I have now done 4 5/3/1 cycles on the bounce and have made some nice rep PR’s on the last cycle things started to grind a bit and my reps went down slightly on the all out sets (which is expected of 5/3/1) on the squat, high inclines, and the very last deadlift workout. This is not a problem and if I run another cycle im pretty sure I could hit the same reps or 1 rep down from the reps of the last cycle.
I was all geared up for another 5/3/1 cycle but have decided for the last 5 weeks of the year to run the Lift-Run-Bang Strong 15 short cycle from Paul Carters book Strength Life Legacy this is basically a short peaking cycle for short notice powerlifting meets.
Im not doing a powerlifting meet but this cycle will give me a bit of a break from the long 5/3/1 workouts ive been doing and will tell me if I can really hit the 1RMs that my current numbers indicate.
Heres a formula from Strength Life Legacy for working out your 1 rep maximums Weight * .03 * reps + weight I know rep calculators are not always accurate and can vary for every one but according to this formula and the lifts I done on the last workouts of my last 5/3/1 cycle which I did by just going into the shed and doing the lifts (not psyching myself up) I should be able to hit
Squat 161.5 kg x 5 reps = 185.7 kg
Bench 102.5 kg x 8 reps = 127.1 kg
Deadlift 209 kg x 5 reps = 240 kg
March 2012 I grinded out a 240kg deadlift and im positive I can lift more than that right now, around april 2012 I done a 182.5 kilo squat and nearly got a 190 earlier this year I done 180 for a single and it was pretty easy so im sure I could do more than that right now. and last autumn after dieting down to 175 pounds and single digit body fat I done a 115kg bench im now 30 pounds heavier when I did the 115kg bench i could rep 80 kilos for ten I can now rep 102.5 for 8 so I think 127 is definatly possible.
I will probably program my numbers for Squat 185 Bench 125 and Deadlift for 240 and run the cycle for 5 weeks the cycle ends with 93% of your programed max for a single and by rights the 93% weight should feel light and be explosive, after week 5 ill take a week off or deload then either go back onto 5/3/1, move onto something else or actually hit some PR’s which really is unnessecary as i know im getting stronger but it would be nice to know exactly what im actually capable of lifting now, lastly this short cycle will give me a nice break from the long workouts, volume and rep work of my 5/3/1 set up and will set me up for the next load of rep work at the beginning of next year.