Running Various Templates For 9 Months. Gained 30lbs. Squat/Dead Not Moving

Bigger Stronger Leaner Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Coaching
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For the record, I’m not complaining, I’m just curious about the principles here.

Alright, so I know this sounds ridiculous, because it’s a progressive overload system…so how the fuck are you not getting stronger? Well, that’s the question I am looking for an answer for.

I’ve run a few different 5/3/1 templates in the last 9 months. Initially, I ran BBB, and then I bought the Forever book in Jan and started running Pervertor. I did the Building The Monolith challenge during this time and finished it as well.

Good news first. My Press has improved quite a bit from 135x1 in Jan to 135x6 in May.
My bench is also up (205x9 and 190x12) from 165x11 in Nov 2017.
Also, my physique has improved (my bodyweight is up from 190 to 220), but my squat and deadlift strength really hasn’t. Now, I know all of these templates are hypertrophy focused, so strength gains aren’t the main priority, but still, I’m not very strong and my squat and deadlift have essentially gone nowhere despite 30lbs of bodyweight gain.

I listened to Jim, left my ego out, and tested my training maxes using the 7th week protocol in Jan and have increased them by the prescribed amount after each cycle. Unfortunately, my squat and dead have seen essentially no gains. After resetting my TM’s in this manner (they were too high before) everything felt easy and hasn’t gotten hard yet even 6 months later.

I squatted 285 x 5 a couple years ago at the end of a Starting Strength linear progression (at a 190lb bodyweight). That’s still my best squat. In October 2017 I did 240 for 7 reps, and in May this year I did 235 for…7. Even after all this time, squatting 235 still feels quite heavy, pretty much just as heavy as I remember 285 feeling when I did it back on SS.

My best deadlift is 365 which was probably early 2017. I pulled 300 x 10 in October 2017, and 325 for 5 in May this year. I haven’t attempted any heavier pulls because it’s not in the program and testing isn’t training, but I don’t FEEL stronger.

What do you guys think? I suppose it’s possible that because SS is such a high intensity/low volume program and the 5/3/1 templates I’ve been running are so low intensity/high volume, that I’ve traded neural adaptation for muscular size and maybe if I started doing a higher intensity template, I could regain the neural adaptations quickly and be even stronger with this new mass.

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You ran programs based around adding size and you added size. Looks like 5/3/1 works. Now run the programs based around adding strength.

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Well yeah, obviously.

I’m just more curious what people think about the fact that these two lifts didn’t move much…if any?

Is it that because these programs are hypertrophy focused the weights are never “heavy” enough to stimulate the neural adaptations required to move heavier weight? I mean I understand that powerlifters go through hypertrophy blocks and strength blocks, but at my level (early intermediate) and with my numbers being so low, I really expected to see at least some improvement in those lifts even during the hypertrophy templates.

I’m not complaining, I’m curious.

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It’s because that wasn’t the intent or design of those programs. They have set you up to succeed when you push strength: now you need to do that.

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How much of the 30lbs was fat? It’s hard to conceive that you went from 190 to 220lbs and didn’t gain any strength on your lower body movement. My best guess (but I could be wrong) was that most of it was fat. Bench and Press are heavily correlated to BW, regardless of fat %, so it makes sense these went up.

If I were you, I would maybe swap out my main movements, to say, Front Squat and Sumo DL (or Trap Bar, etc.) and run that for a cycle. Sometimes when we do the same movement over and over the body stagnates.

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That’s sort of my thought process. I guess when I’m finished with the cut I’m currently on I’ll run a strength block and see what happens.

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I honestly don’t know because I don’t regularly take body comp assessments. I would give a rough estimate that when I started at 190, I was probably in the neighborhood of 24-25% bodyfat, and I got up to 225 before starting a cut 4 weeks ago (217-218 now). Just based on my appearance, I’d give a rough guess that I’m 27-28% bf now. It’s really hard to tell because I carry a LOT of weight in my hips/thighs/ass. I mean I can be 25% bf and not have a “belly”. Once I go north of what I figure is about 25% I start getting love handles and a bit of a belly but not one you even really see in a shirt.

I have most definitely gained lean mass in my traps, delts, pecs, arms etc. Even at my fat man bodyweight I can see that. The lower body…who the hell knows because I carry so much of my fat there. I did go from 34 waist pants to 36/38 (I have to size up at least 2" and wear a belt to fit my legs/ass)

I should add that to be fair, I have been battling an intermittent knee injury during this time, so I haven’t exactly been pushing the squat. More like just going through the motions. I also set a VERY conservative training max on that lift because of the knee, so it very well could be that I was just never working above 80-85% of my true max where strength is built.

I should also clarify that I don’t KNOW my deadlift hasn’t improved because I haven’t tested it. I’m just going by the feel when pulling say 315 for reps. It’s very possible that I could walk up to the bar and pull 400 right now and just not know it. I will test it the next time I deload.

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Got a wild hair up my ass today and decided to test my deadlift.

Pulled 400 for the first time in my life, up from a 365 max last time I tested. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve even been cutting for 6 weeks and wasn’t exactly energetic or full of glycogen.

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soooooo everythings been working out as supposed to ay? nice:)

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