Strength gain is one of the biggest concerns in the world of gyms, and internet searches top the rankings. But with the 5/3/1 routine we will have no problems gaining a lot of strength.
In the manual « 3/5/1: The simple and most effective training system to increase raw strength «, Jim Wendler tells us about how he was shaping his training system until he created the 5/3/1 routine, which we allows us to increase our strength with simple and controlled workouts.
The Origin of the 5/3/1 Routine
As Jim Wendler tells us in his manual, the origin of this routine dates back to 2005 when he was burned out from competing in powerlifting, tired of certain exercises and looked fat. That was when he decided he wanted to turn his life around and start losing weight.
His initial reflection was the following: “I’m fat and out of shape.” Wendler thought that despite squatting with 1000 pounds, he was not strong, since he had difficulty moving and this did not allow him to use that force, so he began training and, after a few months he had lost 25 pounds just walking and not eating as he had until now, he began to feel that he was able to move again.
For all this, he began to set goals as being able to move large loads again in those exercises that he had done so much, but he needed a plan of attack for it, and he resumed training.
The Philosophy of the 5/3/1 Routine
5 are the pillars that we could point to as main in the philosophy of this routine and that we should take into account if we decide to opt for it when training:
1. Emphasize Multi-Joint Movements with Heavy Weights
Given the large amount of muscle mass that is mobilized with multi-joint exercises, if we work these exercises using large loads (around 85-90% of our RM) we will achieve great benefits.
2. Start Very Light
To avoid stagnation in our progress, Wendler recommends that we start lightly, which would mean taking 75-80% of our MR as a starting point. This will later give us a great margin for improvement.
3. Progress Slowly
Along with the previous point, slow progress will give us some quality improvements. As in any routine, it is better to progress slowly but surely (and with quality), than to progress quickly and stagnate after a few weeks.
As a subsection, I must point out that I myself have been training with this system for several weeks and although progress is indeed slow, now that I am in week 11 of my planning, I can tell you that the maximum weights that I move I do so much more fluid than before (which means a significant strength gain).
4. Personal Records
Beating our records is something that is undoubtedly motivating, but it should not be our main objective either, since the objective of this routine is to gain strength. Many of you will say: “but if I beat my record, I will have become stronger”, and you are right. But think about this: if we start squatting 6 reps with 200 kilos, and move to 9 reps with those 200 kilos, we will also have gotten stronger and possibly beat our record as well.
5. Leave Your Ego Behind
It is important to emphasize this point, since on numerous occasions, egos are usually the culprits of numerous stagnations and even injuries. Therefore, we must always train in a humble way.
The 5/3/1 Routine
The basic structure of this routine is really simple: four days of training in which in each of them we carry out a basic exercise and several isolation exercises to our liking (always making sure not to overtrain). Thus, a good proposal regarding the order to follow on the training days would be:
- Military press
- Dead weight
- Press bench
- Squat
We can train the four days in a row or every other day resting according to our needs or our obligations.
Routine Example 5/3/1
The first thing to structure our planning in this routine is to know our RM in the aforementioned exercises, since we will need to calculate 90% of said RM to adjust the loads with which we will work.
- WEEK 1 => 3 × 5
- Series 1 -> 65% RM
- Series 2 -> 75% RM
- Series 3 -> 85% RM +
- WEEK 2 => 3 × 3
- Series 1 -> 70% RM
- Series 2 -> 80% RM
- Series 3 -> 90% RM +
- WEEK 3 => 5/3/1
- Series 1 -> 5 x 75% RM
- Series 2 -> 3 x 85% RM
- Series 3 -> 1 x 95% RM +
- WEEK 4 => 3 x 5 SHOCK 40-60% RM
- Series 1 -> 40% RM
- Series 2 -> 50% RM
- Series 3 -> 60% RM
If you look at each of the last series there is a “+”. This means that in this series, even if he gives us 1, 3 or 5 reps, we must do as many reps as possible. In the week of unloading, we will work with an RM of 40-60%.
How to Plan for Weight Increases?
Every four weeks, we will have to start a new cycle, and for this we must calculate the weight increases in each exercise to be able to calculate the RM and the loads with which we will work. For this we have two options: either carry out a RM’s taking session or set some increments depending on the exercise.
In the latter case, we must pay special attention to the military press, since it is an exercise that reached a certain level or limit, it will not be easy for us to make weight increases.
A conservative increase in weights could be the following: 2.5 kilos for the military press (1.25 × 2 if smaller discs are not available) and 5 kilos (2.5 × 2) for the rest of the exercises.
The main problem that we are going to find when increasing the weights is that the vast majority of gyms do not have the so-called “micro discs” (discs of 0.5 Kg or 0.25 kg), if not that the minimum weight is 1.25, so the minimum increase that we will be able to make will be 2.5 Kg, which for exercises such as the military press can be an excessive weight at a certain point.
This point is of the utmost importance since weight gain planning can mark a more or less rapid progression or, on the contrary, make us stagnate. Despite this, there are excel files in which, by entering the 1RM corresponding to the basic exercises, we already calculate the weights and increments with which to work (in most cases we will have to round the weights by the limitation indicated above).
Download Week: Is It Really Necessary?
This is another point that can generate some debate. There are supporters of performing a download week periodically and those who say it is not necessary. My opinion is that everything depends on each person. Carrying out a download week of course is NOT going to be negative for us.
Let’s think for a moment that we are carrying out a perfect planning, that the progression of loads is calculated to the millimeter and we have not left anything to chance. Surely, there will come a time when our load increases are minimal or non-existent. Well, at this point making a download could be highly beneficial to the extent that it could imply a “respect” of our system and allow us to start a new planning and continue to raise our marks. Even so, as I said, although the download week is not mandatory, in certain cases or planning moments it could be recommended.
And now comes the second question: if I do it… How often do I do the download week? Based on the articles read and my own experience, I would recommend doing it approximately every 2-3 months (8-12 weeks). But I repeat: It all depends on each person and their ability to recover and assimilate the workload. As always, your own feelings will also be the best indicator of when to do the download week.
Pros and Cons of the 5/3/1 Routine
Negative Point of Routine 5/3/1
Like any routine, the 5/3/1 is not exempt from having some “hit”, and in this case most people agree that this could be the low frequency for the basic exercises, since to follow strictly the routine we would be talking about an F1 for the main exercises How to solve this? There will be those who do not give importance to it and want to train faithful to the original routine, but in Power explosive (as we see in the image above) they propose the possibility of including a multi-joint exercise as part of the accessory work (although we would do it with a % of the RM lower than that normally worked), with which we would already be increasing the multiarticular work to an F2 and this routine would not be so “scarce”.
Advantages of the 5/3/1 Routine
Although I have not yet reached this routine in my training (I am finishing the training cycle of the Madcow 5 × 5) and as a result of the articles analyzed and the opinions expressed by professionals and people who have used it, I must point out that although it is a routine that may seem a bit chaotic to structure in terms of the calculation of RM’s and how to train, most people agree that it is a much simpler routine than it seems in addition to providing customization quite adapted to each person , things that in other routines like Madcow is almost impossible to do.
In addition, it is a routine that seeks a slow but safe progression, which guarantees that if we do what we have to do, we will progress safely.
Before Starting the Program
Before starting a program, we must take into account several factors such as: our history of injuries, our state of form, the possibilities that the place where we are going to train gives us…
