Review of 5-3-1

Background

I’ve been a consistent gym-goer for about 10 years now. The longest break I’ve taken from the gym was about 3 months after a non-sport-related surgery. After every break I’ve taken, I was able to get back into lifting my usual weights within about 2-3 weeks. My consistency has helped with this, but the underlying principles of 5-3-1 have also helped.

The Program

As a software engineer and fan of plans, the thought of creating a guide for 5-3-1 really excited me. I eventually chose the Juggernaut program as my long-term workout scheme, and created a new spreadsheet within Google Sheets to calculate the weights and mark my progress. This is a 16 week plan consisting on 4 training blocks, 3 weeks training, 1 week deload. The beginning of the 16 weeks focuses on high repetitions and lower weights, and this transitions to low repetitions and high weights toward the end of the program. I used this program for 4 barbell lifts: Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, and Overhead Press.

What Worked

Despite the lifts being the same for long periods of time, the changes in reps and weight kept things fresh enough so that I could keep going with the program. I also had enough gas in the tank to continue with supplementry exercises after the 5-3-1 lift for the day, in addition to cardio before the lifting. There are no forced 1rm (1 rep max) tests as part of this program. All 1rm levels are based on X amount of reps translating to a 1rm.

What Didn’t Work

After running this 16 week block several times, the lifts can get stale. I was able to resolve this by changing up my cardio or supplementry exercises. Any other issues I had with this program were just about always due to my inconsistent diet, sleep, or stress levels rather than the program itself.

Conclusion

I don’t think I will do any other program any time soon, 10/10.