If you are serious, get a food scale and weigh everything.  It’s not that you have to track forever, because I know it is tedious, but that you have to develop awareness.  You may think that a giant bowl of chips is a serving, when a serving is a handful.  You may also not know that your bowl is giant.

The pleasure of eating

Eating should be a pleasure.  Dieting is not an excuse to exercise your masochistic tendencies, rather, it should make you lose fat, as painlessly as possible. Unfortunately for many people fast food is one of their biggest indulgences. I had a client recently casually report eating a chipotle burrito, which he thought was at least a healthy alternative. After the total calories were tallied in it was a staggering 2100! I showed him the errors of his ways and now he can indulge without the consequences.

Fast Food Reloaded

We selected five popular fast food joints, scoured their menus, weighed the options and found the best selections. Obviously you will need more or less calories based on your diets so work that portion control. We tried to get the most protein while minimizing fat and carbs while at the same time getting the most nutrition.

Chipotle

With chipotle you can use this nifty calculator. Goal is to get a balanced meal and maximum amount of proteins while keeping the calories low. Start with a bowl if you’ll want guacamole or extra sauces, otherwise you could go for the hard tacos. Add either pinto or black beans, since unlike rice they have more protein and are lower GI. The meat choices are pretty much the same so get what you like. The Salsas are pretty low in calorie (15-20-40) so go hog wild. Be careful with the extras -guacamole, cheese, sour cream- as adding all three will bump you up another 375 calories. Chips, as usual, are terrible at 570 calories 73g carbs and 27g fat.

Our Choice

Burrito Bol

Black Beans
120 kcal
23g carbs
7g protein

Steak
190 kcal
7g fat
2g carbs
30g protein

Tomato and Hot Salsas
60 kcal
12g carbs
3g protein

Guacamole
150kcal
13g fat
8g carbs
2g protein

Total
520 kcal
22g fat
45g carbs
42g protein

KFC

So they are healthening it up a bit themselves, with the new Kentucky Grilled, and 395 calories for $3.95.  It’s not bad, if fast food were your only option.  But if you’ve got a kitchen, there’s no reason not to make a tasty Kentucky feast of your own. You can’t go wrong with the Kentucky Grilled but if you don’t want to die from rabbit starvation, get a side dish along with it. Any of the side dishes should be ok as long as you stick to one.

Our Choice

2 breast + 1 drumstick
430 kcal
80g protein
0g carbs

Mashed Potatoes (No gravy)
100 kcal
16g carbs

Green Beans
25 kcal
5g Carbs

Total:
555 Calories
82g protein
21g carbs

Burger King

BK was really a tough one. All the burgers were loaded with carbs and fat and it was difficult getting close to 50g protein without breaking 800kcal. Your best bet is to stick with the tendergrill chicken sandwich with an extra chicken breast or two. Getting it with mustard instead of mayo will save you 100 calories. And if you want to cut the carbs in half throw away half the bun.

A proper burger

Our Choice:

Tender Grill Chicken Sandwich
No Mayo
With Mustard
Extra Chicken Breast, Tomatoes and Onions
530 kcal
15g fat
57g carbs
43g protein

Skip the fries and dessert and drink water. If you must, opt for diet coke or if you REALLY need it get 3/4th diet coke and 1/4th regular as a last alternative.

McDonald’s

We found better choices at McDonald’s; their menu seemed more balanced. We skipped the beef burgers because they’re pretty low on protein for the calorie buck. The chicken sandwiches are better, with the grilled chicken classic leading the way with 420kcal, 10g fat, 51g carb and 32 g protein. If you pull the double breast and no mayo all on one bun trick, as with BK, you can get even better numbers. In the end we were drawn to the salads with the impressive “Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken” 260 calories, 9g fat, 12g carbs, and a staggering 33g of protein. Although the total calorie is low it allows for wiggle room if we want a side dish or dressing. A double order of chicken brings up the protein even more making the salad even more filling.

Only post-workout drink you need

Our Choice:

Premium Bacon Ranch Salad with Grilled Chicken (double order meat)
312 calories (estimated)
9g fats
12g carbs
46g Protein

+Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
40 calories

Total
352
12g fat
16g carbs
46g protein

Subway

The supposed king of the healthy fast food surprising has some pretty calorie dense options. The good thing about subway is the customizability of each item. You get to choose everything and watch it being made so there shouldn’t be too many hidden ingredients. Maxing out in a meal can bring your calories above 2000 easily. A footlong with double meat, double cheese, and a variety of sauces, mayo, chips and a drink will do that. Stick to a 6″ or a wrap or even make your own salad and skip the starch vehicle all together. Go for lean but substantial meats such as chicken breast, roast beef, or even the subway club. Get double meat to bring up the protein, giving you a more filling sandwich that is still nutritionally sound. The breads are almost the same but we recommend the ’9-grain wheat bread’ for its lowest calorie (210) and lowest GI.

The cheeses are pretty much all the same, so if you need it, go with your favorite. Sub out mayo for light mayo or even better skip it all together and get some mustard. Sauces can be ok but if you already stacked with cheese/mayo consider skipping them. Your best bet is the fat free honey mustard or fat free sweet onion.

Make sure to stack a mountain of veggies (Read our Codex Of Leanness for more info) and opt for water instead of soda (or get diet) and no chips.

Swole Jared

Our Pick

Roast Beef (Double Meat)
230kcal
8g fat
0g carbs
40g protein

6″ Wheat Bread
200 kcal
2.5g fat
40g carbs
8g protein

Cheddar Cheese
40 kcal
3g fat
0
2g protein

Veggies + Water
approximately 0 kcal

Total
470 kcal
13.5g fat
40g carbs
50g protein

The double meat and the veggies make this sandwich especially filling and nutritious.

Note on Caffeinated Beverages

Soda is single handedly responsible for a large part of the obesity problem. It is used for hydration, taste, energy, digestion aid and everything in between. Ridding yourself of a soda addiction is three fold: combating the caffeine and sugar addiction and finding another source of hydration. Water takes care of the second part REALLY well. As for the caffeine, get your boost from coffee or tea or, hell, even caffeine pills: somewhere where that jolt doesn’t come with 14 tsp of sugar. Eating proper meals will help stave off the sugar addiction.

Here are some comparisons:

• 12 oz coca cola: 140kcal, 39g sugar
• 12 oz coffee w/ 1 fl oz half and half: 40kcal, 0g sugar
• 12 oz coffee w/ 2 tsp sugar: 30kcal, 8g sugar
• 12 oz coffee w/ 1 fl oz half and half AND 2 tsp sugar: 70kcal, 8g sugar

And here is a flexible recipe: (and perfect pre- or post-workout!)

Protein frap

12 oz cold coffee
30g whey (usually 1 scoop)
1 c milk (use whichever fat content suits your macros/goals)
1 c. ice, or less, depending on your blender’s abilities

Blend and serve!

Conclusion

Hopefully now you are better prepared to fight the fast food menace. Remember, fixing your diet isn’t about the perfect macro-split or eating clean all the time, it’s about better choices. So switching to diet coke alone might put you at a caloric deficit and on the road to weightloss. Beyond that, realize that change happens gradually, don’t force a lifestyle on yourself that will make you miserable and set you up for failure. Take your current lifestyle and work on improving it, soon enough you will notice that you have achieved your goals painlessly.

Hard Truths that Set You Free: Fast Food Reloaded is a post from: theSwole

The path to strength and size is one filled with injury and pain. Very few progress down that path, as bigger rewards carry with them bigger risks. At one point progress becomes simply surviving the workouts. If you’ve never been injured in some way while training, then I question your methods.

It’s not that injuries are badges of accomplishment, or a pre-requisite for a solid training program, but maximum training is dangerous, not healthy. It is possible to train hard and get results and avoid injury, but most people don’t even push themselves out of fear of entering that “danger zone.”  This article is not about training for health and fitness, it is about how to minimize health risks inherent in extreme training.  We’ll cover injury prevention and prehab as well as injury management and rehab.  You’ll also get a personal story on how I overcame my knee injury. Everything written here is my own opinion, it is not medical advice and if you are injured you should see a doctor.

Live to Fight Another Day: Tips to help you avoid and survive injury is a post from: theSwole

All serious lifters find themselves at a crossroads; they just graduated from Starting Strength or 5×5 and are looking for the next challenge. Often they seek to specialize, in hypertrophy, strength, powerlifting or even traditional weightlifting. But what if you didn’t want to be one thing, what if you wanted it all: strong and swole, is it even possible? Well that’s the goal of theSwole routine. It’s a hybrid program that aims to maximize strength and size gains . It borrows the most successful concepts from some of the most successful routines and puts them together to form a super-routine of sorts. Here you will find speed days, circuits, conjugate methods,and still some room for customization. Volume training is periodized with strength training to synergistic effect.

Just like the 5/3/1 program, reviewed in our recent article, TSR uses the concept of ‘waves.’ But that is where the similarities end. Waves in TSR are comprised of volume, speed and max days not weeks. So each training session you are focusing on a different capacity for a different muscle group. This means in a week you are at least having three different training sessions as well as getting stronger, faster, and bigger. This weekly structure helps facilitate recovery by avoiding pitfalls like ‘max week’ where you are facing full-body max-out. In addition, this program is intended for bulking, so trying to do it on a caloric deficitwill be detrimental. You need to eat at maintenance, or preferably at a surplus.

Here is a sample overview of the structure:

Week 1

• Day 1 : Speed Chest
• Day 2 : Volume Back
• Day 3 : Max Legs

Week 2

• Day 1 : Speed Back
• Day 2 : Volume Legs
• Day 3 : Max Chest

Week 3

• Day 1 : Speed Legs
• Day 2 : Volume Chest
• Day 3 : Max Back

Repeat (weeks 4-6)

Week 7

• Deload

The Split

TSR splits muscles into 3 groups. Chest/Shoulders/Triceps (i.e. press), Back/Traps/Biceps (pull) and Quad/Hamstrings/Glutes/Calves (legs). This setup is optimal as it allows for each muscle group to recover before the next training session. To further assist recovery, the program borrows from the conjugate method of rotating movements. This means each week you are training different movements than the week before. The advantage is constant progress and gains while at the same time avoiding specific movement overtraining and stagnation.

Each session consists of three core movements followed by supplemental exercises or a circuit. This allows for added volume while avoiding over-training. High repetition sets are included as another means to encourage hypertrophy and endurance. The aim is to maximize effect by activating all different muscle fibre types. For variation, the volume and length of the supplementary movements can be shortened or skipped on certain days.

Having covered the technical aspects of the program, the philosophy behind TSR is similar to that of Doggcrapp: make strength gains and you will get bigger. And since strength gains are quantifiable we can use them like a meter stick. So the first result to watch for with TSR is increased strength. That said, if you find your results stagnating, take stock of your diet and rest patterns, and if necessary, cut down on supplementary movements. The key to strength gains here lies in exercise rotation. You make small gains on a variety of movements that all add up creating a synergistic effect.

Each cycle lasts 6 weeks, or two rotations, so you’ll have maxed out on everything twice. You will then throw in a week of deloading, pick new movements and start over.

Strong.. yet swole

Approved Exercises

To get started,pick three exercises for each muscle group. For the main group you will pick one exercise for each day. For example, for max chest day, you might choose pin press. For speed chest, let’s say flat bench and hammer strength for volume. These will be the basis of your chest program for the next 6 weeks. The circuits at the end of each session remain the same, i.e. you will do the same legs circuit every legs day whether it is speed, max, or volume day; and the same push circuit every push day, regardless of what was emphasized. Again, if you are having trouble recovering, cut down on supplemental volume.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

Note: Notation is always Reps X Sets, so 4 x 9 means 4 reps for 9 sets. The @ symbol signifies the percentage of max weight to use.

Chest:

Speed:
( 4 x 9 )
Flat Bench, Bands/Chains if you have them

Volume:

( 8 – 12 x 4 )
Incline Bench, Flat Bench, Dumbbell Press, Hammer Strength Machines

Max:

( Work up to 1 rep max, do 2 light warm up sets, and 3 warm up sets last one about 95% of your 1RM and then add 10lbs to your last max for the final set)

Flat Bench, Pin Press, Floor Press, Rack Bench

Shoulders:

( 6 – 8 x 4 )
Overhead Pin Press (varying heights), Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Push Press, Military Press

Triceps:

( 6 – 8 x 3-4 )
Close-grip Floor Press, Close-grip Pin Press, JM Press, Reverse-grip Close-grip Bench

Supplemental Circuit x 2 – 3

Side Raises x 20
Front Raises x 15
Tricep Pushdowns x 20
Reverse Flys x 12
Abs x 15-20
Hammer Curls x 12-15

Back, Traps, Biceps

Back:

Speed:
( 3 x 9 )
Deadlifts, chains and bands if available

Max:
( Work up to 1 rep max, do 2 light warm up sets, and 3 warm up sets last one about 95% of your 1RM and then add 20lbs to your last max for the final set)
Deadlifts

Volume:

( 8-12 x 4 )
Bent Over Rows, T-bar Rows, Dumbbell Rows
Second back movement:
( 6 – 8 x 4 )
Pull-ups, Hammer Strength Pull-downs, Assisted Pull-ups, Chin-ups

Third back movement:

( 8 – 12 x 3 )
Close-grip Cable Rows, Dumbbell Rows, Hammer Strength Rows
Supplemental SuperSet x 2 -3:
Barbell Curls x 10 @ 55%
Barbell Shrugs x 20 @ 40%
Dumbbell Curls x 15 @ 45%
Reverse Cable Curls x 10 @ 45%

Legs

Quads

Speed:

( 4 x 9 )

Back Squats, Box squats
Max:
( Work up to 1 rep max, do 2 light warm up sets, and 3 warm up sets last one about 95% of your 1RM and then add 20lbs to your last max for the final set)

Back Squats, Box Squats, Rack Squats
Volume:
( 8 x 4 )
AND
( 20 x 1)
Back Squats, Box Squats, Leg Press

Hamstrings

( 6 – 8 x 4 )

Good Mornings/ Stiff legged Deadlifts / Rack Pulls

Quads

( 8 – 12 x 4 )
Leg Press/Split Squats/Lunges

Supplementary Circuit 3 – 4:
Leg Extensions x 15 @ 40%
Leg Curl x 10 @ 45%
Calf Raise Circuit x 15 @ 40%
Decline Abs

Conclusion

The program may seem overwhelming at first, but its guaranteed to give you some ridiculous results. This program is seriously demanding so only do this if you are eating at maintenance or above, as overtraining can happen very easily. Also make sure to deload after every 6 weeks, that is do a week of light training or don’t train at all. If you have any questions, post them as comments or in the forums and I’ll happily answer them.

TSR: a new routine for muscle and strength gain is a post from: theSwole

Quazmido testing out his Inzer row shirt

You’re doing it wrong. If your back isn’t warped and misshapen like Quasimodo, pictured above moments before eating a live bird, then your back training sucks. It’s no shame, as not all of us spend all our lives pulling 30 ton bells or even 30 lb dumbbells, and back training often takes a backseat to more ‘important’ muscle groups. After all, which Hollywood actor was lusted over for his impressive yoke? But contrary to popular belief, a well-developed back is essential, both to form and function; it will make you stronger, more anabolic, and maybe if you do enough rows you will look like the hunchback of Notre Dame.

Big backs started to win appreciation when Dorian Yates ushered in a new era of mass, winning the Olympia in 1992. His fleshly backpack was to be outdone only by Ronnie Coleman’s. So big backs are in, but what’s the key to back development? We will examine three unique elements: stretch, max, and exhaust.

Dorian Yates

The Stretch

The back is made up of many muscle groups, most prominently for our purposes, the traps, the lats, and the “lower back”. Incidentally, most back exercises are done while standing, pulling the weight towards you, the opposite of chest movements. Range of motion in such a situation can be tricky, as the starting and end point aren’t well defined. So to ensure proper back stimulation in this phase, maximum ROM is attempted. For horizontal rowing such as hammer strength or cable rows the goal is to get a full stretch of the lat by extending the arms to their maximum range. Ideally you want to have your arm extending in a straight line, perpendicular to your body, pulling the weight below the sternum. This might require you to bend over more, or on seated rows to bring your back forward. On vertical rows (pull-downs) you want to bring the weight down in a straight line, bring the bar close to your chest then guide it back upwards, returning to full extension. The weight load is irrelevant when starting out, the goal is muscle activation.

As apparent in the explanation, this technique is best applied on cable or hammer strength movements or with dumbbells. You don’t want to apply it to a movement like bent over rows or pull ups (these come in the next parts). As for tempo, go with a negative of at least 3 seconds; control is essential here, and time under tension is to be maximized.  For more information check out our Tempo article.

The Maximum

This concept is based on the idea that in order to activate maximum muscle you need to move maximal weights. What does that mean? Using near maximal weights will cause greater muscular development. In these sets, weight load takes priority over perfect form. It doesn’t mean you let the movement devolve into something unrecognizable as such, but you might start using your hips more to bring the weight up, or rocking your back. That’s fine unless you deviate too much, to the point of risking injury. The philosophy is that this type of shock will force the body to adapt to the heavier weights, thus making relatively lighter weights much easier. It will also aid overall development. This technique is to be used sparingly as overtraining can happen quickly. I wouldn’t recommend more than 15-20% of your training to consist of the maximum.

This will work on almost any movement but works great on big movements such as bent over rows, or dumbbell rows or even hammer strength rows. Aim for about 4-6 repetitions, start light and keep increasing the weights until you hit failure after the 3rd or 4th rep. To increase intensity further, you can add Rest-Pause or Drop-Sets. Learn all about these swole-approved torture techniques in our Sets and Reps article.

The Exhaust

Just as the title suggests the aim here is to utterly fatigue and deplete the muscle. Sets aim for maximum repetitions which makes it hard to get a bad workout. Best reserved for the end of your training as the final charge, be wary though if you plan on training synergistic muscles afterwards since you will need to rest for a longer time than usual. These sets are taxing but not as much as the maximum; they are more of a localized burnout. It’s really important to maintain form in the beginning but the goal is to finish the set one way or another.
The best way to do this is the infamous high rep dumbbell rows aka Kroc Rows. 20 reps seems to be the golden number, done for three sets. Start your first set at a moderately low weight and increase by 10lbs each set. The final set must be agonizing, so if your second set was too light go up by 15 or 20lbs for your last one (per dumbbell).

Example:

45s x 20 ( Warm up to gauge where you are)
55s x 20 ( Woha that was way too easy)
70s x 20 ( Increased 15lbs, weight was perfect)

Putting it all together

It’s best to use two of three concepts in one session, for example the maximum followed by  the stretch. Add in one or two more back exercises done in a straight set fashion, making sure to do both vertical and horizontal pulling. Avoid training the maximum each session, as overtraining will ensue. Rotate the movement every week to maintain steady progress. If you find yourself stalling, cut down on training while increasing rest and food intake. Follow this advice and maybe one day you too can have tumor-like lats.

The Swoleback of Notre Dame: Back training revamped is a post from: theSwole

Jim Wendler right at his eureka moment

In his book, Wendler, an elite powerlifter, remembers a time at the zenith of his career, when he could barely walk outside the gym, his health was failing, and despite stellar equipped lifts, his unequipped capabilities were desperately weak. To reclaim his life and strength, Wendler developed a plan: cut out all the excess and get back to basics.

5/3/1 is about simplicity. You do three (maybe four) workouts a week with the focus on the ‘big four’: squat, bench, deadlift and military press. Focus on these movements and size and strength will necessarily follow.

How does it all work?

The program is split up into cycles, each cycle consists of four waves. Each wave is made up of four workouts, one for each lift. In other words, if you train four times a week, you hit each exercise once per week.  Each wave focuses on a 5, 3, or 1 rep max, giving the program its name.  Each workout is based on three sets of the major movement followed by a variety of accessory work detailed below. Sets and reps remain the same for the main movements in each wave.  During the fourth, and final, week of the cycle, you return to a 5 rep scheme using submaximal weight.  This built-in deload week allows for recovery and recuperation, setting you up to come back stronger with each passing cycle.

Before starting the program, you will need to know your one rep max for each of the big four.  From there, calculate 90% and use that 90% figure as if it were your real max, i.e. to calculate the percentages below. The idea is to undershoot so as to get better quality work and avoid failure.

Here’s the basic structure:

Wave 1: 65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or more
Wave 2: 70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3 or more
Wave 3: 75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or more
Wave 4: 40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5

If you are still having trouble understanding the program see the sample routine below.

On the final set, Wendler also recommends going all out and attempting as many reps as possible (i.e. beyond 5/3/1). As he puts it “[the final set should be the one that] puts hair on your balls”. He does emphasize, however, that you should not attempt failure, as that would be detrimental to your efforts. You should never fail on a rep.

5/3/1, it no longer equals 1.66666666666666666666667.

The e-book

The Ego

If there is one point on which Wendler is adamant, it’s the ego; you must check your ego at the door and focus on the program. If the gameplan says you’re in for 3 reps with 275, don’t try to impress all your co-bros by attempting 325. The whole program is periodized such that you are riding bigger and bigger waves and constantly making progress. Jumping the gun in week one will set you back in week two, creating a domino effect. Over-exertion will only leave you spinning your wheels. This doesn’t mean you must trust the program blindly, but give it a chance to prove its worth.  Follow it for a couple of weeks and then make adjustments as necessary.

Just as you keep your ego in check during your gym sessions, keep your ego in check during the many months that you follow the 5/3/1 with regards to progress. 5/3/1 does not immediately seem like the fastest gainer out there, but it proves itself in the long haul, with consistent gains month after month. With this in mind, expect to gain no more than 10 pounds a month on the squat and deadlift, and 5 pounds on your bench and press. That may seem a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, but remember, these are very strong consistent gains. You should be able to increase your deadlift from 405 to 525 in a year, for a example, or your bench from 315 to 375.

After each cycle, add 10lbs to the previous 90% figure that you had been working with for squat or deadlift, and 5lbs to your 90% bench and military press. Calculate your working sets and start lifting.

Variations and Accessory Work

Although the program is simple it leaves some room for variety. You must pick one of the following variations to complement the basic plan outlined above. Simply doing the main movement is not enough, accessory work is also necessary.

Boring but Big

This is the method that most internet jockeys prefer! Upon finishing the basic three sets, repeat the main movement again at 50-60% of your max for 5 sets of 10. Obviously not the most interesting, but according to the man behind the words, this is the route to the biggest of gains. Following that, pound out 5 sets of 10 on any isolation move which would target the same area (eg. skullcrushers after bench or leg extensions post-squat).

Here are some examples:

You too can be a fat man someday!

Squat – 3 sets of 5 (or 3, or 1, depending on wave)
Squat – 5 sets of 10 at 50%
Leg curl – 5 sets of 10

Military Press – 3 sets of 3
Military Press – 5 sets of 10 at 50%
Chin-ups – 5 sets of 10 at bodyweight

Deadlift – 3 sets of  1
Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 at 55%
Hanging Leg Raise – 5 sets of 15

Bench – 3 sets of 3
Bench – 5 sets of 10 at 60%
Dumbbell Row – 5 sets of 10

These are just some examples, obviously rep count for the first 3 sets of the main movement would hinge on wave, but the idea is the same.

Anecdotal evidence seems to show that it does lead to great gains, at least, assuming you’ve got the stamina to finish.  You may think you’re the hardest ass that’s ever been under a bar, but prepare to be humbled as you strain and groan under weights that you’d probably be using as a warmup right now.  Make no mistake, Boring But Big is a serious gasser.  For those who are accustomed to never doing more than 5 reps per set, suddenly jumping up to 5 sets of 10 is going to put you in your place.  I bet you regret missing all that GPP work now!

The Triumvirate

If you don’t want to repeat the same main movement, as in Boring but Big, you can ditch that in favor of another accessory move. Choose whatever you want as long as it’s in the same muscle group.

Wendler doing dips

The Periodization Bible

This method gets its name from the eponymous article by Dave Tate. It goes into a bit of detail about microcycles (comprised of several training sessions) and mesocycles (1-4 months comprised of micro cycles), but for the purposes of this program, we won’t worry too much about that.

Basically, here Wendler borrows the Westside take on accessory work, i.e. basing your accessory work around the most frequently taxed muscles of the workout. Here’s how it might look:

DB = Dumbbell

The exercises between brackets are different exercises to choose from, pick a different one each week.

Military Press (5/3/1)

• Shoulders or Chest – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB bench, DB Incline, DB Military, Incline press, Dips, Pushups)
• Lats or Upper Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB rows, Bent Over Rows, Chins, T-bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Face Pulls, Shrugs)
• Triceps – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Triceps Pushdowns or Triceps Extensions)

Deadlift (5/3/1)

• Hamstrings – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Curls, Glute-Ham Raise)
• Quads – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Press, Lunges, Hack Squats)
• Abs – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Sit-ups, Hanging Leg Raises, Ab Wheel, DB Side Bend)

Bench Press (5/3/1)

• Shoulders or Chest – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB bench, DB Incline, DB Military, Incline press, Dips, Pushups)
• Lats or Upper Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB rows, Bent Over Rows, Chins, T-bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Face Pulls, Shrugs)
• Triceps – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Triceps Pushdowns or Triceps Extensions)

Squat (5/3/1)

• Low Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Reverse Hyper, Back Raise, Good Morning)
• Quads – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Press, Lunges, Hack Squats)
• Abs – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Sit-ups, Hanging Leg Raises, Ab Wheel, DB Side Bend)

You can change exercises however you see fit; it won’t make or break the program. However, one thing to remember is that accessory work is intended to supplement and strengthen the main movement, not detract from it. If you’re continually increasing your weight on shoulder presses, but military press or bench is stalling, you should lower the accessory weight. Remember, focus must remain on the main movements, that’s where the gains come from.

Bodyweight

This option is as simple as it sounds; use bodyweight exercises to supplement the main lift. Wendler reccomends at least 75 reps per exercise, and at least 2 bodyweight exercises per training session. Note that you can use most of the same bodyweight exercises to supplement military press as bench. Same goes between deadlifts and squats. If you want, you can perform weighted bodyweight movements, such as weighted push-ups, bodyweight squats, hyperextensions, dips, one-legged squats, etc. This allows you to continue loading without needing to increase reps. Bands or chains may also be utilized.

A Final Word

5/3/1 is not just for powerlifters, and its not just a grown-up version of 5×5. It’s for anyone, with a little bit of experience under his (or her) belt, who wants a logical, simple, and consistent approach to lifting. It’s an effective way to increase not only your one-rep max, but all rep maxes, which lends itself to all-around strength in addition to top-end strength.
As a final note of caution, I would recommend this program only if you have at least 2 years of lifting experience, can squat or deadlift at least 1.5x bodyweight, and know your own body well. Preparedness is crucial, as this is not a program for beginners and those who are still trying to grasp basic form. It’s also essential to stick to the program for the long haul since the whole concept is the snowballing of small waves into a tsunami of brute strength.

Special thanks to Wendler disciple DeathyMcDeath for helping writing this article.

5/3/1: Jim Wendler’s theory of strength is a post from: theSwole

SPT will offer a convenient, affordable and personalized training service. It’s easy for some people who have the time to research and -like me- through trial and error figure stuff out, for others who do not have the luxury of time, things are more difficult. Others, try as they might, never seem to find what works for them. But what we do at SPT is get results. We put together a comprehensive plan that covers everything, from diet to training to rest. Whether your goal is fat loss, muscle gain, some combination of both, or whatever, I personally will guide you through the movements, explaining what to do and when, show you what to eat, and how to rest.

At the same time SPT is about preparing you to be self-sufficient. As you know from our articles, I always prefer to explain the reasoning behind each method, so as to give everyone the tools to understand and shape their own programs. Now with the personalized programs I craft, clients learn diet and training concepts, form and technique, and different management tools. SPT is not meant as a crutch but as a launching pad to propel you forward.

On top of all this we provide you with packages that are constantly updated, a convenient mini-e-book on dieting and training 101, grocery lists and recipes. Whatever program you choose, you will have access to these packages and future revisions.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who has helped theSwole thus far, and as we become ever more robust and cutting edge. Please give the new site a visit and pass it on to whomever you think might benefit. You can check out our:

• Packages
• Testimonials
• Or directly Contact Us

Thank you for your time.

A New Page: SPT Personal Training is a post from: theSwole