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My 5/3/1

Cork

Cork

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I'm open to comments and criticisms. Here is my 5/3/1 setup. What do you think of my assistance work? Being a competitive bodybuilder, I opted for certain exercises over others as to not neglect my weak areas; example, front squats over back squats because there is adequate glute/ham work on other days and pull ups instead of chins to focus on back width.

Hypetrophy is not my main goal though. Obviously I would not pick this setup if it were. I'm just looking to try and have the best of both worlds. I'll have to test it out for a bit and see how I can mess with it. Anyone else compete who has tried this who might have pointers?

Anyways, check it out and tell me what you think.
*I have all the calculations in the sheet itself, feel free to copy it and put in your own numbers for your own 5/3/1 split. :thumbsup2:
**My first cycle will be starting Monday, Nov 9th.
 

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tim290280

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You are aware that pullups don't magically work width right?

Pullups will recruit more lats than chinups, but I believe that is because of the smaller ROM of the arms in the pullup (i.e. less arm involvement). But plenty of exercises recruit the lats while also recruiting the traps, etc, etc. (I really hate exercises being referred to as width or thickness movements.)
 
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Well I did simplify things. Let me restate as "I chose pull ups over chin ups due to decreased arm involvement and more focus on the back." But you'd have to admit that something like rows would not make a person appear wide as much as pull ups would. At least I would guess that. I've never done only rows and expected my lats to get huge. I always saw rows as upper/mid lats and rhomboid dominant.

Also I made a mistake on the spreadsheet, the reps for the second week are 3, and the reps for the 3rd week are 5-3-1 for sets 1, 2, and 3.
 

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tim290280

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Well I did simplify things. Let me restate as "I chose pull ups over chin ups due to decreased arm involvement and more focus on the back." But you'd have to admit that something like rows would not make a person appear wide as much as pull ups would. At least I would guess that. I've never done only rows and expected my lats to get huge.
Well it depends on what dominances and leverages you have. Lats may be the prime mover in all back exercises with crap involvement of other things (think mid a lower traps lacking on most backs). Others may have crap lats (Wolf) but still appear wide. Have a look at the diagram below and you'll see that width isn't necessarily about lats.

Back20Muscles-1.gif



I always saw rows as upper/mid lats and rhomboid dominant.

As you can see in the diagram there isn't a "upper" or "mid" lats. Rows are meant to be scapular retraction, so the action of depressing isn't performed by the lats but they still contract. Rows should hit the traps and rhomboids in retraction but the lats still are a large mover there.
 
hugegunns

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Hypetrophy is not my main goal though.

If its not your main goal then what is? If your looking to stay thin with six pack abs, brother, Jim Wendler would throw you out of his gym. This is a Power Lifting routine a very basic one at that. You have to eat your ass off for this routine to work as planned. Oh and get ready for weeks 3,6,& 9 and so on. Good luck. On these weeks listed, when the reps are set for 5/3/1, on the last set of 1 don't do just 1 rep get all you can!
 
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hugeguns thanks for the comments.

My overall goal is increases to mass and strength both. I am just looking to be a well rounded bodybuilder, not just another one concerned with only mass. I feel that the 5/3/1 will help with strength gains, and progressive overload on the assistance work will provide me with my mass gains.

Don't worry, my diet is in check. I can assure you I'm eating enough. As far as staying lean with a 6 pack, I assume you're refering to my avatar. That was me 3 months ago getting ready for a bodybuilding show. The show is over, so it's bulking time for me. I wish I still looked like that.:shakefist:

I may as well also take this time to update. I have finished the first week and I really like it so far. I made rep records on all lifts, and finished out the week strong. I move in to the 3 rep range this week and I will hopefully keep up with rep records.
 
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