The Wendler 5/3/1 programme is one of the most widely used strength training systems in the world, designed by powerlifter Jim Wendler as a simple, sustainable framework for long-term strength development. Unlike peaking programmes that chase a new maximum every few weeks, 5/3/1 is built around intentionally sub-maximal loads that allow lifters to train hard, recover fully and accumulate progress across months and years rather than burning out in a matter of weeks.
The programme centres on four barbell lifts — squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press — trained once per week (or twice per week in later variations). Each lift follows the same four-week wave structure, with prescribed percentages climbing across weeks one, two and three before a lighter deload in week four. The defining feature is the AMRAP set (As Many Reps As Possible): after two preparatory sets you load the top percentage and grind out as many quality reps as you can. The extra reps above the prescribed minimum are where the programme rewards effort and serves as an auto-regulation mechanism — on a good day you might hit twelve reps at 85%; on a tough day you hit five and move on.
How it works
The calculator converts your one-rep maximum into a Training Max (TM) using the formula:
Training Max = 1RM × 0.90
The 10% buffer is not conservatism for its own sake — it is the mechanism that keeps the programme sustainable. Working-set weights are then expressed as percentages of the Training Max rather than the true 1RM. Weights are rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg (or 5 lb) to keep them loadable with standard plate increments.
The four-week percentage structure per week is:
| Week | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 — 5s | 65% × 5 | 75% × 5 | 85% × 5+ |
| 2 — 3s | 70% × 3 | 80% × 3 | 90% × 3+ |
| 3 — 5/3/1 | 75% × 5 | 85% × 3 | 95% × 1+ |
| 4 — Deload | 40% × 5 | 50% × 5 | 60% × 5 |
The ”+” symbol on the final set of weeks 1–3 denotes AMRAP.
After every complete four-week cycle the Training Max increases by a fixed increment: 5 kg / 10 lb for lower-body lifts (squat and deadlift) and 2.5 kg / 5 lb for upper-body lifts (bench press and OHP). These increments feel almost trivially small at first — that is the point. A lifter who adds 5 kg per cycle to their squat TM will add 60 kg across a full year of consistent training, far more than most advanced training schemes deliver.
Worked example
A lifter with a 180 kg deadlift 1RM enters 180 in the deadlift field. The calculator sets the Training Max at:
180 × 0.90 = 162 kg
Week 2 (3s week) work sets become:
- Set 1: 70% × 162 = 113.4 → rounded to 112.5 kg × 3 reps
- Set 2: 80% × 162 = 129.6 → rounded to 130 kg × 3 reps
- Set 3: 90% × 162 = 145.8 → rounded to 145 kg × 3+ reps (AMRAP)
If the lifter hits eight reps on that final set — well above the prescribed three — they carry that confidence into the next cycle and add 5 kg to the TM. If they hit exactly three, they deload, recover and come back the following week knowing the top percentage was still only 90% of TM, leaving room to push again.
With Boring But Big enabled, five additional sets of ten at 50% TM (81 kg) appear after the main work, building the muscle mass that will drive future strength gains.
Formula note
All working-set weights are calculated as:
Working weight = TM × (week percentage ÷ 100), then rounded to nearest 2.5 kg (or 5 lb)
The progression rule is additive and deterministic — no percentage scaling of the increment — which makes long-term planning straightforward and eliminates the ambiguity that plagues percentage-based linear progressions at higher training ages.