5x5 is kind of brutal especially when you are hitting close to max days. They will also likely end up taking more time because your rest between sets will get longer and longer the heavier you get.
Yeah, I'll be doing 3x5 worksets, after warm up sets, except for power cleans, which Rippetoe recommends doing 5x3. He also recommends doing deadlifts just 1x5, but that seems like too little for me. This week I'll be finding the right starting weight for the main lifts' worksets, but based on my current maxes, they should be something like:
Deadlift max: 325 > workset: 3 x 5 x 265-275
Squat max: 265 > workset: 3 x 5 x 200-225
Bench max: 225 > workset: 3 x 5 x 195
Press max: 125 > workset: 3 x 5 x 95
Power Clean max: 175? > workset: 3 x 5 x 75-125?
I don't do timed rests, just go by feel. Last week I did do my Bench with 3x5 worksets at 195, and that went well. The last rep of the third set felt solid, but I didn't want to do anymore either.
One other idea that I have heard via Jim Wendler is to use power cleans as a warm-up to deadlifts. Since they are well below your max it seems to compliment well. Normally weight lifters will run sets like 10x2 so if you cut it down to 5 x 2 or 3 x 3 it shouldn't impact your deadlift day at all. and can be a good warmup.
I can see that logic, but I tend to like to do the heaviest lifts first, when I'm freshest physically and mentally. Also, since I'll be working on my power clean technique for the next few weeks, I think doing deadlifts first might prime my lower body a bit, and get me to think about the jump without being tempted to use my shoulders or arms too much to clean the bar. Rippetoe stresses that the bar should rise vertically as much as possible, and to do this, the arms remain largely passive guides and receivers of the bar. Also, in Japan and Chicago, I had a routine where I would do the deadlift, then the power clean, then the press, progressively working up in height as I took plates off the bar. I really liked that progression but unfortunately my garage ceiling is too low to do the press standing up, so I'll be doing them seated on my bench. For sets/reps, I'll try Rippetoe's recommendation of 5x3 for the power cleans initially, and see how that feels. I'll be keeping the weight low until my technique starts to feel smooth.
Not maxing is a big theme in easy strength, they state that most workouts should fall in the 70-80% range. They claim the recovery for a max takes too long and in the long run you are better off only maxing in competition or when there is a good reason to do so. And from what I understand you have maxes at all rep ranges so be careful every 3x5 workout isn't a max workout.
I guess I don't understand your use of "max" here. The idea of 3x5 is to do sub-max weights right? Or are you saying max in overall volume? For me, my max is the weight I can do 1-2 reps comfortably. With the 3x5 worksets, the weight will be 80-85% of my max.
Still, I've always found 48 hours sufficient time to recover from a workout in which I did maxes. Maybe Dan John is thinking contest-type maxes where guys are giving it their all. My 1RMs are still pretty comfortable, with no risk of strain or injury. I'm not getting red-faced or stalling out or anything like that.
I really like the self regulation concept that is promoted by shaf's ladders, the RPE and easy strength. It really fits my lifestyle well. Back in the day I used to run straight sets and increase every workout and it works well until you hit that point where you get stuck at a weight. Then it becomes terribly hard for me to break through that level. They usually recommend once you miss then you drop back 10% and build back up. Usually this causes me to stagnate and even regress. With self regulation I can sit at a weight for a long time if needed. We shall see if it works better for strength gains, but I think from the endurance aspect it will be more symbiotic.
Self-regulation is the way I've always done it. But I'm curious to see what adding a little more discipline to my routine, via the 3x5 approach, will do. Increases in weight will still be dictated by feel, however. When the last rep of the third set feels easy, I'll add weight. If I then find I can't do the last rep of the third set, I'll either drop the weight down a bit, or keep at that weight until I can do the last rep and only move up when it starts to feel easy again. Although we talked about making 405 a 1RM goal for our deadlifts, I'm not really concerned with increasing weight. If it comes, great, if not, I'm still staying fit, and getting all the health benefits from strength training, and that's all that really counts.
Not sure if it really matters to me how the weights fit into my running. I don't run races like you. I tend to see them as two different fitness modules. I don't really think of myself as a runner or a lifter. I used to worry about how deadlifts and squats would affect my running days, but now I think it's up to my legs to adapt, and sometimes I think running the following morning actually may help with recovery from a good squat or deadlift day. My only concession really is to avoid heavy lower body stuff the day before a long run.
Got in a 5K just now. My priority this week is making a serious attempt at establishing the daily 5K as a non-negotiable wake-up ritual. I really feel like that should be a cornerstone for everything else, if I can manage it. I ran extremely slow this morning, and will continue to do so until the daily 5K ritual is established and it starts to feel easy. The theme for this week is what the Zenists call "beginner's mind." I'm going to forget about distance and pace and try to recreate myself as a runner. The second priority is working on my power clean form, again with beginner's mind, forgetting that I used to do them. The third priority is giving the 3x5 workset protocol a shot, which will also require some beginner's mind, as I forgo my usual routine of warming up to my max and then reducing by feel. This one might be the hardest to approach with beginner's mind. I'll probably start missing my 1RMs before too long, but we'll see.