Hello!nice article!i would like to ask two things.1)can that protocol be used with equipment that engage more muscle groups like Bulgarian bag or a steel mace
2)if we do that 4 days per week....how can we combine with endurance or with metcon protocol?we can add at the same day??
Hey Kostas, thanks for reading! To answer your questions…
1) Exercise choice doesn’t drive adaptation. How you perform them does. So if you’re training at 70-80% or more of your one rep max in the 3-5 rep and set range, you will develop strength. Feel free to use the exercises you prefer. Just don’t get hurt!
The 3-5 Protocol tells us to pick 3-5 exercises. But per individual muscle group (for example 3-5 chest, 3-5 shoulders and 3-5 tricep exercises)? Or 3-5 exercises in total? (example, 2 exercises for chest, 2 for shoulders and 1 for the triceps.)
Hey Jonas! That's a great question. Each session should be 3-5 exercises TOTAL.
So for example, if you wanted to train three days per week you could do something like the following (each of which would be performed for 3-5 sets at 3-5 reps per set):
Mon: Squat, Bench, Weighted pull-up
Wed: Deadlift, Overhead press, Barbell Row
Fri: Bulgarian split squat, Incline press, Weighted pull-up
The exercises I chose here are random. Exercise selection really comes down to your goals and the movements you feel that you can perform safely without getting injured.
This is very helpful. Thank you Jack Dixon. (you helped my tremendously!)
I do have one more question about 'FREQUENCY'
For strength we have to think in terms of 'Movement' instead of muscle groups.
Does this mean i have to train 'PUSH' (chest, shoulders,triceps) 3-5 times a week? Or can i just train 3 times a week, which will consist of a day for push, pull and legs?
At the moment i have 2 push and 2 pull days. (PUSH: I pick 2 chest, 2 shoulder and 1 tricep exercise.) (PULL: I pick 3 Back, 1 Rear Delt and 1 Bicep exercise.) I also do legs on all 4 days but for 'Hypertrophy' which makes my GOAL Undulating Periodization.
Personally, if I was training 3 days per week for strength I would include a push, pull, and legs movement in each session rather than having one leg day, one pull day, and one push day. I’m pretty sure this is how most power lifters approach strength training as well. Thinking out loud here, if you do a heavy 3 sets of squats you just won’t be at your best if your next movement is also legs. But if you spread those out over multiple sessions your performance would be better.
You could experiment with both styles over an 8-12 week period and see what works best for you. For strength, as long as you’re hitting a push, pull, and leg movement for 3-5 reps and sets 3-5 times per week while using Prelipins chart to determine weight (which should be 70-95% of your 1RM), you should see strength improvements.
Let me know if this answers your question. Always happy to chat more!
Now that i understand the 3-5 protocol to a much better extend. (Thanks to you)
I still have one problem i am having difficulties putting into practice.
Which is.. having to workout chest and back 3-5 times a week.
PUSH: Consists of the muscle groups chest, shoulders (front and side delts) and triceps.
PULL: Consists of the muscle groups, back, shoulders (rear delts), and biceps.
What i'm trying to say is that, i would go to the gym 4 times a week.
If i train chest, front + side delts and triceps on Monday and Friday and back, rear delts and biceps on Wednesday and Saturday.
I would still have the problem of only training chest and back 2 times a week.
Instead of 3-5 times.
I am aware that i'm thinking of muscle groups instead of movement. But does it require you to hit the major muscle groups 3-5 times a week or does the 3-5 protocol just imply one to train a push and pull movement 3-5 times a week. Regardless of the muscle group itself?
When training for strength and power, select compound, complex, multi-joint movements based on movement pattern (push, pull, squat, hip hinge, rotation).
When you select movements that fit into the description above, you will target multiple muscle groups with each movement. If your goal is hypertrophy (muscle growth), for which the primary driver is volume, then you can break down workouts into muscle group but for strength we want to think about getting stronger at a certain movement/lift. Each time we train that movement, we get a little bit stronger at it.
If you do total body workouts, each consisting of a push, pull, and legs, and perform three to five total workouts per week, you will cover all major movement patterns (and most likely all of the muscle groups within the body). If you want to target a particular muscle group (i.e., "My biceps are lagging behind so I want to add some size there") in addition to those strength sessions (3-5 approach), you could supplement with some hypertrophy at the end of your strength sessions.
So 3-5 compound exercises per session, 3-5 sessions per week. Choose exercises that will give you a balance by incorporating an even amount of pushing, pulling, and legs in each session or across the week. Option 1 is to have one pull day, one push day, one leg day. Option 2 is three total body sessions, each consisting of at least one push, pull, and leg movement.
Hello!nice article!i would like to ask two things.1)can that protocol be used with equipment that engage more muscle groups like Bulgarian bag or a steel mace
2)if we do that 4 days per week....how can we combine with endurance or with metcon protocol?we can add at the same day??
Thank you!
Hey Kostas, thanks for reading! To answer your questions…
1) Exercise choice doesn’t drive adaptation. How you perform them does. So if you’re training at 70-80% or more of your one rep max in the 3-5 rep and set range, you will develop strength. Feel free to use the exercises you prefer. Just don’t get hurt!
2) Four days per week is good. This protocol specifies 3 to 5 days per week, so 3/4/5 all work. Here is an interference chart from Huberman that can help you determine what types of adaptations can be trained together with minimal interference: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/64416928859cbdd1716d79ce/651b3c0bc4abf7566b107974_Chart-of-Interference.pdf
Hope this helps!
The 3-5 Protocol tells us to pick 3-5 exercises. But per individual muscle group (for example 3-5 chest, 3-5 shoulders and 3-5 tricep exercises)? Or 3-5 exercises in total? (example, 2 exercises for chest, 2 for shoulders and 1 for the triceps.)
Hey Jonas! That's a great question. Each session should be 3-5 exercises TOTAL.
So for example, if you wanted to train three days per week you could do something like the following (each of which would be performed for 3-5 sets at 3-5 reps per set):
Mon: Squat, Bench, Weighted pull-up
Wed: Deadlift, Overhead press, Barbell Row
Fri: Bulgarian split squat, Incline press, Weighted pull-up
The exercises I chose here are random. Exercise selection really comes down to your goals and the movements you feel that you can perform safely without getting injured.
Hope this helps!
This is very helpful. Thank you Jack Dixon. (you helped my tremendously!)
I do have one more question about 'FREQUENCY'
For strength we have to think in terms of 'Movement' instead of muscle groups.
Does this mean i have to train 'PUSH' (chest, shoulders,triceps) 3-5 times a week? Or can i just train 3 times a week, which will consist of a day for push, pull and legs?
At the moment i have 2 push and 2 pull days. (PUSH: I pick 2 chest, 2 shoulder and 1 tricep exercise.) (PULL: I pick 3 Back, 1 Rear Delt and 1 Bicep exercise.) I also do legs on all 4 days but for 'Hypertrophy' which makes my GOAL Undulating Periodization.
Kind Regards,
Jonas
Awesome! I’m glad to hear it was helpful.
Personally, if I was training 3 days per week for strength I would include a push, pull, and legs movement in each session rather than having one leg day, one pull day, and one push day. I’m pretty sure this is how most power lifters approach strength training as well. Thinking out loud here, if you do a heavy 3 sets of squats you just won’t be at your best if your next movement is also legs. But if you spread those out over multiple sessions your performance would be better.
You could experiment with both styles over an 8-12 week period and see what works best for you. For strength, as long as you’re hitting a push, pull, and leg movement for 3-5 reps and sets 3-5 times per week while using Prelipins chart to determine weight (which should be 70-95% of your 1RM), you should see strength improvements.
Let me know if this answers your question. Always happy to chat more!
This definitely answers my questions. Thank You.
Now that i understand the 3-5 protocol to a much better extend. (Thanks to you)
I still have one problem i am having difficulties putting into practice.
Which is.. having to workout chest and back 3-5 times a week.
PUSH: Consists of the muscle groups chest, shoulders (front and side delts) and triceps.
PULL: Consists of the muscle groups, back, shoulders (rear delts), and biceps.
What i'm trying to say is that, i would go to the gym 4 times a week.
If i train chest, front + side delts and triceps on Monday and Friday and back, rear delts and biceps on Wednesday and Saturday.
I would still have the problem of only training chest and back 2 times a week.
Instead of 3-5 times.
I am aware that i'm thinking of muscle groups instead of movement. But does it require you to hit the major muscle groups 3-5 times a week or does the 3-5 protocol just imply one to train a push and pull movement 3-5 times a week. Regardless of the muscle group itself?
Kind Regards,
Jonas
When training for strength and power, select compound, complex, multi-joint movements based on movement pattern (push, pull, squat, hip hinge, rotation).
When you select movements that fit into the description above, you will target multiple muscle groups with each movement. If your goal is hypertrophy (muscle growth), for which the primary driver is volume, then you can break down workouts into muscle group but for strength we want to think about getting stronger at a certain movement/lift. Each time we train that movement, we get a little bit stronger at it.
If you do total body workouts, each consisting of a push, pull, and legs, and perform three to five total workouts per week, you will cover all major movement patterns (and most likely all of the muscle groups within the body). If you want to target a particular muscle group (i.e., "My biceps are lagging behind so I want to add some size there") in addition to those strength sessions (3-5 approach), you could supplement with some hypertrophy at the end of your strength sessions.
So 3-5 compound exercises per session, 3-5 sessions per week. Choose exercises that will give you a balance by incorporating an even amount of pushing, pulling, and legs in each session or across the week. Option 1 is to have one pull day, one push day, one leg day. Option 2 is three total body sessions, each consisting of at least one push, pull, and leg movement.
Hope this makes sense!
Jack
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Having a fantastic time! The people are amazing here. So welcoming and kind!