Strength Training Articles
Deep dives into strength training programs: how they work, how they compare, and what to do when progress stalls.
Best Workout Apps in 2026: 5 Picks for Lifting Weights
Five workout apps for lifting weights, sorted by what you need: free plans, prices, platforms and one honest drawback each. Checked September 2026.
Read ArticleHevy vs Strong: Which Workout Tracker Fits Your Program?
Price, free limits, platforms, routine editing, progression and data portability for Hevy and Strong, checked against their own pages in September 2026.
Read Article5/3/1 Boring But Big (BBB) Explained: What It Is and Who It's For
What Wendler's most popular 5/3/1 template is, who it suits and who it does not, and the reasoning behind the 5x10 supplemental work.
Read ArticleThe 5/3/1 Program: How It Works and How to Start
What Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 is, the four-week wave in one table, the three classic templates, and the six steps to run your first cycle.
Read ArticleTraining Max: Why 90% of Your 1RM and How to Calculate It
What a training max is, why 5/3/1 runs off 90% of your max, how to calculate yours in five steps, and how it moves cycle to cycle.
Read ArticleRPE Training: How to Use RPE in Your Workouts
The RPE scale by number, how to calculate RPE from reps in reserve, and six steps to autoregulate your training with it.
Read ArticleDeload Week: What It Is, How to Do One and How Often
What a deload week is, a day-by-day example at 60%, six steps to run one, and how often to take it.
Read ArticleHow to Track Progressive Overload: A Log, a Chart and a 12-Week Example
What to log, the rule that tells you when to add weight, a 12-week bench example and the chart that shows if it is working.
Read Article5/3/1 Percentages by Week: Every Set of the 4-Week Cycle
The complete percentage chart for all four weeks of a 5/3/1 cycle, plus warm-ups, AMRAP expectations and the deload week.
Read Article5/3/1 vs 5x5: Which Program Fits You, and When to Switch
How the two most popular barbell programs differ, why beginners should start with 5x5, and exactly when and how to move on to 5/3/1.
Read Article5/3/1 BBB vs FSL: Which Supplemental Work to Run
Boring But Big and First Set Last compared: what each is for, what each costs, and how to pick.
Read Article5/3/1 vs GZCLP vs nSuns: Choosing the Right Intermediate Program
The three programs every post-beginner considers, compared on the things that actually decide it: volume, complexity and how long you can sustain them.
Read Article5/3/1 Boring But Big Results: What to Realistically Expect
How much strength and muscle 5/3/1 BBB actually delivers per cycle and per 6 months, what your results depend on, and what to do when it feels too easy.
Read ArticleCommon 5/3/1 Mistakes: Why You Stall and How to Reset Your Training Max
The six mistakes that stall most 5/3/1 runs, the stall-and-reset protocol for your Training Max, and what to do when squat or deadlift day feels impossible.
Read Article5/3/1 While Cutting: How to Keep Your Strength in a Calorie Deficit
The exact modifications that let 5/3/1 preserve strength in a calorie deficit - what to keep, what to cut, what to expect, and a time-crunched session layout.
Read Article5/3/1 Triumvirate: Wendler's Original Template, Explained
The original three-exercises-per-day 5/3/1 variant: the 4-day schedule, weekly percentage table, assistance pairings, and who it is enough for.
Read Article5/3/1 Assistance Work: Exercises, Sets and Substitutions
What 5/3/1 assistance work is for, which exercises fit each category, how heavy the sets should be, and legitimate swaps for every Triumvirate slot.
Read Article5/3/1 Triumvirate vs BBB (Boring But Big): Which to Run
The two classic 5/3/1 templates from the original book compared - what each costs, what each builds, and how to pick.
Read Article5/3/1 Triumvirate Results: What to Realistically Expect
Cycle-by-cycle strength and size to expect from the 5/3/1 Triumvirate, why the deload week is part of the results, and how many cycles to commit to.
Read ArticleRun These Programs in Hardy
Every program covered here is available as a ready-to-run Hardy routine with automatic weight progression — pick from 1800+ community routines or build your own.
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