: 200 x 6
DL: 285 x 7
After discovering T-Nation, I decided to try 5/3/1, as opposed to Starting Strength or Stronglifts, because I had dicked around in the weight room enough and thought of myself as more than a beginner. Although I made good progress on 5/3/1 (all lifts and body weight were higher in December 2011 than now), illness and work load this past spring led to a loss of much of what was gained. So, to recoup, I decided to get back on 5/3/1 and have gone through 2 cycles now. However, as my numbers are not very high, I wonder if I would be better off ditching 5/3/1 for now and doing SS or SL 5x5? Although I have already invested 2 months in 5/3/1 at the moment, I am okay with, as Wendler says, “taking 2 steps back to take 10 steps forward”. Or will I just be spinning my wheels?
I’ll keep an eye on this because I’m wondering if I should go to 5/3/1 starting soon myself but I have the same question I think you do; as long as I’m still able to add 10 lbs/week or more, is it better to just keep on a more basic program?
What I’ve seen posted pretty regularly around here is “stick with SS/SL for as long as you can, and then, and only then, switch to 5/3/1”. But I’ve also seen “if you’re trying to build like a bodybuilder, do a bodybuilding routine”.
I believe the rationale for sticking with SS/SL first is that the progression schedule is more rapid than 5/3/1. Thus, as a beginner, you can progress more rapidly using SS/SL.
Personally I’m not doing either of those, so my opinion on the matter is worthless. Just sharing what I’ve seen.
5/3/1 is a good program and you will see gains if you continue using it, but starting strength is also a good program if you want to get your strength up. At the end of the day what it comes down to is which one will you do? Pick the one you want, and stick to it for at least 6-8 months, preferably double that.
Consistent training is more important than arguing this or that program.
I thought, at least as far as starting strength goes, the author gave a window of 3-9 months depending on the individual’s responsiveness to it?
FWIW, I’m keeping on mine until I quit being able to add weight weekly. At that point I’ll go to another program. I’m kind of curious how long it’ll take.
Thanks for your help guys. The thing I was most concerned with was my relatively low squat, and if this was a good opportunity to finally remedy that with a new program. However, I guess consistency is key and it may be worth it to progress slower on one lift than on three.
[quote]EatPrayLift wrote:
Thanks for your help guys. The thing I was most concerned with was my relatively low squat, and if this was a good opportunity to finally remedy that with a new program. However, I guess consistency is key and it may be worth it to progress slower on one lift than on three.[/quote]
In the end, it doesn’t make much difference what program you do, ad long as you bust your ass and it’s not completely retarded, you will get where you’re trying to go. Both of these programs are rock fucking solid, so pick one now and get started TODAY.
Also, if you are concerned about your squat, you can still squat 3 times a week on a full body plan using 5/3/1, just look up 5/3/1 full body in the search bar, jim wendler wrote an article about it.