Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results (11 page)

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

Squat – 5x5 @ 75% Bench Press – 5x5

Squat – 3x5 @ 75% Press – 5x5 @ 75%

@

(optional)

75%

Deadlift – 3x5 @

Press – 3x5 @ 75%

Deadlift – 5x5 @

Bench Press – 3x5

75% (optional)

(optional)

75%

@

75% (optional)

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Week Two

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

Squat – 5x3 @ 85% Bench Press –5x3 @ Squat – 3x5 @ 75% Press – 5x3 @ 85%

(optional)

85%

Deadlift – 3x5 @

Press 3x5 @ 75%

Deadlift – 5x3 @

Bench Press – 3x5

75% (optional)

(optional)

85%

@

75% (optional)

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Week Three

Monday

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

Squat – 5x1 @ 95% Bench Press – 5x1

Squat – 3x5 @ 75% Press – 5x1 @ 95%

@

(optional)

95%

Deadlift – 3x5 @

Press – 3x5 @ 75% Deadlift – 5x1 @

Bench Press – 3x5

75% (optional)

(optional)

95%

@

75% (optional)

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

Assistance Work

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Assistance work for the 5/3/1 Advanced program

I won’t go into any detail on assistance work for this program. If you need help

figuring that

out, you are not ready for this program.

2 Day/Week Training

I have two “go to” training schedules that always keep me coming back, allowing

me to stay

strong, pliable and in-shape. The 2x2x2 training program is one. It forces you to

give ample time to flexibility/mobility, conditioning and strength. Most of us only

like to hang out with one of those groups and the others seem to suffer. This

program demands balanced training so no group suffers. Here are the basics the

program:

• 6 training days per week (schedule below).

• 2 days are devoted to heavy weight training.

• 2 days are devoted to intensive static stretching, dynamic flexibility and

mobility.

• 2 days are devoted to conditioning work.

Training Week

Below is the best training week, based on the above tenets, that I’ve used. You

are more than welcome to change things up by doing different days based on your

schedule, but this is all up to you. You may have access to the weight room and

training partners on varied days, or your work schedule may interfere with getting to

the weight room. Travel, work and family commitments may dictate training

schedules. They may change week to week, but the point is this – get all 6

workouts in every week, regardless of their order. One workout is no more

important than another. Strive for balance. Leaving one of these workouts out of

your training schedule will cause you fall into the trap you are trying to avoid.

Stop thinking that you cannot get stronger training two times per week. In reality,

you are

training six days/week with an emphasis on recovery, mobility, strength, hypertrophy

and

conditioning. Again, strive for balance.

Monday

Lower Body Training

Tuesday

Flexibility/Mobility

Wednesday

Conditioning

Thursday

Upper Body Training

Friday

Flexibility/Mobility

Saturday

Conditioning

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Flexibility/Mobility

I am no expert on mobility or flexibility. If I had to give myself an honest rating on

where I fall on the “Are you a Mobility Expert?” scale, I would say I fall somewhere

between Shitty and Awful. But what I do know is that persistent work pays off. I

have struggled with mobility for a long time and it only got worse after a

motorcycle accident. Like many of

you, I did my research and every week a new expert pops up saying things such as:

Stretching will kill you and give you

dick cancer. Stretching is best thing ever.

Don’t do hip circles.

Do hip circles.

In the end, I trusted myself and just did a lot of little stuff several times a day. Read

that last

part again. I had to swallow a lot of pride and suffer the humiliation of Going Full

Mobility

3-4 times a day to get my body back on track. Like strength training, there are

no magic programs or exercises just strong principles. And remember your

mobility program doesn’t have to be perfect, just consistent.

Mobility Session 1

This is what I like to do in the mornings and is very easy way to start the day:

Hips
- Lay on your back, arms out to your sides. Bend your knees and bring your feet

together. Slowly bring both knees to the left while keeping your torso on the

ground. Bring the knees back up and repeat the motion to the right. This is one rep.

Perform 6-10 reps.

Rolls
– While sitting up, roll back and try to bring your legs over your head. Roll

forward

until you are sitting up. This is one rep. Do this for 6-10 reps.

Hamstrings
– Lay on your back and bend your knees. Lace your fingers together

and grab under your right hamstring. Straighten your right leg up and out, forcing

a light hamstring stretch. Hold this position for 2 seconds and bend your knee. This is

one rep. Do 6-10 reps per leg.

Bodyweight Squat
– Perform 10 bodyweight squats. On the 10th rep, hold the bottom

position and use your elbows to force your knees out. Hold this position for

10 seconds.

Hip Flexor Stretch
– Perform the hip flexor stretch for 3 sets of 10 seconds on each

leg.

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Mobility Session 2

This is the popular Defranco Agile 8, developed by Joe Defranco and I take NO credit

for it. It works incredibly well. This was, and still is, the backbone of my mobility

work.

Foam Roll/PVC Pipe IT Band
– Roll back and forth between your hip and knee. This

is incredibly uncomfortable. Joe recommends 10-15 rolls per side but I recommend

you do as many as you need in order to feel relief. This may mean 50-100 for some

people.

Foam Roll/PVC pipe Adductors
– The adductors are your inner thighs. If you

thought the IT bands were sensitive just wait until you roll your adductors. It

will take body manipulation, but you will find the right position quickly. Joe

recommends 10-15 and that seems to be about all anyone can handle.

Glute/Piriformis Release with Lacrosse Ball
– This can be a life saver for those

who have back problems. Lie on your back with your knees bent. Cross your right

foot over your left thigh. Place the lacrosse ball under your right butt cheek

and roll around until you feel the tight spots. Do this until the spots release and

you no longer feel tension. Repeat on the other side.

Rollovers into V-‐‐Sit
– Roll your legs over your head and return to a seated

position, with

your legs in a V. Touch your toes for a count and return to the roll. Do

this for 10 reps.

Fire Hydrant Circles
– Get on all fours. Perform 10 forward hip circles and 10

backward

hip circles with each leg.

Mountain Climbers
– The key to mountain climbers is to bring your legs up as far

as you can – really stretch the hip flexors. Don’t be concerned with how fast you

do these, but rather how LONG you can do these. Strive for a big stride. I like to

hold each position for a second or two. Perform 10 reps per leg.

Groiners
– Fall into a deep squat position. Put your hands on the ground and kick

both legs in back of you, assuming a push-up position. Now jump your legs back

into a squat position. This is one rep. Do 10 reps and hold the last

position and push your knees out with your elbows.

Hip Flexor Stretch
– Perform a hip flexor stretch on each side for 3 sets of 10

seconds.

Static Stretching

Static stretching has gotten a bad rap these last few years. Some people think it

makes you slower or less explosive. All I know is that I feel better after I stretch,

and consistent stretching has made a huge difference from how I felt before. When

combined with

mobility work, it seems to provide the best of both worlds. For static stretching, I

61

recommend getting any basic Yoga DVD and following along. If possible, attend a Yoga

class one or two days a week.

Lifting

Training is divided into 2 phases: Hypertrophy and Strength, with each phase

lasting 6 weeks. Essentially, you can run these phases indefinitely, as long as

you understand the principles of each phase. Too many people just go to the

weight room and lift with no end goal in mind – their lifting just exists in the

Here and Now. With the plan below, you can seamlessly move from one

phase to the next and keep making progress.

Also, by switching from phase to phase, it can offer the lifter plenty of time and

experimentation to prevent becoming stale. You want to add in a new exercise for

high volume work? Great! Use it during the Hypertrophy Phase. You want to add

in rack pulls to strengthen your deadlift? Perfect to add into the Strength Phase.

You want to add in some insane bodybuilder-style drop sets? Try it during the

Hypertrophy phase. All you have to do is add it in the appropriate phase and

keep the main principles of the program constant.

The end goal of this training is simple: get stronger in the press, bench press, squat

and deadlift. Yes, I want people to feel better and healthier than they did when they

started this program, which is why we are combining the lifting with a great emphasis

on mobility/flexibility and conditioning work. But in the end, this programming is

designed to make you stronger.

Hypertrophy Phase

Week One

Monday

Thursday

Squat – 5/3/1 sets and reps