This post is really just me thinking aloud. Trying to sort out what I really want, what my goals really are, and trying to figure out the best path to get there.
If this is of no interest to you… well, you probably already stopped reading. 🙂
I’ve been lifting weights for under a year.
I’ve lifted on and off since I was a teenager, but it’s really sticking this time I think in part due to having better knowledge and programs. I started on the old “bodybuilding” routine because that’s what I knew. But then I got laid up, discovered Jim Wendler, went backwards and found Mark Rippetoe. I started doing a Starting Strength like routine (more along the lines of his Practical Programming Novice) and after a couple of months on that switched to the Wendler 5/3/1 program.
I’ve been really enjoying it. Never have I lifted such weight. Sure my weights aren’t anything major in the grand scheme of the history of lifting, but they’re all personal records to me.
What makes programs like SS and 5/3/1 work is the linear progression and focus on the basics. SS’s linear progression is great and certainly served to get me off the ground by keeping it uber-simple. The downside of the program is it’s better suited for young bucks, or those who can really focus on recovery. If you can do nothing but eat, sleep, and lift, you’ll do fine on SS for a good while. The impact was just more than growing-older-fart-me could recover from. So that’s where 5/3/1 comes in. It allowed me to progress at a slower pace, but it’s been a steady and solid pace with good gains, made possible by allowing for recovery. For some more logic and detail behind all of this, read Rippetoe and Kilgore’s book, Practical Programming for Strength Training.
Now that I’ve done 6 cycles on 5/3/1, what do I think about it?
Overall, I like it. Progress is steady. Progress is solid. You certainly have to stick with the program for a while before you’ll see results. For some that’s good — it’s a marathon, not a sprint. For others, they won’t see results quickly and will switch. That’s fine, there are other things out there for them.
To that end tho, it’s somewhat a downside: progress is slow. But that’s how it goes… you can’t keep up massive gains forever. I’m not sure how I would have taken to this rate of progress as a younger me… probably would have driven me crazy. I’d probably have gone from SS to something like the Texas Method. But older-fart me is finding this to be just fine. That isn’t to say 5/3/1 is for advanced lifters or old farts, but rather that’s the reality of the program: slow gains, but steady gains. You’ve got to be in it for the long haul.
But that all said, I keep thinking about changes to the program towards meeting my goals.
There’s no question I’ve gotten stronger. You can look at my logs and see that.
But I’ve also wanted to get bigger.
Sure, I’ve gotten somewhat bigger. There’s more muscle on me, but being as tall and lanky-framed as I am, I really would like to fill it out more with some meat.
I’ve struggled this whole time to shed the muffin-top. I see a glimmer of hope with my current plans, but it’s just hard to try to gain muscle/strength and lose fat at the same time. You really can’t do both. So I’ve generally let the gut hang and continued with strength.
But I want to pick it up. I started with the “Boring But Big” template, and that actually works nicely. I like how it’s simple and no-nonsense. But I realized something. It’s not laid out in the plans, but it’s frequently talked about: chin/pull-ups matter. The way to get enough back and bicep (i.e. upper body pulling) volume is that you HAVE to do chins after you pressing movements. It’s not one of the 3 exercises you pick for each day, but it’s there… secretly wedged in. I’m seeing that now as I’m finally able to do chin-ups.
I thought about the 5/3/1 bodybuilding template. That should help with strength and also mass, but you know one reason I don’t want to do it? That’s a MUCH longer workout. I like getting in the gym and getting out. This would keep me in the gym for a long time. Plus, some say it’s a LOT of volume, so I thought if I did do it I might trim it back by an exercise or two for a starting cycle then in later cycles add them back in. But still, I don’t know.
Then Jim recently came out with what he calls the BBB 3 Month Challenge. It’s taking BBB to a different level. It ups the weights, it mixes up how you do the assistance work.
I can see by how I’ve been changing the assistance work, keeping the spirit of BBB, merging in a bit of Triumvirate, wanting to round out the assistance work to bring up the volume and work a bit to see about more muscle… well… I’m starting to think BBB 3 month might be where to go. It keeps things simple and straightforward, but it’ll kick your ass hard. The only thing that I have to wuss out on is doing it 3x week instead of 4. Yeah yeah yeah, I know. So it’ll probably take me 4 months to finish it, and maybe there’ll be some loss in gain for doing it that way. I’ll live.
And I’m wondering if I should go ahead and change it up for this upcoming 7th cycle or not. I was kinda set to stay the course, but… maybe I’ll call an audible here.
I do wonder tho. I’m kinda expecting myself to reset soon. I’m seeing where my numbers are going. Will there be a problem if I have to reset while doing the challenge? I don’t know. But who cares. This is a journey, so just make a decision, forge ahead, and take things as they come. Who knows… the way it works me I might actually blow through any walls. 🙂
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