Everyone on this platform knows how much I LOVE training my compounds (squats, bench press and ESPECIALLY deadlifts 😊) You all know I love lifting heavy, because for me, there is no greater satisfaction than strength progress. But you may see a quick 20 second glimpse on a story or on a swipe post (which you may either like or scroll past) but you never really see the bigger picture when it comes to my training, none that can be properly presented on any social platform. Don’t get me wrong it’s really nice when I receive the compliments of ‘wow, you’re strong’ or ‘you’re strong for a woman.’ But it has taken about 6 years and maybe a bit of my dad’s genetic physical strength (thanks dad 😊) to get here. Not many of you know that I train the 5-3-1 kind of way, some of you may have heard of it, some maybe not at all. This one is for anyone that wants to build strength the powerlifting way and it’s all done through the 5-3-1 app.
WHAT IS 5-3-1?
So after my shows in 2019, I knew that I wanted my performance to seriously step up. I had become weak, fragile and prone to injury and my strength had taken a right battering just from being stage lean. So, when Anton suggested I start training my compounds the 5-3-1 way I was intrigued because he outlined it would ensure I built my numbers back up.
So, I downloaded the app 5-3-1 to find out more and was surprised that it was pretty easy to use. All I did was put in all the weights I wanted to achieve in my compounds and that was that, there was nothing else to think about. Each training cycle is 4 weeks (the 4th being a deload-where you go lighter so your body recovers from lifting your heaviest) but for each session in the 4 week training cycle, all you have to do is concentrate on the lift itself. What I loved was even my warm- up sets were calculated for me, so there was no overthinking.
EXAMPLE
Here is what my 5-3-1 training cycle looked liked for my squats this month (warm up sets not included):
Week 1: 67.5kg x5/77.5kg x5/ 90kg x5
Week 2: 72.5kg x3/ 85kg x3/ 95kg x3
Week 3: 77.5kg x5/ 90kg x3/ 100kg x1+ (I got 3 easy reps!)
Week 4 Deload: 42.5kg x5/ 52.5kg x5/ 62.5kg x5
THE PROS
I LOVE training 5-3-1. I love the sense of accomplishment, I love that I don’t need to work out any numbers in my head because the app works out your intensity thresholds, I love that I have a rigid plan and I love that I am guaranteed to work towards my performance goals. So often when people do not have a plan, it becomes so easy to step into feelings of complacence and demotivation and I wouldn’t allow my clients to get to this stage so why would I get there myself? I love that 5-3-1 keeps me on my toes, as well as giving my body a deload every 4 weeks so I have fully recovered from my top set week. Some months I have felt so grateful for a deload because I’ve felt so battered! Overall, the structure is great and I would highly recommend it to ANYONE wanting to build some strength on the gym floor.
Furthermore, for me, I love having goals. When fat loss or aesthetics is not a priority, working towards a PB or simply building up strength again which is what I’m doing now is an amazing feeling. I also love the fact that your nutrition is purely to fuel for your lifts. No deficit= no hunger or starvation, and I HATE being hungry. Eating at maintenance or even a slight surplus for this programme is great (yes-buy all the bagels!) This is not to say you can’t train this way in a fat loss phase, but it becomes more difficult if you do (read cons below).
Knowing when it’s your heavy week can be exciting yet nerve-racking-so always have a spot handy if necessary!
MY CONS
As much as I would recommend this way of training to anyone wanting to build strength, these are a few things I found problematic with 5-3-1. Firstly, if on a long term cut like preparing for a competition on stage, it becomes more difficult to hit your top numbers the leaner you become. I found when I was on my second prep, for the majority of the time it was doable and my strength kept increasing, however, the leaner I was becoming, I started to favour more high volume and rep ranges with my squats, deadlifts and bench pressing, merely because I moved away from training for strength and more towards simply burning calories. Having to alter my numbers initially was quite demotivating (no one likes to feel like they’re getting weaker!) and when this started to happen when I would fail on the lifts in my top week, I knew it was time to taper down and then eventually move towards more high reps. So, if on a long -term cut, it’s great initially but if you’re cutting and wanting to lose quite a bit of weight and get lean to that extent be aware you will feel more fatigued and lose a bit of strength, therefore you may need to change this way of training.
The only other thing I would say about 5-3-1 is that on some weeks you do not even feel like you need that deload in that 4th week (like me this month!) After I hit my 100kg x3 reps I honestly wanted to do a 4th set and hit 105kg or 110kg but, no, I decided to stick to the plan. This can be really annoying because after that deload week your lifts feel SO much heavier in that first week of a new cycle!
5….3….1….AND…..LIFTOFF!
So, if this sounds like a bit of you, I would download the app today and give it a go for a couple of months at least, just to see how you get on. Another word of advice: spread out your compounds. For example, I squat on a Monday, Bench on a Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on how I feel) and Deadlift on a Thursday. I wouldn’t recommend combining them all in one training day! Recovery is just as important. Admittedly, some days I need an extra rest (like I did last week). I was so shattered that instead of Deadlifting on my usual Thursday and knowing it was my top week, I decided to shift it to Friday. I have learnt more than ever to listen to my body. Give 5-3-1 a go, and please message me to let me know how you got on!
Need more advice on training or nutrition? DM me @natashakostalas on Instagram 😊
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