Monday Q/A with Jim Wendler
I am 31 5'9 and weigh a jello-like 376 as of yesterday. I have purchased your 5/3/1 2nd edition and was wondering if there were any special tips you can give me on dropping this fat suit that aren't in the book?
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One Goal, One Year
I have become better at reaching goals and goal setting. We all like to think we have goals and have good intentions to reach them but the reality is that many of us get side tracked on the way. Very few times is one's reach too far. I think most of us are pretty honest with ourselves. There are not a lot of 40 year old men who REALLY think they are going to make the Olympic finals in the 100m dash. The problem in reaching them is that the ACTIONS are more about the end goal than about the process to achieve them.
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5 Ways to Increase Your Press
Ever since I started pressing, I have been obsessed with making it better. Partly because I was so weak at it for so long (which meant that it had no place to go but up) and because it is simply a cool exercise to do. The death of the Press as a movement can be attributed to a lot of things, none of which actually matter. BUT, if you view this lift with as much enthusiasm as I do, use these tips to improve what I consider to be one of the most fun movements in the gym.
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N.O.V. Lifter Award
The USPA Oregon State Powerlifting Championships, run by long-time friend and Forum member Ric Rabourn, was held on December 3-4, 2016 at Hallmark Resort Newport. We sponsored the meet and had special N.O.V awards for two lifters to be decided by Ric not necessarily by pound for pound success but by overall excellence.
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Bench Press - How To Set Up In 8 Steps
However you choose to bench press, make sure every single rep, regardless of weight is done with perfection. This goes for the squat, deadlift, press and any other big barbell lift. I've never seen any strong, experienced lifter take any set lightly - they demand perfection from the bar to their max. Think back to the last time you bench pressed - did you have a perfect set-up on the very first rep with the empty bar? Did you treat it with the same importance as your last max attempt? The beginner still thinks there must be some kind of special secret or trick. A veteran lifter always makes sure the simple things are taken care of; they aren't ever sexy but they always work.
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5/3/1 and N.O.V Gift Guide 2016
13 Great Gifts $30 Or Less- Starting At $5. Don't let a holiday stress you out. Be thoughtful and efficient. All of the gifts and "stocking stuffers" below serve a function and meet the 5/3/1 and NOV standards of awesome...
Fasted Cardio
Question: Fasted cardio...worth it? If your schedule permitted and your main goal at the time was fat loss, would you do some of your prowler work/hill sprints in the morning on an empty stomach?
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Weighted Chin Ups
I like weighted chin ups. I'm not voting for them in the next "Five Awesome Exercises" election but they certainly have their place. I've championed chin ups for years, mostly because they're great for the upper back, lats, and arms. And because you can do them anywhere – chin-up bar, top of the Smith machine, scaffolding, top of the monolift, playground equipment, etc. Weighted chin ups are a good idea IF you can do them, and even then you still need to keep bodyweight chin ups as part of your training (unless you can bang out multiple sets of 20 with good form). And if that's the case, gain some weight!
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Small Changes, Big Impact
Basically, we kicked the rest of the world’s butt, stole their lunch money and slept with their girlfriends when it came to track cycling. When the performance director was asked by the outside media about the key practices they had implemented in pursuit of this success, he told them with a bone dead straight face that they had super round laser cut wheels which gave them a major speed advantage. The morons lapped it up. The foreign newspapers printed the story. Everyone laughed...
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Uni-lateral Training: Let it mellow or flush?
The best thing about the fitness and strength industry is that you can always rely on it for some really good laughs. The fact that unilateral exercises have sparked such heated debate is amusing, and as always, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. First, let's examine the pro-unilateral crowd:
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Stress and Lifting: Get Off Your Knees
I think we've all been in situations that completely drain you emotionally, physically, and mentally. It could be from school, death, divorce, money woes, or significant other stress. What I've always done is make sure lifting remains a huge part...
The Age Old Question: What Is Vag?
Question: Just got done reading your 531 book. Looking forward to doing this. One question for now. What the heck is vag?
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These Keep Me Going
I started lifting at 16 (now 22) and so far you have gotten a naturally skinny kid with no athletic potential from 155lbs to 200lbs with a 250lb bench, 440lb deadlift and 375lb Squat. You even inspired me to compete in my first meet last year which was a great experience.
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Advice to Football Players
"Read a book and go to class. You don't need to be a genius to do both of these things. People get VERY upset when you have interest outside of what they peg you to be. It makes them uncomfortable because they usually suck at everything. This is good. Make them upset by being better."
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Modern Day Dads
This is a recent interview I did with Modern Day Dads. This was a very different interview that didn't focus on training, programming or the Prowler. Instead, this is about how I balance being a father with my career, my...