The 5/3/1 Training program is a program created by Jim Wendler in his E-Book 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System to Increase Raw Strength. It is a no bullshit and simple system that works.
Jim Wendler is himself a power lifter who is well known in that circle, I had personally never heard of him, I’m not a power lifter. But I started to realise that a lot of programs out there are based very much around this 5/3/1 system, mine included. Why? Because the best programs are the simple programs that get the job done.
In Michael Matthews Bigger, Leaner, Stronger book, the book that pretty much set him up for life, is very much based of this program, he even says so himself (that is how I learned about Jim Wendler!) and Bigger, Leaner, Stronger was the book that I first started with when I was learning to lift.
And now that I understand the system I can see it’s imprint in just about any program. The idea behind it is to sequentially lift more for small reps in 4 core compound moves over a period of time. If you do this consistently you will get stronger, probably bigger, but you will get results.
My own programs have very much followed the same outline, only I would usually do more reps, I would squat out my heaviest weight I could for as many as I could sometimes doing up to 10 sets and lifting challenging numbers for myself. I have got very strong using the base of this system.
For any startling lifter this is a great place to start. For any intermediate level lifter, the 5/3/1 works for you. For an advanced lifter, the system works for you too. Why? Because it is simple and no bullshit.
I love to work out, it hasn’t always been that way, but these days I really have to force myself to not do a workout. It is addicting especially once you start seeing and feeling those results. What I don’t love to do is stupidly long sessions. I use to have this theory that you had to workout for 1-2 hours 4-5 times a week.
You don’t!
45 minutes on a given day is enough for me. I am in the position where I have access to a gym, be it my own or the Gym I am a personal trainer at, everyday. So I can do a different body part every day. For some getting to the gym twice a week is all they can manage, and in that instance, you will work out a bit longer. It’s not hard to make working out a part of your daily routine, but that is another story altogether.
What I like about this system and this E-book is that it is simple, no bullshit, and gets the job done in the time I like to work out. I go to the gym to work out, I’m not there to play on my phone and take selfies of myself telling all my friends I am at the gym, albeit being completely useless taking selfies on my phone, or there to socialise. Seriously, don’t be that person. Get in, get the work done and go on with your day.
The reason so many people fail at training is that they make it to hard. Who wants to do something that is to hard? If there is an easy way to do something then do it, so long as it does the job. You could just come to the gym 4 times a week and do 1 move per day for 3 sets of low numbers and probably be better off than a lot of the posers that are in the gym every day.
Look at a guy like John Cena. He has always had an amazing looking physique, but he hates to spend a long time in the gym. You can bet you ass that he is getting in and out in the shortest time possible, from all accounts he’s a busy guy.
So in summary, the 5/3/1 way of working out is a great starting or resting place. It should always be your go to. The assistance training that you do with it is important, and that is where having a personal trainer can help. What ever your goals are at the gym, if lifting is something you intend on doing long term, then the 5/3/1 system is for you.
Rob McQueen is a lifestyle coach who guides you through the weight loss process with guided trainings, nutrition understanding, and keeping you on track to maintain your results. He teaches from experience, he has lived it and experienced what he coaches. Visit us today on Facebook or contact us today to see how we can help you.