Thanks Jim, obviously I am talking about people who are at the end of beginner level, and might say squat 150 lbs … I’d imagine they should be able to add 10 lbs per week for awhile longer, at least until they get to 200 lbs or so in say, 5 or 6 weeks. If they were adding 10 lbs per month that might have taken them 5 months instead of 1.5 months - not that it really matters - what I am wondering is if by doing 5-3-1 they might have added only 10 lbs for the second month, but actually, developed strength at the same rate ie. in the same time their progress would be roughly the same.
But instead of trying max effort and higher poundages each week, they are adding only a little more weight but a LOT more reps on the final set. And hence developing strength at the same rate, but adding less weight to the lifts.
I am not talking about beginners, people who should be able to add 10 lbs every second day because they have never lifted a weight before and are really just learning to fire nerves - not the first few months of touching weights.
I am talking about intermediates who cannot add weight every single time they go to the gym, but can only add weight weekly. Something like the Texas method, which recommends adding 5 lbs per week to 5 sets of 5 reps. So that would be 20 lbs per month.
But, of course, it might cause stalling every so often and in the long run might end up being the same - and if you could compare the two systems, after 6 months the Texas method might be using higher poundages in the workouts but testing the max might get the same result ie just as much progress on 5-3-1 as the Texas method, smoother, less stalling (if any) and less poundage in the workouts.
It would be interesting to know, but I will never get the chance to compare the two approaches. Unless I start coaching people and run experiments on them.
but I would not want to recommend 5-3-1 to an intermediate who ~might~ be able to add 60 lbs to their (initially pathetic) lifts in 3 months if 5-3-1 means they are going to take 6 months to do the same thing. But, by golly, if in fact the rate of gain is similar, and 5-3-1 has more variation, flexability and uses less poundage to get the job done, and the person has less plateau and resetting by 10% and feels less beat up (and isn’t squatting 3x a week) then 5-3-1 it is for anyone who is not an absolute beginner.
And for latter intermediate / advanced, 5-3-1 is a great one. It is a good book chock full of great info and a good routine.
I bet you did not think something so simple could be so misunderstood in so many ways …
