The original article by Jim Wendler that details 5/3/1 for Beginners (also known as “5314B”) can be found here. This page is intended to serve as a companion to this article, not a complete replacement for it, so please make sure to read the original in full as well as this page.
A spreadsheet for this program can be found here. It’s a good idea to have a look at it if you are confused about how the program works. Download it or Make a Copy to your own Google Drive if you want to make use of it.
The 5-3-1 Challenge is a unique, fast-paced soccer competition that provides wonderful tests of players’ skills and ability to handle the small group situations which are the building blocks of team play. Deadlift from 315 to 405 or 29% Squat from 325 to 375 or 15% Bench Press from 210 to 225 or 7% (seated) OHP from 125 to 130 or 4% Powerlifting Total from 850 to 1005 or 18% Weight: 206 up to 210 with same waist measurements Diet: Leangains style Recomp Thoughts on Wendler 5/3/1 Boring But Big: I really enjoy the 4 weeks cycling and the 4 workouts. I also like the 45 minute workouts.
Don’t be intimidated by the amount of detail on this page. This program is actually very simple. If you just want to dive right in to following the routine, you can absolutely just plug numbers into the spreadsheet and go. The detail here is for those who want to understand it a bit better. You might also want to read over our 5/3/1 Primer page for a better breakdown of 5/3/1 as a training system.
Many common questions about this routine have been discussed by the community in the Routine Campfire thread for it, so make sure to check there if anything is confusing.
All 5/3/1 variations (this is just one of many) use percentages of a Training Max to set the weights you use in training for the Squat, Deadlift, Overhead Press, and Bench Press. If you have never run 5/3/1 before, you will initially set your Training Max as a percentage of your Estimated 1 Rep Max. This is discussed in more detail below.
While there is technically no minimum strength requirement for this program, if your Estimated 1 Rep Maxes for the Squat, Overhead Press, and Bench Press are not at least 75lbs, you may find it logistically difficult to follow, because some days will take some of your training sets below 45lbs – the weight of an unloaded barbell. The best way to adapt to this is to use dumbbell variations of these three lifts.
In addition, if your Estimated 1 Rep Max for the Deadlift is below 230lbs, be sure you have a way to simulate the same bar height as if it were loaded with standard 45lb plates for some days, when some sets will be below 135lbs. This is most commonly done using bumper plates or blocks.
This section is a barebones overview of the program. This is all covered in greater detail in the sections below.
On each of the three lifting days, you will be doing the following:
The exercises you choose in #4 can be done between sets of either of your Main Lift to save time.
The main work for 5/3/1 programs is done as percentages of a Training Max (TM). Progression to higher weights is also via the Training Max, which is explained in further detail below.
To set your initial Training Max when starting this program:
ImportantNote: This will be the only time that your TM is so directly connected to your 1RM. A core philosophy of 5/3/1 is to train sub-maximally and drive steady progress over time. As you go through the program your strength will be increasing above what your TM is set at, and this is intended. Always remember that the purpose of the Training Max is to inform your workout – it is not a measure of your progress or your strength. With 5/3/1, your workouts are almost never about testing your strength – they are about building it.
Before you do any of the lifting, choose one of the following and perform 10-15 total reps over 2-3 sets. This should not take more than 5-10 minutes at most.
This section outlines the sets and reps used for the Main Lifts in the 5/3/1 for Beginners program. Sets, reps, and percentages used change each week on a repeating three week cycle.
Optional Warmup
You can warm up for your work on the Main Lifts with the following sets. This is optional and can be done with minimal rest between each set.
Work Sets
The sets and reps for the Main Lifts are made up of two parts. The first three sets are the “Core” 5/3/1 sets that are used in most variants of 5/3/1. The 5×5 sets are “First Set Last” (FSL) sets, which are called “Supplementary Work” in 5/3/1 terms. Their purpose is to add volume to the Main Lift, and their name comes from the percentage used – it is the same as the first set of the day.
Day 1 (Monday)
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Day 3 (Friday)
Each day, choose one exercise for each of the three categories below, and perform 50 – 100 reps of it. The number of sets you use to accomplish this is not important. You can do all of your reps for each category one at a time, or to finish your workout faster, you can cycle through a set from each category in a circuit. If you choose a bodyweight exercise and cannot complete at least 50 reps, you can choose a second exercise to finish the total out. If you choose a weighted exercise and cannot complete at least 50 reps, you chose a weight that was too high.
Don’t overthink your exercise choices, your weight selection, or your sets and reps – What’s important about this work is just getting a lot of full body volume done.
Push | Pull | Single Leg/Core |
Dips | Chinups | Any Ab / Core Exercise |
Pushups | Pullups | Back Raises |
Flat DB Bench | Inverted Rows | Reverse Hypers |
Incline DB Bench | DB Rows | Lunges |
DB OHP | Cable Rows | Step Ups |
Tricep Extension | Machine Rows | Bulgarian Split Squats |
Tricep Pushdown | Face Pulls | KB Snatches |
Band Pull-Aparts | KB Swings | |
Lat Pulldowns | ||
Curls |
If you’re having trouble putting it all together, below is an example of the Main Lifts for Week 1, Day 1. We also recommend looking over the spreadsheet linked at the top of this page for a more full picture.
Lift | Est. 1RM | Training Max |
Squat | 215 | 190 |
Bench Press | 155 | 140 |
Lift | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 | Sets 4,5,6,7,8 |
Squat | 125 x 5 | 140 x 5 | 160 x 5+ | 125 x 5 |
Bench Press | 90 x 5 | 105 x 5 | 120 x 5+ | 90 x 5 |
Jim Wendler does not provide any guidelines for rest between sets, so you can tailor this to your recovery and scheduling needs. Most commonly, rest times are kept between 1.5-3 minutes between sets. Some additional considerations:
At the end of each three week cycle, you progress by adding weight to the Training Max of your lifts:
You add the same amount of weight to your Training Max no matter how many reps you hit on your AMRAP sets. Never more. Remember always that your Training Max is not a measure of your progress or your strength.
Trainees who are new to programs like 5/3/1 often get concerned about the “slower progression” of the Training Max when compared to some other novice programs that have you add weight to the bar every training day (“Linear Progression”). This is understandable, but it comes from a fundamental misunderstanding – that progression of the loading of the barbell in training is the same as the progression of the strength of the lifter. While these two things are definitely connected, they are far from being one-to-one, and submaximal training has been tested by both time and science as an effective method of driving strength and muscle development.
5/3/1, like the majority of lifting programs by reputable coaches, is a training methodology that operates in multiple dimensions – it manages intensity, volume, and fatigue, exposes you to different rep ranges and movements, and measures progress as more than just training weights – all very important factors for long term success in your training. A traditional LP program does not manage any of these things, and only works in a single dimension – weight on the bar – which is not only suboptimal but actively detrimental to your long term training and mindset. You can read some additional related thoughts here and here, from the page explaining why Starting Strength and StrongLifts are not recommended.
Most programs like 5/3/1 will have moments of testing built in to them for you to use to measure progress over time. If you want to succeed in the long term, you will need to learn to trust the process and use the periodic AMRAP sets and test weeks to check on your progress – not look to be testing your progress in every set of every training session.
Though this is not part of the original article, we strongly encourage using the TM Test Week protocol that is outlined on the 5/3/1 Primer page. You would do this every 10th week, or after three 3 week cycles.
For this week, the layout of your Main Lifts will be slightly different:
Assistance work is unchanged.
At some point as you’re running this program, you may reach a point where you are unable to complete the sets and reps for your main lifts, either at all or with clean, fast reps. When this happens, it is important to remember:
If you find that you are consistently not hitting the sets and reps for a lift over a period of at least one full three week cycle, it is time to lower your Training Max for that lift. The general guideline for this is to reduce it by three cycle increments (15lbs / 30lbs). If you find yourself feeling discouraged by this, again, remember – Your Training Max is not a measure of your progress or your strength. You will continue to make progress and set rep PRs on the AMRAP sets after you deload.
If you find your workouts running longer than you’d like, besides manipulating rest times, here are some other strategies you can use to complete the workout faster:
Here are some example setups for your Push/Pull/Single Leg or Core assistance work.
Bodyweight
Progression:
– Last set is always AMRAP. Push it.
– Start at a minimum of 10×5. If you can’t do this, do assisted reps using bands or a machine.
– Work up to 10×10.
– After you can comfortably do 10×10, start doing fewer sets with more reps. Work up to 5×20.
Day 1
– Pushups
– Chinups
– Leg Raises
Day 2
– Dips
– Inverted Rows
– Single Leg Split Squats
Day 3:
– Pushups
– Pullups
– Leg Raises
Mirror Bro
Progression:
– Do 8×8-12.
– When you can do 8×12, add some weight.
– If you can’t do at least 8×8 with the new weight, you added too much.
– Do planks at 8×20-60s.
Day 1:
– Lateral Raises
– Curls
– Leg Raises
Day 2:
– Incline DB Press
– Shrugs
– Cable Crunches
Day 3:
– Tricep Pushdowns
– Neutral Grip Chinups
– Planks
Time Saver
– Meant to be doable in circuit / superset in a potentially crowded public gym.
– Progress the DB lifts like Mirror Bro, BW movements like Bodyweight
– Do planks at 8×20-60s.
– Do a set of your main lift, a set of both accessories, then rest 90s. Repeat.
Day 1:
– Superset Bench with: DB Row, Planks
– Superset Squat with: DB OHP, BW Bulgarian Split Squat
Day 2:
– Supserset OHP with: DB Curls, Paloff Press with Band
– Superset DL with: Pushups, DB Lunges
Day 3:
– Superset Squat with: DB Rows, DB Swings
– Superset Bench with: DB Lateral Raises, Leg Raises (on bench)