The Permanent Hypertrophy Regime

[Lone Wolf]

Hah, yup!  I've been in the iron game for a long time, so I'm pretty familiar with everything that's out there.  I'm going to see if I have the stick-withitude to stay on the 531 for one year and see how much progress I can make.  I'm in cycle II now.

Sweet, you can't go wrong there!  I did 10 cycles myself before I had to lay off for a while due to a... what, sore knee?  Something like that.  Super-nerd that I am, I have a Google Docs spreadsheet for the program that was a lot of fun.  I have to admit that I kinda dug how mathematical and precise the program is with its progression.    It's fun to watch the graph of your max over the course of several months.

It sounds well thought out but the emphasis is on strength, not hypertrophy.  I'm a skinny-fat bastard and strength is merely an afterthought for me.

Nobody gains muscle mass without getting stronger.  Nobody.  This is a fact.  Making getting stronger on the main lifts a priority is the key, especially if you aren't already a barbarian.

Yes, I totally agree with Kriegsspiel on this one.  While it's true that you can get bigger by increasing volume, this strategy is way more effective if you are also strong.  The muscular development qualities (strength, power, size) don't grow in total isolation unless you are doing something really extreme, like pumping away all day long with pink dumbbells or barely eating anything at all.  In practice, improvements in strength, size and power will emerge together, with you influencing the proportions of each.

Wendler offers a "Bodybuilder" template that simply throws in lots of accessory exercises after the main lift.  You could give that a try in order to get the best of both worlds.  5/3/1 is designed as a framework for slowly and conservatively becoming as strong as possible.  Beyond the few (some might even say one) working set in the program, you have a lot of latitude on what you do afterward.

Think about how much more effective your bodybuilder-style training will be when you take a weight that was once your max and can now run sets of 10 with it!

[MachineGhost]

Hmm, some compelling arguments. 

It would be nice to use a more mathematically precise system than the bro-adhocism.  However, I have to say I didn't really care for how Wendler looked.  Fat/thick looking, so I rather be more muscular and defined.  I'm not looking to look like Lou Ferrigno in terms of hypertrophy, though!.

I admit when I was focusing on strength, I got more off of it than now with very minimal hypertrophy gains.

[Kriegsspiel]

Hmm, some compelling arguments. 

It would be nice to use a more mathematically precise system than the bro-adhocism. 

Yea, that's really ones of the keys: having an actual PLAN with a progression.  A lot of popular routines do this "spreadsheet planning" like 531, Madcow 5x5, Hypertrophy Specific Training, Starting Strength, etc etc.  They are simple forms of periodization.  More complicated stuff involves higher levels of periodization that you don't really need to worry about if you are new to all of this.

However, I have to say I didn't really care for how Wendler looked.  Fat/thick looking, so I rather be more muscular and defined.  I'm not looking to look like Lou Ferrigno in terms of hypertrophy, though!.

The look I think you are describing (less muscle mass, much less fat) vs the look that typically very strong people, like powerlifters/strongmen who have leaned up (like this picture of Dave Gulledge)



can really be achieved by not getting as muscular as them in the first place.  This is a very easy goal, so don't be worried  

I admit when I was focusing on strength, I got more off of it than now with very minimal hypertrophy gains.

Yea.  Honestly, if you just want to be "muscular and defined," you just need a slightly above average amount of muscle, but very low bodyfat.  What you call 'defined' is actually just not having fat covering up your muscles, making them stand out more.  I think Lyle McDonald's programs (Rapid Fat Loss, Ultimate Diet 2.0, and the CKD book) are all great for using a specific program for losing fat.

[l82start]

the best power lifters are often big fat looking guys with huge belly's and no definition at all.....  but boy could they lift some BIG weights