Boring but Big is one of the most popular variations of Jim Wendler’s 531 – a strength training programme that has been around for over a decade. You can read more about my experiences with 5/3/1 here.

I’m no personal trainer. Just a regular Dad who is trying to improve physically as well as personally and spiritually.

It’s a struggle. If you’re a Dad and you’ve clicked on to this article, I think I know why…

Want to Build Muscle? Time to Change it Up

Here’s where I think you are: You’ve been training for a while now. You lift weights three to four times a week, do your cardio and conditioning and feel great. But there is one problem.

You want to be bigger.

You want more size across your shoulders, thighs and back. Using a strength based programme like Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 has brought modest gains in muscle, but you want to ramp it up.

The problem is you don’t have time to increase your exercise volume or gym time length. You struggle to fit in 45 minutes three times a week to hit the iron (The reason I know this is because this is me too…)

So here’s what you want: A workout programme that is going to build more muscle in the same amount of time as you currently spend in the gym. In other words, you need a near perfect muscle building lifting programme that is also super efficient…

boring but big before and after photo a fathers mission neil m white

Before and after photo: After three years of consistency, I’ve seen real gains and an improved physique.

 

Enter Jim Wendler’s ‘Boring but Big’

Boring but Big (BBB) isn’t a new programme. Instead it’s a variation on his extremely popular and classic training programme 5/3/1 (read about my experiences here).

Like the main protocol, it’s beauty is simplicity:

  1. Do your basic lifts (squat, dead lift, bench press, OH press)
  2. For each lift, drop the weight down and bang out 5 sets of 10 reps.

The weight for the 5 sets of 10 should be around 50% of your 1 Rep Max which is 90% of your actual max (get the book if you’re unsure – seriously, its like $10 or the cost of a week’s  gym membership).

For example: You just finished your main lift on the bench. You did 3 x 3 (as you’re in the second week of the cycle). Your training max is 90kg so you rep out at 45kgs for 5 sets of 10.

Easy right?

Wrong!

This is a hard-ass way to train. Think about it: You did 2-3 warm up sets before you got to your heavy sets. You did them and now you’re going into 5 high volume sets. My maths ain’t great but that’s 10 sets of varying intensity.

I guarantee you will have a massive pump and be struggling on your final reps and sets.

Squat and dead lift days are particularly emotional.

Once you’ve finished your main lift sets, go on to your normal assistance. When doing Boring but Big, I like to super-set my assistance exercises as this further increases intensity.

How is this Better than a Traditional Volume Based Approach?

Good question young lifting Dad.

If you’ve read all of my training articles (of course you have), you’ll know that this is how I used to train – High volume, high reps.

I trained that way because that’s what I’d read in bodybuilding magazines: 20 to 30 sets per workout at high intensity with 8-12 reps per set.

6 times a week.

Which is great. If you are hyped out of your eyeballs on performance enhancing drugs.

For the rest of us, it’s just not sustainable. Especially when you factor in family life and actually having a job to go to.

I got pretty burned out and over trained with this approach which was one of the reasons why I switched to Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 in the first place.

When I started out with 5/3/1, I thought: I’m not that bothered about building muscle. I’ll just get as strong as possible and see what happens.

You can probably guess what happened – I did get strong. But I also built a fair bit of muscle too. About 15lbs over the last 20 months.

So why would you do ‘Boring but Big’ if you’re making muscle and strength gains anyway?

Also a good question. And my answer would be ‘Don’t’.

If your training programme is working – you’re making consistent strength and muscle gains, don’t stop. Keep going:

Ride that wave all the way to the beach.

Take that train all the way to the station.

Drive that freeway till you reach the coast.

Ok, so you get the idea.

So Why Would you Do Boring but Big?

As I said above, if your training is working, you don’t need to change it up.

But if you’re stagnating or even just a little bit bored, you need to try something new. I get bored pretty easily so this is like a ‘once every 3 to 6 months’ thing.

You’ll also hit plateaus with 5/3/1 pretty consistently – every 4-5 months in my experience.

So you need something to bust you out of those miry hollows you’re stuck in. Boring but Big is going to shock your body and your central nervous system into growth. It is hard. You’ll be sore.

But get your nutrition and rest right and you’ll grow.

What to Eat while doing Boring But Big: The Meal Plan

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here. Actually Jim Wendler has some pretty solid meal plans in his books.

There’s even a good one that you can get for free. Just be a bit sensible with the portion sizes. Wender’s a big dude. Eating 4 chicken breasts a day might not be the best idea if you are 5ft 4 and 160lbs.

I used to buy into the whole bulk and cut thing. I’d eat loads to try to gain ‘mass’. But it didn’t really work.

I just got fat.

So instead I just eat what I would normally eat and maybe up my protein intake a little and snack a little more between meals with protein bars, shakes and beef jerky.

It’s better to increase calories gradually (like an extra 200 per week) to gauge the effect on your body and metabolism.

There are also mass-gaining meal plans in Jim Wendler’s book.

reasons to plant a vegetable garden

High protein, whole food meals are best for Boring But Big. Leave the designer MRPs at home.

Avoiding Burnout While on Boring But Big

Burnout is like a looming spectre for hard working Dads. If you’re not careful it will sneak up behind you and destroy weeks of your life.

The way to counter this is to not do too much more than normal. By all means increase your workouts to 4 times a week (but not more). Eat a little more. Sleep a little more, lift a little more weight.

If you feel yourself start to get tired or slow/lethargic, take a step back. Have a few days off. Rest, eat, sleep.

Then get back to it.

When I crashed hard, it was because I didn’t listen to my body. I felt awful and exhausted but pushed through regardless.

Don’t be like me.

squats boring but big jim wendler 5/3/1

Other Things to Avoid While Gaining Muscle

1. Getting Fat

If you do bulk and cut, you’ll get fat. (Unless you’re a 1%-er who only puts on lean muscle. In which case I hate you. And also what are you doing reading this article for normal Dads?)

Then you’ll have to spend weeks getting rid of all that blubber, when you could have just been patient. Instead you should have played the margins and made steady gains in muscle size over a consistent but longer period of time.

Keep your cardio and conditioning consistent too. This will ward off any fat gains from the modest increase in calories.

I like to do a mixture of military style training, circuits, sprints, intervals on the bike, longer runs – pretty much anything that isn’t going to lead to intense boredom.

2. Getting Injured

Ignore this at your peril. Serious injury could finish your gym time forever. Less serious injury is going to really spoil the fun. Plus a debilitating injury such as back or knees will adversely affect your family and sex life.

So be sensible. If something hurts – in a bad way – stop doing it. Just today I went out for a run. My ankle felt tight so I came back. I think it’s fine now but that was the sensible thing to do.

Remember that you don’t ‘have to do’ anything. Sometimes I’ll be all like ‘I MUST LIFT THIS WEIGHT OR THE UNIVERSE WILL END’. That’s pretty silly if it’s going to lead to injury.

Whether it’s other people or the little voice in your head, you don’t have to do anything:

You don’t have to dead lift if your back is tight

You don’t have to train intensely despite being exhausted from night feeds/waking

You don’t have to do a double cardio tyre flipping session in 30 degree heat cos your bro said you’re weak

When I do Boring but Big on the dead lift, I do 5 sets of 10 Sumo dead lifts. I don’t have to do conventional and Sumo is kinder for my back at higher reps.

Avoid injury, recover properly and grow.

3. Getting Impatient

GAIN 20LBS OF MUSCLE IN THREE MONTHS!!! Scream the muscle magazine headlines. Except you won’t if you’re over 30, have been training for a while and aren’t on HGH.

20lbs in a year would be astounding. 10lbs in a year would be a result. 5lbs is probably a better and more realistic target.

After all, you’re in this for the long run. And you probably don’t want to be HUGE, just big. Or bigger. And boring.

Getting impatient will lead you to getting fat (see above), injured (see above) and probably demotivated and burned out. Instead do Boring but Big for 4-8 weeks, then switch back to your normal 5/3/1 maintenance phase (or do the beach body version for that beach ready look – send me pics, no DMs though).

Final Thoughts on Boring but Big

I like simple. Simple is good. Easy to understand is good. Foolproof is good.

Boring but Big is all of these things. It is simple, effective and efficient – all of which is important for time pushed ‘Dads Who Lift’.

If you’ve read this and are now interested in Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 programme, by all means read the free stuff on this site and other places like T-Nation. But if you really want the understanding, buy the book.

boring but big jim wendler 531Buy it here (Amazon)

 

 

P.S. I have a mailing list. I send out emails about once every 2 weeks highlighting my best posts (like this). You’re probably not interested so you shouldn’t click here to sign up.

 

About Neil M White

Neil has been writing for a number of years. He has worked as a freelance writer both in the UK and internationally and has worked on a number of high profile media projects. Neil spends his spare time hiking, in the gym or hanging out with his family.

18 comments add your comment

  1. I love the simplicity of programs like 5/3/1, Starting Strength, and Bill Starr’s 5×5. With a job, side hustle, and family, I can barely get in the gym 3 days a week.

    Right now I’m doing Starting Strength, coming off a long period of not training at all.

    It’s been a while since I’ve done 5/3/1.

    Correct me if I’m wrong but when doing the BBB template the 5×10 @ 50% is your only assistance work, right?

    What sort of other assistance work are you doing? I remember doing a few cycles of BBB and by the time you finish the sets of 10 you are DONE.

    • Hi Nabeel. Thanks for commenting. I feel your struggles too – if I get to the gym 4 days, that’s a good week for me. All of these strength methods are similar – CUBE, Starting Strength etc.

      You’re right that the BBB assistance moves are supposed to be at 50% of your training max. I’ll adjust that from day to day, depending on how I’m feeling. If I’m making the ten reps easily, I’ll up the weight by a few kilos. If I’m struggling to hit 10 or having to cheat on the early sets, I’ll drop it down.

      When I’m training BBB, I’ll just do the 5×10 plus one other lighter assistance move e.g. bicep curls, knee raises or leg extensions. That’s only if I have time. Otherwise I’ll just leave. Normally I’ll train the Triumvirate and change up the assistance moves every cycle.

  2. Thanks for the article! I’ve been reading reviews of BBB and many lifters have been saying you need to be late intermediate / early advance weight lifter to do this. Although I’ve been lifting weights for years, I’m not even close to DL/Squat/Bench what a late intermediate lifter does.

    Do you think this will be a problem? Or does it really matter. As long as the weights are heavy for me, right?

    Thanks for the article!

    • Hey JJ, thanks for your comment and I’m glad you liked the article. Although I can’t advise you on your particular situation I would say that 6 months of lifting the four 5/3/1 lifts – squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press – is enough before looking at Boring But Big. The weights aren’t important as long as you’re working at or around 50% of your training max.

      I’d been doing 5/3/1 with the triumvirate for a year before doing BBB but I could have made the jump quicker if I’d wanted.

      Keep pushing!

    • Hey, thanks for the comment. I agree – it’s good to mix things up. I enjoyed the Jim Wendler 100 rep challenge although I’m not sure I could face it more than twice a year. I’ll check out that link.

      Thanks

      Neil

    • Hi Ailsa. Thanks for reading and your comment. Wendler has two versions of Boring But Big (there are also ten variations in Beyond 5/3/1). BBB can either be done by dropping the weight of your core lift 50% and doing 5×10 or the alternative which is with the opposite exercise. Wendler says this about the two versions:

      In the scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter which one you choose because the same amount of work is done.

      It really comes down to personal preference – for me it’s 5×10 of the same exercise. This, as you rightly point out, gives a good burnout. It’s also less hassle just to drop your weight 50% than set up for a whole new exercise, especially if the gym is busy. If training time is at a premium, it makes sense to stick with the exercise you’re on.

      The best thing would be to try both and see which you prefer. Be sure to come back and let me know how you get on.

  3. > So instead I just eat what I would normally eat and maybe up my protein intake a little and snack a little more between meals with protein bars, shakes and beef jerky.

    Glad to see I’m not crazy! Couple years ago I did the traditional bulk and put on so much fat. That’s not to mention that my routine sucked, which was also a problem. But doing 531 this year, I simply had 2 protein shakes a day, ate more at meals if I was hungry and had a snack if I was hungry. I gained 10 lbs of almost all muscle over 5 months. I’m much more into the slow and steady gaining after putting on so much fat last time. And I’m 36 so I’m not expecting teenager noob gains.

    A little scared to try this BBB but It’s time to switch it up after 6 months of Triumvirate!

    Thanks for the articles.

    • Hey Matt, thanks for reading and commenting on my site, I really appreciate it. I’m glad that you’ve had a similar experience to me – finding that bulking just leads to excessive weight gain. I’ve even written dedicated posts on the subject (like this one). It’s a much better way to be – plus, if you’re training 531, you’re in it for the long haul.

      Let me know how you get on with BBB – it’s such a simple but effective program.

  4. Hi Neil, great articles here along with being very practical. Thank you. I have a question about 531 bbb: Do you think it’s okay to do the Boring But Big challenge just three days a week instead of four? I love the set up, and I know it calls for four workout days each week. I am 53 years old and I feel that I recover better training just three days a week on this program. Thank you.

    • Hi Michael. Thanks for reading and for your comment. I really appreciate that. I think it’s just fine to do BBB over three days and in fact, that’s the way I trained 5/3/1 for a long long time. Wendler built a lot of flexibility into the programme (there’s even a twice a week version) so I think it makes sense to take it steady, especially for a more senior lifter.

  5. Thanks Neil for taking the time to share your experiences with those of us who are likely going through the same trials and tribulations you are. I appreciate it.
    I’m a super senior here at age 68, been going to the gym and lifting regularly for many, many years, but like most, focus was on isolation exercises and not compounds. I have been doing compound only for about a year now and find the 5-3-1 less taxing than say the 5×5 or the push pull 3 day split. My question is recovery given my age. Any thoughts on that? I find I am sore a lot (likely due to overtraining given my age).
    I am 5’10 and 185lbs body weight. My one rep max on bench is 230 and squats is 250. 250 on the deadlift as well. MP is 100. Thanks in advance for any comments.

    • Hi Cal

      Thanks for reading the article and commenting. Also well done for still lifting at 68! My mum is 68 this year and still works out and eats healthily and I know she sees the benefits. I’m not surprised the 531 works well for older lifters. Even young lifters can struggle with the high volumes of other programs. You have great numbers on the three lifts vs your body weight too. From my point of view, you need to treat recovery with the same discipline and consistency as training. This could include:

      – More sleep and naps
      Salt baths
      Breathing
      – Increased protein intake

      When I’ve felt overtrained or drained has not been when I’ve been ‘killing it’ in the gym. It’s been when I’ve not eaten enough, slept enough or spent time treating my body well. Try focusing on those things and see how you get on.

  6. Thanks Neil for taking the time to get back to me. I think you are spot on with your comments on rest/recovery and protein intake.
    I look forward to following your posts.
    Thanks again and an early Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones

    Cal

    • Hi Andy, thanks for reading and your comment. I’d say that 4 days a week is probably a limit for this routine if you’re doing it properly. Your body needs time to recover. A split might look like this: Monday, Tuesday then rest on Wednesday then Thursday, Friday and rest Saturday and Sunday.

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