5/3/1 or 5x5?

[sneezingstardust]

Oh hai.

So I can't really decide between the two...starting PLing this upcoming off-season, and I'm trying to decide on a good beginner template. Anyone have suggestions?

[BenReilly]

you know what my vote would be....lol

[kman025]

i think it really depends where your at with your lifts... 5/3/1 is very intriuging(sp) to me, but i could progress faster on something not as limiting(what im doing now).

you said your looking for a beginner something, so with only the info given, i'd say 5x5

where are you at right now?

[sneezingstardust]

Originally Posted by kman025

i think it really depends where your at with your lifts... 5/3/1 is very intriuging(sp) to me, but i could progress faster on something not as limiting(what im doing now).

you said your looking for a beginner something, so with only the info given, i'd say 5x5

where are you at right now?

Err, well, I'm not even going to try and guess what my bench is, haha. It's pretty much my weakest lift, and I never worked up to my 1RM before, but these are my best lifts at the moment:

Squat: 195, 1x6
Deadlift: 225, 1x6

I'm just wondering if there's any advantages/disadvantages to them. 5/3/1 sounds intriguing, like you said, and I have read Bill Starr's 5x5, and both seem pretty legit.

[BendtheBar]

I don't have much experience training women, but I do like the flexibility that 5/3/1 offers, and I think it would be a solid choice. If the core work taxes you too much, at least you can back off the assistance exercises and still get in a great workout.

[kman025]

damn... you put all the guys in my gym to shame....

this is what i would do if i were you:

1) random assortment of ****, just making sure you progress... this works well for me, lol. i just make sure i add reps and i constantly train heavy (yes aware im fairly weak).

but most people dont like this so

2) i guess 5/3/1. 5x5 would just bore me too much lol

im not sure what these lifts mean... im pretty sure they're pretty high for a female. so 5/3/1 should suit you well.

[big valsalva]

For a strict PL'ing beginner, I would lean more towards the 5x5 either the madcow, Starting Strength, or Stronglifts renditions are solid, and they allow you to progress quickly in a linear fashion. The 5/3/1 is a solid program from what I've seen (and what little I've experienced so far), but there are some built in deloads that a beginner doesn't really need. Think of it this way, on a linear 5x5 you take four steps forward. On the 5/3/1 its more like 3 steps forward, 1 step back. Pick a good linear template and go. Save the periodization for another strength/mass cycle.

By the way, when I say "beginner," I know that you aren't a beginning weight trainer. I was refering to someone who is focusing on strength training/powerlifting for the first time.

[sneezingstardust]

Hey, thanks everyone for the feedback!

I'm thinking I MIGHT want to shoot for 5x5, and maybe design my own template once I gain a lot of good base strength. Do most of you design your own routines and such?

[Grim83]

Originally Posted by sneezingstardust

Hey, thanks everyone for the feedback!

I'm thinking I MIGHT want to shoot for 5x5, and maybe design my own template once I gain a lot of good base strength. Do most of your own routines and such?

1. a girl doing 5x5 makes me say wow, thats rare but cool as hell

2. im lost as to the last sentence in the quote above

[DocColossus]

Originally Posted by benreilly

you know what my vote would be....lol

5-3-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!