5X5 vs 3X3 for MMA

[chia]

Chia,

if there should be no distinct advantage between the two in terms of strength for MMA, would it not make sense to then choose the program with less volume?

Guess I missed this, whoops.

I think when I said there is no real difference it was in the context of the OP saying:

Everywhere you look on the net for powerlifting it pretty much says the same thing: use 5X5. What about the 3X3, is it more effective? Would someone that can squat 2X their body weight be ready to move on to an "advanced" scheme like 3X3? Probably most important: isn't it better for combat strength purposes (since you'd be better training the anaerobic alactic system)?

As for general strength (not anaerobic alactic conditioning) I would agree with Urban and use both.

 

[DrBdan]

Yes, you necessarily use a higher percentage.

You noticed a bigger difference in what when you dropped intensity versus sets?

I think what I was getting at when I killed this thread in April is if I was training for MMA and had heavy endurance/work rate practices. I would rather take the program that would have me doing less volume in the weight room and handling heavier weights.

Oops, I didn't notice that this was such an old thread...

I still made gains on 3x5 but I noticed that I felt less worn down than when I was doing 5x5. I switched some lifts from 3x5 to 3x3 for a bit and didn't notice the same change and I think it was because going to a 3 rep scheme involves increasing the intensity.

 

[oxcart]

You guys clearly forget that prime numbers are magical. 4x4... are you insane?

 

[DrBdan]

I always thought 3 and 5 were optimal because they are odd numbers. The oddity confuses your muscles leading to teh jaktness.

 

[Richmond_Hrvat]

I always thought 3 and 5 were optimal because they are odd numbers. The oddity confuses your muscles leading to teh jaktness.

U srs?

imo, if you do more reps than you are able to count, that leads to the most confusion