The Jim Wendler Beefcake Program | The Ultimate Guide! (2023)

FAQs

What is Jim Wendler 50 rule? ›

The general rule of thumb is to use 50-60% of your Training Max for the 5 sets of 10 reps. But this is not set in stone; the whole goal is to get 5 sets of 10 reps. You can choose to do all the sets at one weight or vary the weight on the sets.

As a former competitive power lifter, Jim's best lifts included a 700-pound deadlift, 675-pound bench press, and a 1000-pound squat, which, when you do the math, all totals up to 'really freaking heavy.

5/3/1 Progression

5/3/1 works on a 3-week cycle. Each week, you lift a heavier weight for fewer reps in your main lifts. So in week 1, you use sets of 5 reps, in week 2 you lift sets of 3 reps, and in week 3 you use 5's and 3's to build towards a heavy single. All of which combined give the programme its name - 5/3/1.

5/3/1 is a simple strength-based program invented by Jim Wendler. The goal of 5/3/1 is to slowly get stronger on 4 key exercises: the bench press, the squat, the overhead press, and the deadlift.

This 4-day split works great for many athletes. However, some people find that they cannot recover from 4 heavy workouts per week. For these people a 2 days per week training split may be a better option.

You should stop following wendler 5/3/1 when you can't make progress on each 3-week cycle anymore.

Though we can safely say that - based on national statistics - less than 1% of the population can bench press 225 pounds, this figure becomes somewhat more dubious when changing the sample size to only individuals that visit the gym.

Joker sets are an advanced training strategy where you increase the weight on your last working set of the squat, bench press, deadlift, or overhead press by 5-10%.

Generally speaking, sets of less than 5 reps are good for building power and/or testing strength, sets of 4-8 are good for building strength, sets of 8-12 are good for hypertrophy (growth of muscle size), and 12+ build/test muscular endurance.

In the world of absolute strength, squats, bench presses, deadlifts and overhead pressing form “the core four.” These four lifts are the ultra-basic lifts.

Is training 3x a week enough? ›

Experts recommend exercising at least three times a week to maintain good health. Many people choose to workout more than the minimum recommended number of days, but busy people should not feel guilty for exercising only three days a week.

“The 28 Method” is a classic technique used by bodybuilders, but it works for any guy looking to build muscle. You'll do 4 sets of 7 reps of the same exercise back to back. But with each set, you'll tweak the speed or range of motion to challenge your muscles in new ways.

The main movement stays the same and keeps strength in the program. This allows you to progress from week to week and actually get stronger, something lacking in about 99% of non-assisted bodybuilders' routines.

A 5×5 workout comprises compound barbell movements — like squats and deadlifts — using heavy weights and lower repetitions per set. As the name implies, a 5×5 workout usually involves 5 sets of 5 repetitions. The goal is to build strength in compound movements by adding weight every time you do the workout.

If you really want to see results reflected on the scale and continue to make progress over time, you need to commit to working out at least four to five days per week. But remember, you'll build up to this. To start, you might only want to do two or three days per week and slowly work your way up to five days.

Conventional fitness advice says you should avoid doing back-to-back full-body strength-training workouts. The idea is that, to avoid injury and fitness plateaus, your muscles need at least 48 hours to recover and rebuild before you can hit them again.

Is two workouts a week enough? The answer is yes twice a week is definitely enough, and more than that can even end up being counterproductive!

Key Takeaways. 48-72 hours is the recommended time for muscle recovery. In order to speed muscle recovery, you can implement active rest after your workout session and have the right macronutrients in your diet.

Strength training 3-4 days a week is usually sufficient to build muscle. You can also work out 4-5 days a week and do muscle splits (chest/arms, back/abs, lower body, for example) on different days. If you want to build muscle, the intensity of your workouts is more important than the frequency of your workouts.

Is the 3/7 method better? ›

Despite subjects performing more repetitions with the same absolute load after training, neuromuscular fatigability increased (p < 0.05) after the two training methods. Conclusion: The 3/7 method provides a better stimulus for strength gain and muscle hypertrophy than the 8 × 6 method.

Within numerous estimates, approximately 0.6-1% of the entire United States population is capable of performing a 315 pound bench press repetition, of which is only 5% of all resistance-trained individuals within the Western hemisphere. At a global scale, approximately only 0.3-0.5% are able to do so.

Generally, about 1 out of every 8-10 males attending the school will be able to bench 300 or more by the time they graduate. Of course, the people attending a personal training school are more fit than the normal population, but it just isn't that rare.

Can someone bench 315 naturally? As someone who has hit both of those metrics, yes it's absolutely possible, and without supplements as well. Ive done this at a fairly soft 260, but i would imagine with the right focus, 225 could get it done. At 260, I've hit 225 for 37, 315 for 16, and 405 for 5.

The best rep range for building muscle

Numerous research studies show that high-volume resistance training is the best method for building muscle. According to the American Council on Exercise, the eight to 15 rep range holds the most muscle-building potential.

Only perform them for sets of 3's week or 5/3/1 week. This boils down to “only perform them for sets of 3 or singles, never sets of 5.” Use 5% jumps when performing joker sets of 3 reps.

What Is the 5/3/1 Workout? The 5/3/1 workout is a powerlifting program designed by powerlifter Jim Wendler. The key concept is to slowly build strength through four barbell weightlifting exercises: the parallel squat, bench press, deadlift, and the shoulder press, also known as overhead press or military press.

At 85%, the optimal number of reps is 12, with the rep range being 2-4 reps. What that means is that you can do 6 sets of 2, 3 sets of 4, 4 sets of 3, etc, any set and rep range that keeps the total number of reps to 12, within that exercise.

Research and years of training have previously shown that the rep range of 1-6 per set is best for increasing muscle strength; 7-12 reps per set is best for increasing muscle growth; and reps of 12 and higher are best for increasing muscle endurance.

It turns out that 8-12 reps is actually good advice. It sits in the Goldilocks Zone of reps and loading, it's time efficient in that it can maximize the number of tough reps per set, it's energy efficient in that it doesn't require too many reps to stimulate hypertrophy, or involve loads that are unnecessarily heavy.

What are the golden 5 exercises? ›

The five basic exercises bench press, deadlift, squats, shoulder press and pull-up are generally known as the big 5 of strength training. Due to the adjustability of the resistance, the lat pull-down is often used instead of the pull-up.

That being said, Hughes explained that if you stick to your workout regime and you're training between three and five times a week, you can expect to see results within a month or two. “However, certain variables will affect this,” she added, such as your body's starting point and obviously your nutrition.

One of the most substantial benefits of weight lifting is improved strength. Although 1 month is quite a short time frame, you probably will already notice this improved strength quite early on. Doing daily tasks might start to feel easier and you'll likely find you have more energy throughout the day.

While seeing results from working out heavily depends on the person and their current level of fitness, "My [clients] generally see initial changes within four to six weeks, and actual results within eight to 12 weeks," Wilson explains.

This means that pushing yourself too hard may not be a good strategy for reaching your fitness goals. According to the 80/20 rule, 80% of the results (like losing weight or building muscles) that you achieve through your workouts come from 20% of the time (effort) you devote to training.

The 2-for-2 Rule suggests that if a client can perform 2 extra repetitions on 2 sets with perfect form, then they should be progressed.

“Research shows that, even into your late 80s, your body still has the potential to build muscle mass,” Stacy Schroder, director of wellness at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown, said.

The late 20s to mid-30s is considered their “prime.” Any player or competitor that is still competing at a high level at 40 years of age is often considered a marvel.

How much does a 5'5 bodybuilder weight? ›

The ideal weight for someone 5 feet, 7 inches is 170 pounds and for 5 feet, 8 inches it is 175 pounds. Ideal weight increases by five pounds per inch until you get to 5 feet, 11 inches.

Get Ripped with the 5x5

The 5x5 workout is an effective bodybuilding program that can be done seasonally. The barbell back squat, barbell bench press, overhead barbell press, the deadlift, and barbell row put together is enough to push your muscle growth up to the next level.

It consists of compound barbell exercises like the Squat, Bench and Deadlift for 5 sets of 5 reps. The goal of each 5×5 workout is to increase the weight over time. You do three workouts a week, with at least one rest day in between.

The Texas Method is a three-days-per-week training regimen that emphasizes volume on Mondays, active recovery on Wednesdays, and intensity on Fridays. Rippetoe was inspired by an old bench press workout from Canadian strongman Doug Hepburn, in which Hepburn would do 5 heavy 1-rep sets followed by 5 heavy 5-rep sets.

The 24-50 Principle as it Applies to Hypertrophy

If you want muscle growth, the stimulus must be sufficient without overkill. A minimum set/rep volume of 36 is required for hypertrophy, but such volume must be matched with proper load selection.

50/50. If you see 50/50 pop up, it means you'll be lifting 50% of the time and the other half you'll be doing HIIT. You'll finish with core work. For example, you'll do a quick 2-minute warmup, focus on 2 moves like rows and bicep curls and repeat those 2 moves 3 times.

As the name implies, a 5×5 workout usually involves 5 sets of 5 repetitions. The goal is to build strength in compound movements by adding weight every time you do the workout. You'll only do these workouts 3 times a week, as the rest days in between workouts are crucial to encouraging muscle growth.

5's Pro (aka 5's progression) is a rep scheme used in the 5/3/1 training program. This rep scheme calls for performing 5 reps for all three working sets each week of a given training cycle. It first appeared in 5/3/1 Beyond and is utilized in the latest 5/3/1 publication, 5/3/1 Forever.