I have been lifting weights since I was a senior in high school. I only wish I would've started earlier and had been more serious with it throughout my life. I didn't become a "bigger" guy until my first deployment with the United States Marine Corps in 1998. I was lucky enough to be friends with a dedicated meathead. On that six-month deployment, I went from a 145lb skinny guy to a 185lb tough guy.
Throughout my life, I've been in and out of the gym pretty inconsistently. I've always loved the iron, but my story is one of being non-committal to many things in my life. Though lifting iron has always been a constant, it has never been continuous- until now.
I found Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program when I worked at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School through the football team's strength and conditioning coach. My boss and I had decided to take a hiatus from drinking booze and throw ourselves into the gym to see how big and strong we could get. I asked the conditioning coach for some advice on how to get big and strong. That's when he introduced me to Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 program.
I had toyed around with many programs in the past, leading up to my journey with 5/3/1, I had tried Gym Jones, Crossfit watched many YouTube influencers like CT Fletcher and Kali Muscle. At one point in my life, I had a subscription to Flex magazine. The best program that I had found before 5/3/1 was based on heavy lifts and no more than 5-6 reps per set. I can't remember what it was called, but it had something to do with dinosaurs as it was an old school, throw up on the gym floor type of program.
Within six months of the 5/3/1 program, my bench press went from 225 to 380 pounds. I had never really paid much attention to my squat, but I had the opportunity to work with a guy who was a power lifter who taught me proper technique, and that mixed with 5/3/1, I could finally get in the rack and smash six wheels (315lbs) with ease. My deadlift became respectable as well, and I started thinking about competing in powerlifting. Along with the strength came size. My neck was 18" my arms fluctuated between 18 and 19 inches, respectively.
The 5/3/1 program was like smoking crack. Four weeks cycle, my one rep max was jumping up in weight. It was insane if it's one thing that keeps me in the gym; it is the gains.
In 2016 I had surgery on my throat to open up my airway to try and fix my sleep apnea. I couldn't eat for a month, and I stayed out of the gym and never really went back until 2019. I would go in and screw around a bit, but it was a massive hit to my ego not being able to crush the weight that I had worked so hard to be able to destroy.
This year I started college, and in an attempt to be more disciplined, I decided to use physical fitness as a point of discipline and continuity in my life. I wake up every morning and do some form of physical fitness. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays, I go into my garage and lift weights. At the beginning of the Semester in August, I set a goal that by November, I would have my bench back up to 300lbs. I dusted off my 5/3/1 book, recorded my one-rep-max, and got to work. I can proudly and safely say that I could probably hit 305 raw right now, but I'm not going to attempt anything until November and stick to my program.
Why I like 5/3/1:
It's simple and easy to follow. By having percentage-based guidelines that allow weekly progression, you will see your numbers go up. I do my workouts in my DIY home gym, and my access to equipment is limited. I focus on the core lifts, bench press, and military press.
It's a great program for people who use the excuse, "I don't have the time." You can seriously just focus on doing the core lift and leaving the gym. For anybody who is serious with their gym time, 5/3/1 is an amazing program, and I think you'll be blown away by your numbers after the first cycle.
I'll leave some links so you can check out for yourself. The book cost around 20 bucks on amazon and is well worth the investment.
Will it work for women?
Hell to the yeah. When I was dating my wife at the time she didn't just go to the gym with me she worked out with me. She was able to squat 315 pounds and she would make the bitch bois in the gym uncomfortable in the squat rack. One because she is hot, 2 she was under a 315lb bar with no pussy pad. Her bench was 155 and she could pull 300 off the floor in her deadlift. The power she built from the program took her from doing a few weak ass pull-ups to ripping 10 no problem. All of this in just 6 months of being on the program. She wasn't bodybuilder yoked but she was beautifully built.
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