Philosophy: How to Get Started
No matter what training age, I recommend everyone do the 5/3/1 program as is. When working with novice athletes or those new to training, just use your experience to make any changes needed – which shouldn’t be many.
As a beginner, it’s probably best just to stick to the basic program if you don’t have any guidance whatsoever. Taking advice from others in the lifter community on message boards is one of the worst things you can do as a young lifter – they usually have all the advice, but no experience. Here is an example of a beginner-friendly modification. Adding in some extra work on the main lifts without compromising the program or the philosophy it was founded upon is a simple, subtle way to increase the effectiveness of the program.
See the 5/3/1 Body Protocol for more information.
Each day, you perform a full-body workout.
If a novice lifter follows an intelligent progression system, full body strength routines can be a great way to quickly gain strength.
As opposed to using just one main lift per workout (using the 5/3/1 set-up), two main lifts are used for additional exposures each week.
You should always err on the side of caution and make sure the training max is correct. Life and training are guided by principles.
All programs are set up the same way – taking 90% of your maximum and building up slowly. This training maximum is the basis of all percentages.
Support Work
Choose ONE exercise per day from each category. Perform 50-100 repetitions of each exercise (no matter how many sets you perform). You simply choose a SECOND movement to complete the total reps if you are too weak to complete all the reps (chin-ups/pull-ups for example).
You can choose between three categories: pull, push or one leg/core.
DB bench/incline/press, triceps extension/pushdown, dips, push-ups
Pull-ups, pull-downs, band pull-aparts, chin-ups/pull-ups, inverted rows, rows (DB/machine/BB), face pulls, lat pulldowns, curls.
Work your abs, raise your back, reverse hyperextend, lunge, step-ups, Bulgarian one-legged squats, kettlebell swings, and do any abdominal exercise.
strength
Each day, Defranco’s Agile 8 should be performed prior to any workout.
Lift PRIOR to performing 15-30 total box jumps or med ball throws.
On Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, you should run or condition. Your fitness level, goals, and access to resources will all play a role in this. Exercise the ‘5/3/1 50% Rule’ to avoid running yourself into the ground.
Unless you have read the book and understand the foundation, you are probably not understanding most or any of this. Click here to view the full 5/3/1 program.
This program is designed for beginners.
It is here that you will find the original article detailing 5/3/1 for Beginners (also known as “5314B”). Please make sure to read both this page and the original article in full, as this page is meant to serve as a companion to the original article.