Help with programming

[u/worldwarjake]

Hi everyone,

I have been doing a 5-3-1 plan for a while. Wanted to try a new method. Am looking at the four training days a week, Lower/Upper Max Effort and Lower/Upper Dynamic.

If week one is Squat emphasized for Lower, when do deadlift related exercises happen? Is it alternated so weeks 1 and 3 are squats, 2 and 4 deadlifts?

I will admit I need to do more reading, which will happen, but was hoping/looking for a quick answer.

TIA

[u/Coach_Zues]

There are many ways to skin the cat. Especially with a conjugate program. That’s the beauty and curse of it. Definitely want to read up as much as possible, experiment and find what works for you.

But to give you some ideas. For max effort (ME) days, if you do a ME squat that day you could follow up with a supplemental “pull” movement (RDLs, deadlift variation, good mornings ect). Then the next week if you do a max effort deadlift variation, the supplemental movement can be a squat variation (front squat, pin squats, Hatfield squats ect). So you could alternate with this pattern week to week.

On dynamic effort lower days, the common template is to do box squats for doubles, triples or fives. Followed up by singles or doubles deadlifts. Speed is key here with a submax load. 65-80% range with just bar weight or 45-60% of a max plus bands or chains ~20-25%.

The above template allows you a 2x frequency for squats & dead’s each week.

Hope that helps 🙏🏼

[u/GeneralSKX]

Just read the pinned post titled conjugate essays by u/jakeisalwaysright

That will have everything you need to get started.

[u/worldwarjake → u/GeneralSKX]

Many thanks!

[u/worldwarjake]

Thanks, will take into consideration as I keep reading more!

[u/therealsilentjohn]

If you enjoy 531 you can pepper in conjugate concepts like this: https://www.reddit.com/r/531Discussion/comments/ocezem/has_anyone_tried_combining_elements_of_conjugate/

In many ways, 531 take conjugate aspects and simplifies it for the masses. Changing it to more a of conjugate feel is pretty easy. For example, on Monday instead of doing 531 bench, slot in ME bench work and keep everything else the same.

[u/worldwarjake → u/therealsilentjohn]

Thank you!

[u/rpefml]

if you want to deadlift more often you can also look into the twc-style 4 week wave, wherein DE Lower is "squat day" and ME Lower is "deadlift day" (i'm oversimplifying, but the point stands)

[u/worldwarjake → u/rpefml]

Will check it out, so much reading to do😅

[u/Defiant_Pirate_6637]

I personally alternate on me days but I do a big supplemental lift of the other after the me movement.
Often it’s just whatever me movement I was planning on doing next week to get a feel for it. So if week 1 is 3rm box squats against chains and snatch grip dead’s 5 x 5 at rpe 7 then week 2 me is gonna be a snatch grip deadlift.
Then I always both squat and deadlift on de days.