[quote]Dazed_N_Confused wrote:
I’m sick at the moment and while I’d love to train, I know from past experiences it will just worsen my recovery time. So if I have to skip a session, how do I go about doing it?[/quote]
Just skip it. Pick up where you left off when you return.
Sorry if this has already been answered, but for lunges how many sets and reps are people using. Five sets of ten reps per leg, five sets of five reps per leg, or I have even seen articles saying three sets of six reps per leg.
[quote]tsmc wrote:
Sorry if this has already been answered, but for lunges how many sets and reps are people using. Five sets of ten reps per leg, five sets of five reps per leg, or I have even seen articles saying three sets of six reps per leg.[/quote]
All of it … but not in one session 
I typically do 3x10-12, each set a greater load. I do forward on deadlift day and reverse on squat day.
Thought I’d share a fun story. I finished my 5/3/1 week this week, so I bench 265 for a triple on tues and did some heavy boards on thurs. My gym was holding a small bench only meet on saturday so I came by to help out. Of the 10-12 lifters who were suppose to show up only 3 actually came so at the last minute I decided to enter. Weighed in at 223 so was in the 242s, I figured with no preparation and the weeks training I would suck so I just wanted to see where I was. I openned at 275 and smoked it, then figured what the hell and went for 308, for a new PR. Made it easy and then took a shot at 320, I missed that lift but had a good fight.
There wasn’t really a point to the story, except that maybe if I was concerned about my lifts decreasing due to not pushing near max weights regularly that fear was definately elimated yesterday.
[quote]Astar wrote:
Thought I’d share a fun story. I finished my 5/3/1 week this week, so I bench 265 for a triple on tues and did some heavy boards on thurs. My gym was holding a small bench only meet on saturday so I came by to help out. Of the 10-12 lifters who were suppose to show up only 3 actually came so at the last minute I decided to enter. Weighed in at 223 so was in the 242s, I figured with no preparation and the weeks training I would suck so I just wanted to see where I was. I openned at 275 and smoked it, then figured what the hell and went for 308, for a new PR. Made it easy and then took a shot at 320, I missed that lift but had a good fight.
There wasn’t really a point to the story, except that maybe if I was concerned about my lifts decreasing due to not pushing near max weights regularly that fear was definately elimated yesterday.[/quote]
Fucking right doggy! Nice work. I too had to overcome that fear.
I would like to thank Jim Wendler for his great book and sharing his 5/3/1 philosophy. It’s so much more than just a book and just another training program, have re-read it a couple of times and am still enjoying it and learning more each time.
I’m currently in the first week of my second cycle, so still new to it and going good, started between 85-90% of my maxes. Too bad that I haven’t been able to hit my rep PR’s this week, but that’s due to being sick and not sleeping well. It’ll probably be fine again next week.
It took me the whole first cycle to finish the first 3 topics on 5/3/1 here haha, but it was worth it, a lot of great advice, ideas and questions answered :).
I still have a question though, sort of.
Uni is starting again in 2 weeks and, due to my not so great new schedule, I won’t be able to keep the same training days as now.
Currently I’m training on: Sunday - Tuesday - Thursday.
When uni begins I’ll be able to train on: Thursday - Saturday - Monday.
Have been thinking about how I could make the switch as efficient as possible without losing too much days of training and came up with this:
The 5’s and 3’s week are following my normal schedule (sun-tues-thurs)
5/3/1 week: Sunday - Wednesday - Thursday (Can’t train on Tuesday this week)
Deload week: I’ll make an exception and skip the deload week this time to make the switch and take 6 full days off before starting the new cycle on the next Thursday. (last day of 5/3/1 on Sept. 9 and first day of new cycle on Sept. 16)
I guess you could count this as a sort of deload right? I think this will give me enough time to recover from this cycle and start fresh with the new one, what do you think?
I like your plan. skip the deload because you are going to take a week off in a couple weeks, that will be your deload. continue progressing through the cycle and pick up where you left off.
Some advice please:
I’ll save space and just say I am on the deload week of my 6th (really 7th I repeated a cycle due to sickness and a lot of travel) cycle. Everything is going up, still hitting PR’s and at least 2 reps on 95% 5-3-1 Day.
I have been a habitual “Training ADD” person and I am at the point where I can reorganize my assistance work ( I do this every 2 cycles- but nothing drastic same basic moves just altering hand positions or style, and set/rep schemes), and keep plugging away or switch to a different program (body part split, etc) for 2 months and come back to 5/3/1.
I think I just need to hear (or read I guess) someone tell me to just be patient and keep with it till I plateau.
Anyone been in this boat? Thanks for any input.
Keep on grinding, Monarch. Mix up the assistance if you feel stale, but no need to switch programs entirely. I have not had that problem in particular, but have had times where one lift of the four might stall or regress. Like I said, keep grinding.
[quote]The Monarch wrote:
Some advice please:
I’ll save space and just say I am on the deload week of my 6th (really 7th I repeated a cycle due to sickness and a lot of travel) cycle. Everything is going up, still hitting PR’s and at least 2 reps on 95% 5-3-1 Day.
I have been a habitual “Training ADD” person and I am at the point where I can reorganize my assistance work ( I do this every 2 cycles- but nothing drastic same basic moves just altering hand positions or style, and set/rep schemes), and keep plugging away or switch to a different program (body part split, etc) for 2 months and come back to 5/3/1.
I think I just need to hear (or read I guess) someone tell me to just be patient and keep with it till I plateau.
Anyone been in this boat? Thanks for any input.
[/quote]
I would REALLY like Wendler to come comment on your body part split switch up with 531.
BAHAHAHA
If you know you are stupid already, why do you need to hear (or read I guess) someone to tell you to not keep being stupid?
[quote]sluicy wrote:
[quote]The Monarch wrote:
Some advice please:
I’ll save space and just say I am on the deload week of my 6th (really 7th I repeated a cycle due to sickness and a lot of travel) cycle. Everything is going up, still hitting PR’s and at least 2 reps on 95% 5-3-1 Day.
I have been a habitual “Training ADD” person and I am at the point where I can reorganize my assistance work ( I do this every 2 cycles- but nothing drastic same basic moves just altering hand positions or style, and set/rep schemes), and keep plugging away or switch to a different program (body part split, etc) for 2 months and come back to 5/3/1.
I think I just need to hear (or read I guess) someone tell me to just be patient and keep with it till I plateau.
Anyone been in this boat? Thanks for any input.
[/quote]
I would REALLY like Wendler to come comment on your body part split switch up with 531.
BAHAHAHA
If you know you are stupid already, why do you need to hear (or read I guess) someone to tell you to not keep being stupid?[/quote]
slutty, your input was unnecessary. Wendler knows we will quash this nonsense.
Monarch, you’re being stupid. stick to 5/3/1, and only 5/3/1, everything as written. check back in 2012
bABoon, UFgator11, Thank you.
Sluicy, I train by myself among people who suck. Sucky-ness is contagious. On occasion it is nice to hear a reassuring voice keeping you on the right track. And apparently you are calling me stupid for continuously doing 5/3/1 and NOT changing it. I was merely considering being stupid, I have not made that mistake yet, and thanks to some feedback, I won’t.
I made it pretty clear that I need someone to keep me from being stupid since I have been subject to “training ADD” in the past. Hope that clears things up, and you could have just said “keep doing 5/3/1, don’t be an ass-hat,” similar to UFgator11, and saved your self some typing.
Ok, I have a bad attitude and I apologize. Also Monarch, you should find different people to train with.
Started 5/3/1 this past week and just finished my 2nd day of wave 1 today, third day is on sunday. This program is an awesome program. I did SOHP tuesday and deads today and wow, it felt great! Cant wait to bench on sunday!
If anyone is questioning whether or not to start this program, DO IT and run it PROPERLY and EXACTLY how wendler says!
[quote]The Monarch wrote:
I was merely considering being stupid, I have not made that mistake yet, and thanks to some feedback, I won’t. [/quote]
my mistake brah
no prob brah. Let the training partner shit just fall around you, 5/3/1 is your umbrella
Thanks mjnewland 
I guess the only way to find out if it’ll work is to try it out. And it’s for one time only anyways so yeah.
I agree with staying on 5/3/1 for a while. Made my own spreadsheet and planned out how 12 cycles (± 1 year) would look like without stalling, it’s very motivating to say the least. Of course it won’t go exactly like that, because you’ve always got the chance of stalling, getting injured etc. But if you keep it up as it’s written I’m sure there is a big chance you’ll get close.
I was also doubting whether to start 5/3/1 or not, because I could see faster progress in other programs. But so what if I can put 10kg on my bench in a few weeks on program X, what do I do after that? It’ll probably take longer the second run or the increase would be less, or I have to find another program again… With 5/3/1 it might take longer to get those 10kg, but atleast you have somewhat of a certainty that you can keep up the progress for a while, there’s less chance of stalling here I think. If you do it the right way of course.
5/3/1 is the program that actually made me stop having training ADD
[quote]Ippo wrote:
I was also doubting whether to start 5/3/1 or not, because I could see faster progress in other programs. [/quote]
People often make confusion between weight increments on the bar and strength progress…
A different program would make you add weight on the bar faster than 5/3/1, but your STRENGTH gains aren’t limited to the lbs you add.
For instance, from first to second cycle I increased both kgs on the bar and reps on last set, so I gained more than 5/10 lbs.
^QFT this is a huge theme in the book
I agree and also realize that. Guess I should have said it different. What I meant is the temptation of indeed making weight increments on the bar and actually lifting 20 lbs more than you were before, as opposed to just knowing that you’ve increased your strenght because you repped the same weight more and/or increased weight a bit. I think this is a mental thing a lot of lifters will have before they actually try 5/3/1. I think people would rather lift what they think they can lift, instead of just knowing they can but using a lower training max. Which indeed comes back to the important theme in thr book that you do not need to train with your max to get stronger. Not sure if that makes more sense haha, anyways you are very right.