- Level
- Beginner
- Days a week
- 3 days
- Goal
- Strength and size
- Equipment
- Barbell
- How long
- 6+ months
- Created by
- Jim Wendler
Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 is built on a training max, a deliberately conservative number about 90% of your real one-rep max, and three-week waves of 5s, 3s and 1s. 5/3/1 for Beginners is a version Wendler wrote for newer lifters, popularised by r/Fitness: three full-body days, two main lifts each session, extra volume from First Set Last, and assistance work for the rest of the body.
It progresses once per cycle instead of every session, which sounds slow. In practice that steady rate keeps going for months, long after a session-to-session program would have stalled.
This page explains the program in our own words. All credit for it goes to Jim Wendler. The original: 5/3/1 for Beginners (the r/Fitness version, on thefitness.wiki). Wendler’s books are at jimwendler.com. Read it for the full detail.
Who it’s for
Beginners who have learned the four main lifts and want a program they can run for a long time, and early intermediates finishing a linear progression. It trains three days a week, so it fits around most lives.
The weekly schedule
| Day | Main lifts |
|---|---|
| Monday | Squat, bench press |
| Wednesday | Deadlift, overhead press |
| Friday | Bench press, squat |
Every workout
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 sets | 65% × 5, 75% × 5, 85% × 5+ | Last set as many reps as possible |
| Week 2 sets | 70% × 3, 80% × 3, 90% × 3+ | |
| Week 3 sets | 75% × 5, 85% × 3, 95% × 1+ | |
| First Set Last | 5 × 5 at the first set’s weight | After the main sets, every week |
Percentages are of your training max (about 90% of your one-rep max).
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Push (dips, push-ups) | 50–100 reps total | |
| Pull (chin-ups, rows) | 50–100 reps total | |
| Single leg or core (lunges, ab work) | 50–100 reps total |
Each session: a short warm-up with some jumps or throws, the first main lift (5/3/1 sets then First Set Last), the second main lift the same way, then assistance. Sessions run about an hour.
Wednesday has deadlift and overhead press, so bench and squat each come twice a week and deadlift and press once.
How to progress
At the end of each three-week cycle, raise the training max by 5 lb (2.5 kg) for bench and press and 10 lb (5 kg) for squat and deadlift, then start the next cycle.
The plus sets show how you are doing. If you are getting only the minimum reps on them, you are close to the edge; if you are getting far more, your training max is still conservative, which is the point.
Stalls and deloads
This version has no scheduled deload week. If you fail to hit the minimum reps on a plus set, lower that lift’s training max about 10% and continue. Wendler’s later writing suggests a light "seventh week" every couple of cycles once you are more advanced.
How long to run it
Many people run it six months to a year. It is designed for patience: small jumps every three weeks, sustained.
What to do next
Boring But Big and other templates from Wendler’s books change the assistance and volume while keeping the 5/3/1 waves. nSuns 5/3/1 LP is a high-volume alternative.
Common mistakes
Using a true max as the training max
The training max is 90% of your max on purpose. Starting heavier makes every week too hard.
Skipping assistance
The push, pull and core work is what builds the rest of your body. Don’t leave it for when you have time.
Chasing huge rep PRs on plus sets
Push the plus set, but stop a rep before form breaks. You’ll be back next week.
Running it in Splyt
Build each workout above as a template in Splyt. When you finish a session, the weights you actually lifted carry into the next run of that template, so every set shows last time’s numbers beside it and you can see at a glance whether to add weight. Log on iPhone or Apple Watch, and the Watch counts your reps for you.
Have the program in a spreadsheet or screenshot already? Import it and Splyt turns it into editable templates. Use the one-rep max calculator to set a training max, the warm-up calculator for warm-up sets in whole plates, and strength standards to see where your lifts sit for your bodyweight.
Questions
How do I find my training max?
Take 90% of your one-rep max. If you don’t know it, estimate it from a recent heavy set with the one-rep max calculator.
What does 5+ mean?
At least five reps, then as many more as you can do with good form.
Is 5/3/1 for Beginners good for size?
Yes. First Set Last and 150–300 assistance reps a session give it plenty of volume.
Similar programs
- 5/3/1 Boring But Big — intermediate, 4 days
- nSuns 5/3/1 LP — intermediate, 4–5 days
- GZCLP — beginner, 3–4 days
- Texas Method — intermediate, 3 days
- Every program, by level and days
More for your training
- Workout splits: how push pull legs, upper/lower and full body compare
- Ready-made workouts for every muscle and piece of equipment
- The exercise library: how to do every lift above
- Strength standards by lift and bodyweight
Run this program in Splyt, the workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch that remembers what you lifted. Get Splyt free on the App Store