[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Does anyone else have issues with everything going up except their bench press?? My squat and deadlift go up just fine but my bench seems to eff up every week. WOE IS ME!!![/quote]
Sounds like you need to take off 10% (or more) off your calculated max and start over… probably also use smaller increments, like 2.5lbs/month.
[quote]Professor Chaos wrote:
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Does anyone else have issues with everything going up except their bench press?? My squat and deadlift go up just fine but my bench seems to eff up every week. WOE IS ME!!![/quote]
Sounds like you need to take off 10% (or more) off your calculated max and start over… probably also use smaller increments, like 2.5lbs/month.[/quote]
x2
[quote]Professor Chaos wrote:
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Does anyone else have issues with everything going up except their bench press?? My squat and deadlift go up just fine but my bench seems to eff up every week. WOE IS ME!!![/quote]
Sounds like you need to take off 10% (or more) off your calculated max and start over… probably also use smaller increments, like 2.5lbs/month.[/quote]
Okay so say my starting bench was 110lbs (I’m a chick) every cycle now I should just keep using that weight for my percentages or look around for those little magnetic halfzies and just make feeble attempts at it until I feel it could actually go up??
I keep my accessory work the same for each cycle and then I change it up so this go around I am doing floor press for my tricep stuff, uhh, chin ups, bent over row, face pulls, reverse DB fly (half of these are done on my press day) but ya.
I dunno, maybe it’s a muscle imbalance thing or some irritating crap like that.
Might be in my head too, like, because I failed at bench two times in a row I get that mentaility before I lift and then I eff it up.
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Okay so say my starting bench was 110lbs (I’m a chick) every cycle now I should just keep using that weight for my percentages or look around for those little magnetic halfzies and just make feeble attempts at it until I feel it could actually go up??
I keep my accessory work the same for each cycle and then I change it up so this go around I am doing floor press for my tricep stuff, uhh, chin ups, bent over row, face pulls, reverse DB fly (half of these are done on my press day) but ya.
I dunno, maybe it’s a muscle imbalance thing or some irritating crap like that.
Might be in my head too, like, because I failed at bench two times in a row I get that mentaility before I lift and then I eff it up.
[/quote]
You sound hell-bent on being pissed off right now. Don’t take it so seriously. Just do this:
If your max is 110, use 95lbs as your max for calculations. Buy a couple Ivanko 1.25lb plates and use the excel spreadsheet in Wendler’s book, rounding everything to the nearest 2.5lbs instead of 5. It’ll spit out exactly what weight to use for every set that you do.
Every month, add 2.5lbs to the original 95. Use the boring but big template for assistance work, and no more.
Stick with it for a few months before you think about changing anything.
[quote]Professor Chaos wrote:
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Okay so say my starting bench was 110lbs (I’m a chick) every cycle now I should just keep using that weight for my percentages or look around for those little magnetic halfzies and just make feeble attempts at it until I feel it could actually go up??
I keep my accessory work the same for each cycle and then I change it up so this go around I am doing floor press for my tricep stuff, uhh, chin ups, bent over row, face pulls, reverse DB fly (half of these are done on my press day) but ya.
I dunno, maybe it’s a muscle imbalance thing or some irritating crap like that.
Might be in my head too, like, because I failed at bench two times in a row I get that mentaility before I lift and then I eff it up.
[/quote]
You sound hell-bent on being pissed off right now. Don’t take it so seriously. Just do this:
If your max is 110, use 95lbs as your max for calculations. Buy a couple Ivanko 1.25lb plates and use the excel spreadsheet in Wendler’s book, rounding everything to the nearest 2.5lbs instead of 5. It’ll spit out exactly what weight to use for every set that you do.
Every month, add 2.5lbs to the original 95. Use the boring but big template for assistance work, and no more.
Stick with it for a few months before you think about changing anything.
[/quote]
HAHA whoops, I’m not pissed off really, that’s just my typing tone. Thanks for the tips!
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
[quote]Professor Chaos wrote:
[quote]Spock81 wrote:
Okay so say my starting bench was 110lbs (I’m a chick) every cycle now I should just keep using that weight for my percentages or look around for those little magnetic halfzies and just make feeble attempts at it until I feel it could actually go up??
I keep my accessory work the same for each cycle and then I change it up so this go around I am doing floor press for my tricep stuff, uhh, chin ups, bent over row, face pulls, reverse DB fly (half of these are done on my press day) but ya.
I dunno, maybe it’s a muscle imbalance thing or some irritating crap like that.
Might be in my head too, like, because I failed at bench two times in a row I get that mentaility before I lift and then I eff it up.
[/quote]
You sound hell-bent on being pissed off right now. Don’t take it so seriously. Just do this:
If your max is 110, use 95lbs as your max for calculations. Buy a couple Ivanko 1.25lb plates and use the excel spreadsheet in Wendler’s book, rounding everything to the nearest 2.5lbs instead of 5. It’ll spit out exactly what weight to use for every set that you do.
Every month, add 2.5lbs to the original 95. Use the boring but big template for assistance work, and no more.
Stick with it for a few months before you think about changing anything.
[/quote]
HAHA whoops, I’m not pissed off really, that’s just my typing tone. Thanks for the tips!
[/quote]
Keep in mind too that since you’re a chick, your bench just isn’t going to go up that quickly. My wife would kill for 2.5 lbs. per month increases. Slow and steady progress… it all adds up after a while.
I’ve found that I need more time to recoup between heavy bench so I’ve followed Jim’s advice I’ve read a few times. I switch the 5 rep and 3 rep weeks. I go near all out the first week with the 3’s, do the prescribed 5 reps the next and then the 5/3/1+. I’m 43 y/o, but now my bench is starting to come around.
[quote]danjo228 wrote:
I’ve found that I need more time to recoup between heavy bench so I’ve followed Jim’s advice I’ve read a few times. I switch the 5 rep and 3 rep weeks. I go near all out the first week with the 3’s, do the prescribed 5 reps the next and then the 5/3/1+. I’m 43 y/o, but now my bench is starting to come around.[/quote]
Ohh ya, I remember reading that somewhere in some Q and A a little while back, that does sound like a good idea!
Got a “stupid” question about 531. Would it be too much to add some serious complexes on wedensday and saturday and take sunday off? I just started the program today and i’ve really come to love complexes lately, and wendler was pretty strict in his article about changing\adding stuff. I complexes doesnt count as strength training, but its still pretty demanding,.
Here is a massive 5/3/1 Q/A:
http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/training-logs.asp?qid=123083&tid=
Thank you 
That basically answered all my questions.
JW says in the book that the assistance work should not detract from The Big Four, and the current theme of this thread is the percentage of the cycle max one should use for BBB. What about things like dumbbell rows, shrugs, chins, etc (basically movements dissimilar from The Big Four)? Should one be pushing these harder than, say, dips or BBB deadlifts?
[quote]evitagen wrote:
JW says in the book that the assistance work should not detract from The Big Four, and the current theme of this thread is the percentage of the cycle max one should use for BBB. What about things like dumbbell rows, shrugs, chins, etc (basically movements dissimilar from The Big Four)? Should one be pushing these harder than, say, dips or BBB deadlifts?[/quote]
Don’t need to ever calculate a percentage for any assistance work, just use a weight you can do 5 sets of 10 with. I think the ebook even says something about doing up to 15 reps on the last set if your able to, this would imply a weight less than your 5x10 max. I usually bump up the weight next time if I can do 4x10 then 12 or more reps on the last set.
I’ve been looking over the 5/3/1 template and really like the program, but was wondering if these alterations were acceptable:
Monday: Squat
5/3/1 as written
BBB deadlift, doing power cleans as a warmup to deadlift
whatever assistance exercise
Wednesday: Bench and Press combined
5/3/1 as written for bench
5/3/1 as written for press
BBB bench and press
dips
Friday: Deadlift
5/3/1 as written, doing power cleans as a warmup to deadlift
BBB squat
1 set Kroc rows
whatever assistance exercise
The reason I made this was because I didn’t like only squatting once every 4 workouts and I would prefer to combine bench and press together. The only worry I have about bench and press together would be the volume of BBB with the two lifts, but I suppose I could do 3x10 for each. Any opinions?
[quote]sufiandy wrote:
[quote]evitagen wrote:
JW says in the book that the assistance work should not detract from The Big Four, and the current theme of this thread is the percentage of the cycle max one should use for BBB. What about things like dumbbell rows, shrugs, chins, etc (basically movements dissimilar from The Big Four)? Should one be pushing these harder than, say, dips or BBB deadlifts?[/quote]
Don’t need to ever calculate a percentage for any assistance work, just use a weight you can do 5 sets of 10 with. I think the ebook even says something about doing up to 15 reps on the last set if your able to, this would imply a weight less than your 5x10 max. I usually bump up the weight next time if I can do 4x10 then 12 or more reps on the last set. [/quote]
My squat 15RM as tested on Monday on 5 week is 319lbs. No way would I concider using that as a weight for BBB, as its 75% of my training max. I’d be looking at 250-275 as a max for my BBB sets.
METAL VIPER - that is seriously in need of some extra lat work on the upper day. Deadlifts and one set of Kroc Rows wont cut it.
Just bought your 531 ebook, it looks really great. But I have one question I need to ask you, I was planning on doing the program exactly as written, is it ok ?
Buy the ebook for 20 bucks. Its a great read and everything from a 1 a week to a 4 a week training split of the 531 principle is explained and layed out for you.
[quote]sidewalkdances wrote:
METAL VIPER - that is seriously in need of some extra lat work on the upper day. Deadlifts and one set of Kroc Rows wont cut it. [/quote]
Perhaps some weighted chins are in order
[quote]METAL VIPER wrote:
I’ve been looking over the 5/3/1 template and really like the program, but was wondering if these alterations were acceptable:
Monday: Squat
5/3/1 as written
BBB deadlift, doing power cleans as a warmup to deadlift
whatever assistance exercise
Wednesday: Bench and Press combined
5/3/1 as written for bench
5/3/1 as written for press
BBB bench and press
dips
Friday: Deadlift
5/3/1 as written, doing power cleans as a warmup to deadlift
BBB squat
1 set Kroc rows
whatever assistance exercise
The reason I made this was because I didn’t like only squatting once every 4 workouts and I would prefer to combine bench and press together. The only worry I have about bench and press together would be the volume of BBB with the two lifts, but I suppose I could do 3x10 for each. Any opinions? [/quote]
Here’s my 0.2:
More upper back work (I’d emphasize horizontal pull over chins, but I guess it’s your call…);
Put OH press BEFORE BP
do BBB incline press only, as a nice “middle of the road” assistance for both presses;
Anyway, if I were you, I’d stick with the 4 days/3x a week as written by Jim, and just swap assistance (as you’ve already done), “ramping” to a heavy set of 10 in BBB squat, or train four days a week: