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Barbell 5/3/1 Conditioning Options

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JeffC

JeffC

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Wendler suggests Prowler Pushes and Hill Sprints. I don’t have a Sled and I am looking for options I can do after my main lifts in my basement. Wendler says “Every program needs three basics, strength, flexibility, and conditioning.” A bicep+Tricep superset is fun but not a suitable option.

I was thinking:
- Farmers Carries/Fatback Farmers
- Swings
- Two Hand Swing+Pushup superset(one of my favorites)
- Sandbag or Keg Loading
- Strongman Medley

I get plenty of other activity and get in a lot of walking. I am not interested in running. I want to get my heart and lungs working and build stamina strength.

What are some exercises, supersets, combos, complexes, medleys, or circuits you like for strength conditioning?
 
I was about to suggest the best conditioning session I ever did, from Tactical Barbell.

Apex hills: hill sprints for about 30 secs, followed by 10 swings on the top right away. Repeat for rounds with as little rest as you can stomach

Now that goes against your 2 rules, basement and no running :D

How about Dan John’s humane burpees (swings goblet squats and pushups in descending reps)

Or another one which I like:
EMOM
10 swings, 1 goblet squat, 1 pushup, farmer carry to the top of the minute
10 swings, 2 GS, 2 pushups, farmer carry
Move up until you no longer finish in a minute. Repeat for as many rounds as you feel like

Plenty of options...
More aerobic based you could do 10 swings, rest a bit (1-3 mins of stationary bike work well but anything else is fine too), 5 snatches, rest a bit, repeat for 20 minutes
This can be done with barbells too, clean & press, or frint squats, or anything really. The key here is to rest while being in an aerobic state

Or the A+A sessions from this forum

If you want more real smokers there are many options too...
What implements would you like to use?
Nb the ones you mentioned are all good! Depends a bit on what you want to achieve, aerobic work (generally longer sessions with more complete rest), strength endurance (lots of reps with controlled rest), anaerobic (hard reps with little rest), etc
 
Meant to add, anything that has you get to the floor and up repeatedly will build a really suprising amount of stamina that transfers quite well to sports and life
 
I've recently been introduced to HIIT intervals on the Airdyne bike, and I've got to say that nothing else even comes close. Not sprints on my real bike, not A+A heavy snatches, not swings with the beast, not super-heavy farmer's carries... nothing. I've only pushed a prowler a couple of times and I imagine that could be similar. But the Airdyne pushes back so hard -- you can really give it a full-body, all-out effort for 20 seconds or so, then recover (NOT fully recover as we would with A+A, IMO) for the rest of a 2-min period, then repeat a few more times -- I'm not sure what else you could use to get this effect. Running sprints outside might be pretty close, but you have to be in good running shape and adapted to sprints to make these not be a high-risk option and to be able to really put out the power.
 
+1 in the TB Apex Hill..brutal conditioning. In fact that book is full of similar workouts that can be upscaled to barbaric levels. The prowler is the most challenging, I hate it. Starting Strength have an article on how to program it and every option is very tough. You just can't bluff with the prowler..
 
have you had a good dose of hindu squats and pushups lately? those get the lungs and heart involved really quickly, and are pleasing to the joints and nervous system
 
conor78 said:
You just can't bluff with the prowler..
Click to expand...

This was one of the first things I realized about the Prowler - you can’t halfazz it. You either push on it hard enough....or it refuses to move or stops. Drop your hips down behind it - or it won’t move. Brace your torso - or it won’t move. There’s lots of ways to manipulate the work:rest ratios, numbers of sets, load on the sled, etc.

It fits together well with barbell strength training because it’s very time efficient and has no eccentric loading component, so it causes no soreness.
 
I have seen variations of what some would call the "Impossible Burpee" work for many. The sequence goes something like this:

From standing position...
1. drop into push up position
2. 10 mountain climbers
3. lower to belly
4. 5 supermans
5. roll onto back
6. 5 v ups
7. roll back onto belly
8. push up
9. stand up
10 tuck jump
Thats 1!

Wendler requires that most of the workout is spent with accessory exercises. Keep in mind that the prowler push is a concentric only exercise which means you can do a ton of volume without much muscle damage. Pressing into a wall and marching for a time period could be a great substitution for this.
 
@Kyle Kowalczuk That does sound impossible, especially for me.

My interpretation of Wendler 5/3/1 is the opposite. He says multiple times the biggest mistake is doing too much accessory work and put the majority of your energy into the main lifts. If you are working hard enough on your main lifts you don’t need the do a lot of extra stuff. Just target a few assistance exercises, some conditioning, or Jack s***, and go home.
 
Geoff Chafe said:
@Kyle Kowalczuk That does sound impossible, especially for me.

My interpretation of Wendler 5/3/1 is the opposite. He says multiple times the biggest mistake is doing too much accessory work and put the majority of your energy into the main lifts. If you are working hard enough on your main lifts you don’t need the do a lot of extra stuff. Just target a few assistance exercises, some conditioning, or Jack s***, and go home.
Click to expand...
Yes, and I would agree with this. Smallest dose for a stimulus is always a good thing. I think that using Wendler for a lifter looking for wave 3 adaptation needs more accessory since the volume of the schemes laid out wouldn't be enough to elicit a response. Depending on the lift, lifter, and the wave of adaptation they are in, volume of accessory would be adjusted. I have had great progress on Wendell and hope it works for you too. Best of luck!
 
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Bill Been said:
This was one of the first things I realized about the Prowler - you can’t halfazz it. You either push on it hard enough....or it refuses to move or stops. Drop your hips down behind it - or it won’t move. Brace your torso - or it won’t move. There’s lots of ways to manipulate the work:rest ratios, numbers of sets, load on the sled, etc.

It fits together well with barbell strength training because it’s very time efficient and has no eccentric loading component, so it causes no soreness.
Click to expand...
Have to read the S/S article on it. Have to say I really enjoy listening to Ripp and he is a big fan. He maintains that there is not a lot of difference between walking with the prowler and sprinting with it. If I had to pick one piece of equipment it would be the kettlebell, if I had to pick 2 it would be the kettlebells and prowler. Would love to get one for the house but the tarmac would be destroyed.
 
What about the smaller sleds you Pull or drag?

Is it a similar training effect?

They are more suited to my home use application. Like this:
Rogue S-25 Fat Boy Sled
Something like that I could easily build. I have been wanting to do Arm Over Arm Pull for a while and it would work for that also.
 
Geoff Chafe said:
What about the smaller sleds you Pull or drag?

Is it a similar training effect?

They are more suited to my home use application. Like this:
Rogue S-25 Fat Boy Sled
Something like that I could easily build. I have been wanting to do Arm Over Arm Pull for a while and it would work for that also.
Click to expand...

Same exact effect. I had a smaller sled before I got my prowler. It had a strap that attached to it. Pulling it and/or walking backwards was fine. However, if I wanted to "push" it like a prowler then I had to put the straps in front of me and use my hands to hold in place. This was not comfortable at all, which is why I bought a push sled that I found on sale. Also, my original sled was small and could not hold as much weight as my current prowler. But these disadvantages have no bearing on the training effect which is the same.

I really do not see a problem in using swings for conditioning. Given that 5/3/1 recommends doing assistance exercises, just replace your assistance work with swings. You can kill two-birds by combining your conditioning with assistance work.
 
Tactical Barbell 2 has a ton of great options and guidelines for optimal usage. Fobbit Intervals are my favorite - I use my AirDyne bike instead of a treadmill. I have also used Jumping Jacks.

Treadmill Run/ Row/ Skip x 2 Minutes
Kettlebell Swings x 20
Run/ Row/ Skip x 2 Minutes
Kettlebell Snatch x 10/ arm
Repeat x 20 Minutes

Black, K.. Tactical Barbell II: Conditioning (Kindle Locations 1585-1588). Zulu23 Group. Kindle Edition.
 
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Geoff Chafe said:
@Kyle Kowalczuk That does sound impossible, especially for me.

My interpretation of Wendler 5/3/1 is the opposite. He says multiple times the biggest mistake is doing too much accessory work and put the majority of your energy into the main lifts. If you are working hard enough on your main lifts you don’t need the do a lot of extra stuff. Just target a few assistance exercises, some conditioning, or Jack s***, and go home.
Click to expand...

You are correct.
 
+1 to @ClaudeR 's and @conor78 's suggestion of Apex Hills and other similar workouts from TB.
Apex Hills is so brutal and effective. One of my 2 go-to workouts for "Heavy friday".

I like the prowler a lot, too. Used it quite often back in my crossfit days, but you need the space for it.
At all the places I live (my apartment, my parents home, my GFs home) I would get massive problems with the neighbors if I'd started to use it on the street. So the only option would be to get it into the car and drive to a remote place where I can use it, but loading the big thing and all the plates into the car and driving somewhere just for a quick 10-20min conditioning workout is absolutely not worth it IMO. Especially when I can basically get the same conditioning effect with some hard hill sprints (even without KBs ala Apex) or intervals on the rower or similar device (e.g. Assault bike).
If you own a gym or have a garden that's big enough for prowler work (and your wife is ok with you wrecking the grass :D) then the prowler is a nice option. Otherwise it's not worth it IMO.
 
Smaller sleds are fine and if have/make a TRX like pulley you can do a lot with them without a ton of weight that would effect your main training.
 
Kettlebelephant said:
I like the prowler a lot, too. Used it quite often back in my crossfit days, but you need the space for it.
At all the places I live (my apartment, my parents home, my GFs home) I would get massive problems with the neighbors if I'd started to use it on the street.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I still push mine outside but I am sensitive to the fact that I live in a townhome community and the sound of my sled on asphalt is probably quite annoying. Although I have yet to experience a workout as brutal as the prowler, and the prowler answers the question "What do you do for calves?" I have debated whether I should sell mine and just stick with running, jump rope, and swings for conditioning.

If anyone is interested...
 
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