Tag Archives: training program
Choosing a Workout Program
The video below from Elliott Hulse at strengthcamp is an opinion I share about choosing a workout routine.
Cliffs:
Blindly select a workout program that works for numerous people. (I listed some below.)
Follow it for a year.
Learn to make adjustments to the program over time that benefit you.
Enjoy continued progress without wasting your time looking for the magic program or some miraculous new discovery when it comes to lifting weights.
Hold yourself accountable.
Example: I have consistently followed 5/3/1 for over two years now and have steady progress in all my main lifts. I have made tweaks to the program to accommodate my goals and work hard in the gym. The changes I make are made gradually over time. I keep the things that I feel improve me and get rid of what doesn’t seem to be helping. What doesn’t change is the general approach to training. I still read a lot about training from various authors/lifters, but I don’t let it affect me to the point where I go program hopping every month or two. I utilize the information to make minor positive changes to my training when I see fit. I still utilize the fundamentals of 5/3/1 (with principles of Jim Wendler’s new book Beyond 5/3/1).
Some programs that I believe are very solid in their approach are listed below. You could literally blindly choose from one of these, if you wanted. Or you can spend the time to read through them all and then choose one. Whichever method you choose, pick one program and run it for at least one year like Elliott Hulse mentions in his video.
Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 – If you choose this one, I strongly advise also reading Beyond 5/3/1.
Jonnie Candito’s Training Program – You can download this one for free, but I would suggest leaving him a donation if you have the cash to spare. It’s a solid program that he’s making available to everyone.
The Cube Method by Brandon Lilly
The Juggernaut Method by Chad Wesley Smith
Westside for Skinny Bastards by Joe DeFranco – Free PDF. This one is great for athletes.
Work hard and you will be successful with any of these. Instead of wasting time trying to find the ‘best’ way to train, just work your ass off with the principles of a proven program. That’s just my opinion though.
Beyond 5/3/1 Kindle Edition Available
If you haven’t grabbed yourself a copy of the new Jim Wendler book ‘Beyond 5/3/1‘, then now is definitely the time to do so. (I’m starting to feel like a door-to-door salesman.) Amazon just released the Kindle edition of the book, which only costs $9.99 (as opposed to $24.99 for the regular ebook and $29.99 for the paperback book). I posted the table of contents in a previous announcement about the paperback copy being available, but I’ll list it again right now.
5/3/1 is the training program I have used for almost two years now and it’s still giving me steady progress. The new techniques covered in the Beyond 5/3/1 book are things I’m already implementing in my workout routine, specifically the Joker Sets and First Set Last approaches, but also things like pyramids.
If you don’t have a Kindle, not to worry. There are free readers for Kindle books available: Kindle for PC | Kindle for Mac
Table of Contents for the new Beyond 5/3/1 book:
- 5/3/1 Principles – 4
- Importance of the Training Max – 6
- 6 Week Training Cycles – 7
- The Warm Up – 10
- 5/3/1 Variations – 11
- 5/3/1 Pyramid – 12
- First Set Last – 12
- First Set Last, Multiple Sets – 13
- First Set Last, Rest Pause – 13
- First Set Last, Pause Squats and Benches – 14
- 5/3/1 Strength Phase – 15
- 5/3/1 and Dynamic Work – 16
- Boring But Big – 17
- Boring But Big, Variation 1 – 19
- Boring But Big, Variation 2 – 20
- Boring But Big, 6 Week Challenge – 21
- Boring But Big, 5×5 – 21
- Boring But Big, 5×3 – 22
- Boring But Big, 5×1 – 22
- Boring But Big, 13 Week Challenge – 24
- Boring But Big, 2 Days/Week – 24
- Boring But Big, Rule of 50 – 25
- 5/3/1 and the Fatherland – 26
- 5/3/1 SVR – 30
- The Rule of 10 – 30
- Joker Sets – 31
- Joker Supersets – 34
- Beyond 5/3/1, Training Maximally – 35
- Full Body Training – 43
- Full Body, Power Clean – 44
- Full Body, Power Clean 2 – 45
- Full Body, Full Boring – 46
- Spinal Tap Training – 46
- Spinal Tap Training, 2 – 48
- 5’s Progression (Beginner/Advanced) – 50
- More on the Deload – 51
- Full Body Deload – 52
- High Intensity Deload – 53
- 28 Weeks of Training – 53
- Advanced 5/3/1 – 55
- 2 Day/Week Training – 59
- Hypertrophy Phase – 62
- Strength Phase – 65
- Assistance Work – 67
- 2 Day/Week, New Template – 70
- S.S.S., Singles, Speed, Size – 71
- 12 Week S.S.S. Program – 74
- Volume Work, 75/85 – 75
- 5/3/1 Challenges – 80
- Boring But Big Challenge – 82
- Strength Challenge – 88
- Prowler Challenge – 106
- 100 Rep Challenge – 113
- 5/3/1 Rest Pause Challenge – 118
- 5/3/1 Frequency Project – 123
- 5/3/1 Frequency Project – 128
- The Big Question – 129
- Final – 131
Beyond 5/3/1 Paperback Book
The new Beyond 5/3/1 book by Jim Wendler is now available as a paperback copy on Amazon. Make sure you grab one before they’re sold out.
This is by far Wendler’s best book yet. 5/3/1 is the program I personally run and this book adds a lot to that. I’m already implementing some of the techniques described in the new book in my own training. Below is a table of contents.
Table of Contents for Beyond 5/3/1:
- 5/3/1 Principles – 4
- Importance of the Training Max – 6
- 6 Week Training Cycles – 7
- The Warm Up – 10
- 5/3/1 Variations – 11
- 5/3/1 Pyramid – 12
- First Set Last – 12
- First Set Last, Multiple Sets – 13
- First Set Last, Rest Pause – 13
- First Set Last, Pause Squats and Benches – 14
- 5/3/1 Strength Phase – 15
- 5/3/1 and Dynamic Work – 16
- Boring But Big – 17
- Boring But Big, Variation 1 – 19
- Boring But Big, Variation 2 – 20
- Boring But Big, 6 Week Challenge – 21
- Boring But Big, 5×5 – 21
- Boring But Big, 5×3 – 22
- Boring But Big, 5×1 – 22
- Boring But Big, 13 Week Challenge – 24
- Boring But Big, 2 Days/Week – 24
- Boring But Big, Rule of 50 – 25
- 5/3/1 and the Fatherland – 26
- 5/3/1 SVR – 30
- The Rule of 10 – 30
- Joker Sets – 31
- Joker Supersets – 34
- Beyond 5/3/1, Training Maximally – 35
- Full Body Training – 43
- Full Body, Power Clean – 44
- Full Body, Power Clean 2 – 45
- Full Body, Full Boring – 46
- Spinal Tap Training – 46
- Spinal Tap Training, 2 – 48
- 5’s Progression (Beginner/Advanced) – 50
- More on the Deload – 51
- Full Body Deload – 52
- High Intensity Deload – 53
- 28 Weeks of Training – 53
- Advanced 5/3/1 – 55
- 2 Day/Week Training – 59
- Hypertrophy Phase – 62
- Strength Phase – 65
- Assistance Work – 67
- 2 Day/Week, New Template – 70
- S.S.S., Singles, Speed, Size – 71
- 12 Week S.S.S. Program – 74
- Volume Work, 75/85 – 75
- 5/3/1 Challenges – 80
- Boring But Big Challenge – 82
- Strength Challenge – 88
- Prowler Challenge – 106
- 100 Rep Challenge – 113
- 5/3/1 Rest Pause Challenge – 118
- 5/3/1 Frequency Project – 123
- 5/3/1 Frequency Project – 128
- The Big Question – 129
- Final – 131
Beyond 5/3/1 – New Book by Jim Wendler
If you’re a fan of Jim Wendler’s training program 5/3/1, you’ll be interested in this. He just released his new 5/3/1 ebook called ‘Beyond 5/3/1‘. Right now you can only get it on his web site here (for $24.99), but I’ll make another post once it’s available on Amazon. Lots of interesting new stuff in there. I still run a hybrid of 5/3/1 and The Cube Method myself, so it’s an interesting read for me to say the least.