The 3 to 5 Method for Specialization

Make Fantastic Gains by Using the 3 to 5 Method to Specialize on the Bodypart of your Choosing!

Here I am finishing off an old-school garage gym workout with some good ol' farmers walks.

For those of you unfamiliar with the "3 to 5 Method" of training that I have touted more than a few times on Integral Strength, the gist of it is this:

• Train 3 to 5 days per week

• Utilize 3 to 5 exercises at each workout

• Perform 3 to 5 sets of each exercise

• Perform 3 to 5 reps on each set

The 3 to 5 method of training is typically used along with a full-body workout.  As anyone who has done a fair amount of reading on this blog probably could have guessed, I would recommend using the "Big 4" while employing 3 to 5 training:

• Squat something heavy every week

• Press something heavy overhead every week

• Pull something heavy off the ground every week

• Drag or carry something heavy for either time or distance every week

It all adds up to a week of workouts that might look something such as the following:

• Monday: squats, overhead presses, power cleans, dumbbell curls

• Tuesday: deadlifts, dips, chins, sled drags

• Wednesday: OFF

• Thursday: power snatches, one-arm dumbbell overhead presses, front squats

• Friday: OFF

• Saturday: trap bar deadlifts, incline dumbbell bench presses, thick bar barbell curls, farmer walks

Now you may have noticed something by this point:  this is decidedly not a specialization program.  Rather, it's a really great way to add bulk, mass, and power (assuming you're consuming plenty of calorie-laden foods) or plenty of power and strength if you're keeping your calories low.  It's hard, simple, and - most important of all - highly effective.
However, it can make for one hell of a specialization program if you have a bodypart that is lagging behind others.  If this is the case, then simply perform a one-bodypart-only workout at every other session.  Once again, however, you will perform 3 to 5 exercises for that one bodypart, utilizing 3 to 5 sets of each exercise, and 3 to 5 reps on each set.
If chest, for instance, is your lagging bodypart, your workout would look like this:

• Monday (first chest-only workout): flat barbell bench presses, wide-grip dips, incline dumbbell bench presses

• Tuesday: front squats, thick-bar deadlifts, barbell curls, farmer walks

• Wednesday (2nd chest-only session): incline barbell bench presses, "clapping" push-ups, flat dumbbell bench presses

• Thursday: OFF

• Friday: Bottom-position squats, chins, deficit sumo deadlifts, sled drags

• Saturday (repeat of Monday's workout): flat barbell bench presses, wide-grip dips, incline dumbbell bench presses

• Sunday: OFF

And, of course, on Monday you would perform another full-body workout.  You could perform the same workout from Tuesday of the previous week, or you could change it up and do something entirely different.

Keep in mind that the week of training above is just an example of the kind of training you would utilize on a "3 to 5 Specialization Method".  Without getting into a full week of example workouts, here are some more examples of specialization days you could do for other bodyparts.

Arms: thick bar barbell curls, lying triceps extension, dumbbell curls, close-grip dips

Back: wide-grip chins, barbell rows, power cleans, shrugs

Quads: bottom-position squats, sissy squats, walking barbell lunges, backward sled drags

Hopefully by this point, you have a decent understanding of how the 3 to 5 Method can be a wonderful way of specializing on any bodypart.  If you have one that is lagging, then spend 3 to 4 weeks of specializing before you switch back to a "straight forward" 3 to 5 Method for another 3 to 4 weeks.