I originally posted this on an athlete’s workout log but thought that the info may be relevant to all who are struggling to understand the 5-3-1 system.
However, it’s also worth considering that the concept behind Wendler is that the weights will feel light at the beginning . But, as you add 1.25-2.5kg to each upper body lift and 2.5-5kg to each lower body lift each new cycle, eventually the weights will become real heavy. Stick to the program for 12 months and you will have potentially added 60kg to your lower body lifts and 30kg to your upper body lifts (12 months x 5kg & 12 months x 2.5kg). I’m guessing those lifts won’t feel so light any more and the reps may be a little lower. Wendler is a long term program, not a short term fix. For more info see the following article:
I particularly like this quote:
Starting light: While it may seem counterintuitive to take weight off the bar when the goal is to add weight to it, Wendler asserts that starting lighter allows you more room to progress forward. “This is a very hard pill to swallow for most lifters,” he says. “They want to start heavy and they want to start now. This is nothing more than ego, and nothing will destroy a lifter faster, or for longer, than ego.”
I hadn’t heard of Wendler 5/3/1 before it started popping up all over this forum…. I am still not sold on Dave Tate as crossfit power lift coach, nor Louie Simmons at Westside, although massive powerlifter coaches that claim to be nothing but i wonder about their teachings when it is clear they use quite a bit of other gear .. well Simmons has admitted to it in a documentary.
How’s it different to what good old Rip teaches… he talks about starting with empty bar and moving up in weight in a similar fashion in Starting Strength. Also uses same lifts but includes the good old power clean!
Starting Strength is a great program. No one ever said it wasn’t. Rip left crossfit because he worked out that he could run his own seminars and keep all the money, rather than have to share it with crossfit. Well done to him. I don’t think that HQ should be bagged by recruiting people who are regarded as the pinnacle of the powerlifting world. Louie Simmons revolutionised powerlifting with his approach to power development. His thoughts, if not his methods, are closely related to CrossFit. He just gears his towards the specialists who he trains.
Some would argue (and they do) that the 5 rep range that is used in the Starting Strength programme is not nescessarily the best way to build pure strength. You start tipping over into a more strength endurance type of training. Pure strength is usually developed best using triples, doubles and singles. Starting strength is also a very difficult programme to run in a class concept. We don’t really have time to do 5 x 5 with appropriate rest and then fit in a met-con. I have found with my own training that i can get through a Wendler session and still have time for a met con at the end.
On the steroids issue. If we are going to punish everyone who has ever used steroids then we would also have to black ban John Welbourne. I beleive he served a suspension from the NFL for seroid use. That would mean no more CrossFit Football and we would lose one of the best training minds going around at the moment.
My position on steriod usage is murky. It’s hard that it’s under such a veil of secrecy because if these guys use them then it does change the programming you would use due to adaptation. It would be good if there could be full disclosure but that is unrealistic. I would hate to see people misuse powerful performance enhancers just as much as people doing atrocious form with a deadlift… both can be crippling and people still deadlift poorly in Globos even with all the available info.
I wonder if testing will ever be done for the CF games, I know Glassman is not against their usage…. Could be a game changer once more prize money starts flying around.
Back to the point at hand. My point was not to bag Wendler programming, or Tate and Simmons for that matter, I just have not researched them as much as I have Rip. I admire Simmons for what he has done with Westside barbell, i do have a soft spot for Rip as he was the first big name i discovered and I own all his books :S. I just find it interesting that strength programs usually come back to simply just living heavy stuff at reps 5 and below and being able to do what you can fit into your situation…. I can’t talk though…. I haven’t even layed eyes on a barbell since I was at Kevins box in January…
Some of the guys/girls you see competing are so massive there has to be steriod use/abuse going on. I’m not being dismissive of hard work, thats a big part of the equation too.
I think CF should test for it if they don’t already. S***‘s me that I aspire to be as fit/strong as someone else and I put them on this pedestal if they are getting an edge from steroids. It’s not just me putting them on this pedestal either, the CF website promotes its strongest atheletes every day to its subscribers. In the end its the Glassman show and he will do as he pleases but with testing comes credibility.
The truth is Wendler’s 531 and Rip’s Starting Strength are simply linear strength progression programs. They are both good. Both guys teach the lifts beautifully. Both guys have years of experience. Both programs see results. That’s all.
My reasoning for putting it into the class programming is as follows:
After using Wendler myself for a short period Adam and I decided to bring it into the group session for two main reasons.
1. The first is as Zane stated you can get through your strength quickly and effectively which is ideal for the class situation.
2. The last max set brings some great results and really sorts people out for finding their correct numbers and seeing where they are at. This for me is a big reason and I’ve seen fantastic results in the classes. If you dig deep in that last set and push yourself you get huge value out of your session. You also find out very quickly if you are lifting too light! eg: 15 reps on your max set of triples may indicate you could lift a bit more : )
I like and adopt the concept at home also (with some Hamish variations such as higher reppage now), but the simplicity of it is awesome and best selling point IMO. I remember the days of having to use 14 different stations for our ‘rowing strength training sessions’ in high school, more bloody cables flinging about than Telstra! haha
.. well Simmons has admitted to it in a documentary. 
