I just had the most successful training block I've experienced this year, so I thought I'd share what I did and why I think it works. For most of the year, I've lifted three to four days a week, concentrating on one main lift a day, which is a new approach for me. In the past, the only lift that's moved upward on a once a week schedule was the deadlift. Last Sunday I benched 265 for 4 reps, a five pound PR, as well as deadlifted 425 for 4 reps, a ten pound PR. Today I pressed 165 for 5, which was five pounds off of a PR, and had I known that at the time, I probably would've been able to grind out another rep. So what I've done for the last six weeks is basically 5/3/1 but with custom percentages for the different lifts. Instead of whipping out my calculator and punching in the numbers, I just picked weights that I thought would pyramid nicely. For my fives week on the Bench, I did 185 for 5, 205 for 5, and then 225 for nine, with 200 for 3 sets of 5 as my back off sets. For the threes week, I did 205 for 3, 230 for 3, and then 245 for seven, followed by 205 for three sets of five as my assistance. For the 5/3/1 week, I did 225 for 5, 240 for 3, and 260 for 4, concluding with 215 for 3 sets of five. Assuming a 290 training, those percentage are the following: 64%, 71%, 77%, and 69% for the fives week; 71%, 79%, 84%, and 70% for the threes; and 77%, 83%, 90%, and 74% for the 5/3/1 week. So yeah, those percentages aren't very far removed from regular 5/3/1. However, I went heavier on the press and a bit lighter on the squat and deadlift. Without figuring out every percentage, here are some observations that can hopefully serve as a guide.
Program heavier for the press: Unless you're pressing four-hundred pounds, your press is going to be your lightest lift. Therefore, it makes sense to keep your lifts pretty close together. If you're about a 200 lbs presser like I am, it makes no sense to do reps under 135 lbs. For my back off sets, I used 135 lbs and added five pounds every week, taking a step back after the third week, and ending with 150 for 3 sets of 5.
Go lighter for the deadlift: I'm not a great deadlifter, but I can deadlift over five-hundred pounds. Doing multiple sets of heavy deads makes you dead. For my heaviest back off sets, I did 355 lbs for three sets of five, which is around seventy to seventy-five percent of my training max.
Do assistance work but don't kill yourself. Maybe it's because I'm old, but I don't have the time or energy to do endless workouts any more. I limit myself to about an hour, and I squeeze my accessory work in between sets. I didn't do much besides pressdowns, curls, rows, and pullups.
Percentages are just ballparks. You should have an idea of what is doable. There are no magic formulae.
Shoot for 9/7/5 for the PR sets. Any higher, and you're not training heavy enough. Any heavier, then you won't progress very far.
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