5/3/1 for Beginners: The Complete Program

By Rab Nawaz·Updated July 2026
5/3/1 is a strength program Jim Wendler built around four barbell lifts: the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. Instead of chasing a new max every week, you work off a "training max" that's 90% of your real one and add a little weight every month. This page covers the beginner version: three days a week, honest percentages, and the exact rule for when to move up.
GoalStrength
LevelBeginner
EquipmentBarbell + rack
Days / week3
Structure3 days/week, two main lifts per session (squat and bench get hit twice)
Created byJim Wendler

The main lifts

These are the core barbell lifts the program is built on. Tap any one for a full guide with form cues.

Barbell Back Squat — starting position
Barbell Back Squat
Bench Press — starting position
Bench Press
Deadlift — starting position
Deadlift
Overhead Press — starting position
Overhead Press

How the program works

Set your training max

Everything in 5/3/1 runs off a training max (TM), not your real one-rep max. Set your TM to 90% of a 1RM you can genuinely hit today. Don't know your max? Take a weight you can do for a few reps and estimate it with reps x weight x 0.0333 + weight. So 185 lb for 5 reps works out to about 216, and your TM would be roughly 195. If you're unsure, go lighter. The program is meant to feel easy early, because the last set of each day is where you actually make up ground.

The weekly waves

5/3/1 runs in four-week cycles, and every main lift gets three work sets that week, all as a percentage of the TM. Week 1 (the 5s week): 65% x 5, 75% x 5, 85% x 5+. Week 2 (the 3s week): 70% x 3, 80% x 3, 90% x 3+. Week 3 (the 5/3/1 week): 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1+. Week 4 is a deload with no hard sets: 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5. Warm up first with a couple of light sets like 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 3, and round every working weight to the nearest 5 lb.

The AMRAP top set

The plus sign on the last set of weeks 1 through 3 means as many reps as possible. That set is the whole point of the program. You stop when your form starts to slip or you've got one clean rep left in the tank, not before. Hit the five prescribed reps at 85%? Good, now get seven or eight if they're there. Those extra reps tell you the weight is working and feed the rep-max math you use to track progress. Push the plus set hard and take everything before it exactly as written.

How you progress

At the end of each four-week cycle you add weight to the training max, not to the individual workouts. Add 5 lb to your upper-body lifts (bench and overhead press) and 10 lb to your lower-body lifts (squat and deadlift). In kilos that's 2.5 and 5. It's slow on purpose, and it's why people run this program for years without burning out. When a lift stalls and you can't hit the minimum reps on the plus set for two cycles in a row, drop that lift's TM back to 90% of where it currently sits and build up again.

Assistance: FSL and the three buckets

Wendler's beginner version keeps the main work identical but adds First Set Last (FSL): after your top set, take the weight from your first work set (the 65/70/75% one) and do five sets of five. It's easy volume that grooves the movement without wrecking you. Then pick simple assistance from three buckets and hit roughly 25 to 50 reps of each: push (dips, push-ups), pull (chin-ups, rows), and single-leg or core (back raises, leg raises, hanging knee raises). If you'd rather chase size, swap FSL for Boring But Big (BBB): five sets of ten on the main lift at 50 to 60% of the TM. It works, but it's a lot more fatigue, so most beginners should start with FSL.

Who it suits, and the trade-off

Straight talk: if you're brand new and still adding weight to the bar every single session, a basic linear program will build strength faster than 5/3/1 will at first. 5/3/1 moves in monthly jumps, so early on it can feel too easy. Where it earns its keep is right after that first stall, when session-to-session progress dries up. It's hard to mess up, easy to recover from, and you can run it for a very long time. That's the trade: slower on paper, far more durable in practice.

The weekly layout

  1. Day A · Squat + Bench — Squat: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Bench Press: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Assistance: chin-ups 5x10, leg raises 3x15.
  2. Day B · Deadlift + Press — Deadlift: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Overhead Press: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Assistance: dips or push-ups 5x15, dumbbell rows 5x10.
  3. Day C · Bench + Squat — Bench Press: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Squat: 5/3/1 top sets, then FSL 5x5. Assistance: chin-ups 5x10, back raises 3x12.
  4. Week 1 · 5s wave — Main sets off the TM: 65% x 5, 75% x 5, 85% x 5+ (last set is AMRAP).
  5. Week 2 · 3s wave — 70% x 3, 80% x 3, 90% x 3+ (last set is AMRAP).
  6. Week 3 · 5/3/1 wave — 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1+ (last set is AMRAP).
  7. Week 4 · Deload — 40% x 5, 50% x 5, 60% x 5. No AMRAP. Then add to each TM and restart the cycle.

5/3/1 was created by powerlifter Jim Wendler and laid out in his book "5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength," and the beginner layout comes from his own follow-up writing on the method.

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Frequently asked questions

Is 5/3/1 actually good for beginners?

It can be, with a caveat. If you're a true novice, you'll probably gain strength faster on a simple linear program where you add weight every session, like a 5x5. 5/3/1 adds weight monthly, so it's slower at the start. The reason people still point beginners here is Wendler's own beginner template: it hits squat and bench twice a week, adds First Set Last volume, and builds the habit of pushing the AMRAP set. If you want one program you won't outgrow for years, it's a fair place to start. If you just want the fastest early gains, run linear first and switch to 5/3/1 when it stalls.

What's a training max, and why 90%?

Your training max is the number every percentage is based on, and it's set to 90% of a max you can genuinely hit. Working off 90% instead of your true max leaves room to actually complete the prescribed reps and still have something left for the plus set. Set it too high and the AMRAP sets collapse and progress stalls early. When in doubt, set it low. You make progress from the reps you pile up on the last set, not from the number on the TM.

How much weight do I add, and how often?

You bump the training max once per four-week cycle: +5 lb on bench and overhead press, +10 lb on squat and deadlift (or +2.5 and +5 kg). That's it. It feels tiny, and that's the point. Over a year those small jumps add up to real numbers without the constant stalling you get from adding weight every session. If a lift stalls and you miss the minimum reps two cycles in a row, reset its TM to 90% of the current value and climb back up.

FSL or Boring But Big for the extra work?

First Set Last is the safer default: after your top set you repeat your first work-set weight for five sets of five. It adds practice and volume without much extra fatigue, which is exactly what a beginner needs. Boring But Big is five sets of ten on the main lift at 50 to 60% of the training max, and it's a strong driver of size, but it's a real beating and easy to overdo. Start with FSL and add BBB later if your recovery is solid and you want more.

Do I have to track all of this by hand?

You can. A notebook and a calculator will run 5/3/1 fine. The fiddly parts are the rotating weekly percentages and the AMRAP rep-max math, which are easy to fumble between sets. If you'd rather skip the arithmetic, FORMA's free builder (it's called Lock In) takes your four training maxes and lays the whole cycle out as a weekly checklist, with each set's weight already worked out and the progression carried into the next block. You just tick off sets and log the plus set.

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