Lifter in a green T-shirt squatting a loaded free barbell in an outdoor squat rack while a spotter stands behind him

5/3/1 Program Explained: How Jim Wendler's Strength System Works

By Shawn Cummings

Last updated: October 21, 2026

Short answer: The 5/3/1 program is a strength system by Jim Wendler built on four barbell lifts: squat, bench press, deadlift, and standing press. You set a training max below your true max, run four-week waves of 5s, 3s, and a 5/3/1 week, push the last set for extra reps, deload, then add a little weight and repeat.

That is the 5/3/1 program explained in one breath. The appeal is how little guessing it leaves you: every set has a percentage, every cycle has a rule for adding weight, and progress is slow on purpose. Below is how each piece works, written so you can set up your first cycle tonight.

What are the core principles of 5/3/1?

Wendler lists four principles in the original book, and his beginner article adds a rep-quality rule:

  • Emphasize big, multi-joint lifts. Each training day centers on one main lift: squat, bench press, deadlift, or standing press.
  • Start too light. Percentages come from a training max, not your true max, so early cycles feel manageable.
  • Progress slowly. Wendler counts even one extra rep or a few pounds as progress.
  • Break personal records. He means rep records, not just one-rep maxes. The last set of the day is where you chase them.
  • Rep quality. Wendler writes that no rep on a barbell lift should be slow, grinding, or done with poor form, and that you do not raise your training max if reps miss that standard.

What is a training max and how do you set it?

The training max (TM) is the number every percentage is based on.

  1. Find a recent max for each of the four lifts. A true one-rep max works, or an estimate from a heavy set of a few reps.
  2. Take a percentage of it. The original 5/3/1 book uses 90 percent. Wendler's later beginner article tells lifters to use 80 to 85 percent and to err on the side of too light.
  3. Write all four numbers down. You will calculate every working set from them for the whole cycle.

Example: a lifter with a 300 pound squat and a 90 percent TM uses 270 pounds as the squat training max.

How does the four-week cycle work?

Each lift follows the same wave. Percentages are of the training max. The "+" sets are as many reps as possible (AMRAP) with good form.

Week Set 1 Set 2 Set 3
Week 1 (5s) 65% x 5 75% x 5 85% x 5+
Week 2 (3s) 70% x 3 80% x 3 90% x 3+
Week 3 (5/3/1) 75% x 5 85% x 3 95% x 1+
Week 4 (deload) 40% x 5 50% x 5 60% x 5

This is the first of two percentage options in the original book, and the one Wendler says he recommends for most people. The book also lays out a weekly schedule of 2 to 4 training days, with one day for each main lift, so a cycle runs 4 to 6 weeks depending on how often you train.

How do you add weight between cycles?

After the deload, raise each training max and start again at week 1:

  • Bench press and standing press: add 5 pounds.
  • Squat and deadlift: add 10 pounds.

Wendler's beginner guidance adds a condition: if your reps were slow, grinding, or broke form during the cycle, the training max stays where it is. Because the training max starts below your true max, there is room to keep hitting reps for several cycles before the weights get truly hard.

What do you do after the main lift?

The main lift is only part of each session. Wendler publishes several supplemental templates. Two of the best known:

  • Boring But Big (BBB): 5 sets of 10 reps of a main lift after your 5/3/1 work. Wendler gives 50 to 60 percent of the training max as the general rule of thumb, and tells people new to BBB to start around 30 percent, especially for squats and deadlifts, because the soreness is real.
  • First Set Last (FSL): go back to the weight of your first working set and do more sets with it, such as 5 sets of 5 in his beginner template.

Assistance work comes after that. Wendler's own BBB examples pair upper-body days with lat work and lower-body days with ab work, and he writes that assistance should not be trained with the same intensity as the main lifts.

What does a beginner week look like?

Wendler's published beginner version uses three full-body days with two main lifts each:

  • Monday: squat (5/3/1 sets, then 5x5 FSL), bench press (5/3/1 sets, then 5x5 FSL), assistance.
  • Wednesday: deadlift (5/3/1, then 5x5 FSL), press (5/3/1, then 5x5 FSL), assistance.
  • Friday: bench press (5/3/1, then 5x5 FSL), squat (5/3/1, then 5x5 FSL), assistance.

Who does 5/3/1 suit?

  • Powerlifters and strongman athletes who want a steady base on the squat, bench, and deadlift between meets.
  • CrossFitters and climbers who want one or two efficient barbell sessions a week alongside their sport, since the book allows as few as two training days.
  • Anyone who likes rules. Every set is written down before you walk into the gym.

What mistakes do lifters make with 5/3/1?

  • Using a true max instead of a training max. The whole program gets heavier than intended.
  • Grinding every AMRAP set. Wendler wants fast, controlled reps, not survival reps.
  • Raising the training max after missed or ugly reps.
  • Treating assistance like the main lift and showing up too sore to train.

FAQ

What does 5/3/1 stand for?

The target reps on the top set in the first three weeks of each cycle: 5 reps in week 1, 3 reps in week 2, and 5, 3, then 1 rep in week 3.

What is a training max in 5/3/1?

A working number set below your true one-rep max. Every percentage in the program comes from it. The original book uses 90 percent; Wendler's later beginner guidance uses 80 to 85 percent.

How much weight do you add each cycle?

The standard rule is 5 pounds to the training max for bench press and press, and 10 pounds for squat and deadlift, but only if you hit your reps with good form.

Is 5/3/1 good for beginners?

Wendler has published a beginner version: three full-body days a week, two main lifts per day, with First Set Last work and a conservative training max.

Sources

Next in the series

Before your first 5/3/1 bench day, read Bench Press Technique: A Full Setup-to-Lockout Guide.

Cover photo: Lance Cpl. Christian Salazar, U.S. Marine Corps, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

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