5/3/1: Jim Wendler’s theory of strength

Jim Wendler right at his eureka moment

In his book, Wendler, an elite powerlifter, remembers a time at the zenith of his career, when he could barely walk outside the gym, his health was failing, and despite stellar equipped lifts, his unequipped capabilities were desperately weak. To reclaim his life and strength, Wendler developed a plan: cut out all the excess and get back to basics.

5/3/1 is about simplicity. You do three (maybe four) workouts a week with the focus on the ‘big four’: squat, bench, deadlift and military press. Focus on these movements and size and strength will necessarily follow.

How does it all work?

The program is split up into cycles, each cycle consists of four waves. Each wave is made up of four workouts, one for each lift. In other words, if you train four times a week, you hit each exercise once per week.  Each wave focuses on a 5, 3, or 1 rep max, giving the program its name.  Each workout is based on three sets of the major movement followed by a variety of accessory work detailed below. Sets and reps remain the same for the main movements in each wave.  During the fourth, and final, week of the cycle, you return to a 5 rep scheme using submaximal weight.  This built-in deload week allows for recovery and recuperation, setting you up to come back stronger with each passing cycle.

Before starting the program, you will need to know your one rep max for each of the big four.  From there, calculate 90% and use that 90% figure as if it were your real max, i.e. to calculate the percentages below. The idea is to undershoot so as to get better quality work and avoid failure.

Here’s the basic structure:

Wave 1: 65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5 or more
Wave 2: 70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3 or more
Wave 3: 75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1 or more
Wave 4: 40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5

If you are still having trouble understanding the program see the sample routine below.

On the final set, Wendler also recommends going all out and attempting as many reps as possible (i.e. beyond 5/3/1). As he puts it “[the final set should be the one that] puts hair on your balls”. He does emphasize, however, that you should not attempt failure, as that would be detrimental to your efforts. You should never fail on a rep.

5/3/1, it no longer equals 1.66666666666666666666667.

The e-book

The Ego

If there is one point on which Wendler is adamant, it’s the ego; you must check your ego at the door and focus on the program. If the gameplan says you’re in for 3 reps with 275, don’t try to impress all your co-bros by attempting 325. The whole program is periodized such that you are riding bigger and bigger waves and constantly making progress. Jumping the gun in week one will set you back in week two, creating a domino effect. Over-exertion will only leave you spinning your wheels. This doesn’t mean you must trust the program blindly, but give it a chance to prove its worth.  Follow it for a couple of weeks and then make adjustments as necessary.

Just as you keep your ego in check during your gym sessions, keep your ego in check during the many months that you follow the 5/3/1 with regards to progress. 5/3/1 does not immediately seem like the fastest gainer out there, but it proves itself in the long haul, with consistent gains month after month. With this in mind, expect to gain no more than 10 pounds a month on the squat and deadlift, and 5 pounds on your bench and press. That may seem a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, but remember, these are very strong consistent gains. You should be able to increase your deadlift from 405 to 525 in a year, for a example, or your bench from 315 to 375.

After each cycle, add 10lbs to the previous 90% figure that you had been working with for squat or deadlift, and 5lbs to your 90% bench and military press. Calculate your working sets and start lifting.

Variations and Accessory Work

Although the program is simple it leaves some room for variety. You must pick one of the following variations to complement the basic plan outlined above. Simply doing the main movement is not enough, accessory work is also necessary.

Boring but Big

This is the method that most internet jockeys prefer! Upon finishing the basic three sets, repeat the main movement again at 50-60% of your max for 5 sets of 10. Obviously not the most interesting, but according to the man behind the words, this is the route to the biggest of gains. Following that, pound out 5 sets of 10 on any isolation move which would target the same area (eg. skullcrushers after bench or leg extensions post-squat).

Here are some examples:

You too can be a fat man someday!

Squat – 3 sets of 5 (or 3, or 1, depending on wave)
Squat – 5 sets of 10 at 50%
Leg curl – 5 sets of 10

Military Press – 3 sets of 3
Military Press – 5 sets of 10 at 50%
Chin-ups – 5 sets of 10 at bodyweight

Deadlift – 3 sets of  1
Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 at 55%
Hanging Leg Raise – 5 sets of 15

Bench – 3 sets of 3
Bench – 5 sets of 10 at 60%
Dumbbell Row – 5 sets of 10

These are just some examples, obviously rep count for the first 3 sets of the main movement would hinge on wave, but the idea is the same.

Anecdotal evidence seems to show that it does lead to great gains, at least, assuming you’ve got the stamina to finish.  You may think you’re the hardest ass that’s ever been under a bar, but prepare to be humbled as you strain and groan under weights that you’d probably be using as a warmup right now.  Make no mistake, Boring But Big is a serious gasser.  For those who are accustomed to never doing more than 5 reps per set, suddenly jumping up to 5 sets of 10 is going to put you in your place.  I bet you regret missing all that GPP work now!

The Triumvirate

If you don’t want to repeat the same main movement, as in Boring but Big, you can ditch that in favor of another accessory move. Choose whatever you want as long as it’s in the same muscle group.

Wendler doing dips

The Periodization Bible

This method gets its name from the eponymous article by Dave Tate. It goes into a bit of detail about microcycles (comprised of several training sessions) and mesocycles (1-4 months comprised of micro cycles), but for the purposes of this program, we won’t worry too much about that.

Basically, here Wendler borrows the Westside take on accessory work, i.e. basing your accessory work around the most frequently taxed muscles of the workout. Here’s how it might look:

DB = Dumbbell

The exercises between brackets are different exercises to choose from, pick a different one each week.

Military Press (5/3/1)

• Shoulders or Chest – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB bench, DB Incline, DB Military, Incline press, Dips, Pushups)
• Lats or Upper Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB rows, Bent Over Rows, Chins, T-bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Face Pulls, Shrugs)
• Triceps – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Triceps Pushdowns or Triceps Extensions)

Deadlift (5/3/1)

• Hamstrings – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Curls, Glute-Ham Raise)
• Quads – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Press, Lunges, Hack Squats)
• Abs – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Sit-ups, Hanging Leg Raises, Ab Wheel, DB Side Bend)

Bench Press (5/3/1)

• Shoulders or Chest – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB bench, DB Incline, DB Military, Incline press, Dips, Pushups)
• Lats or Upper Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (DB rows, Bent Over Rows, Chins, T-bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Face Pulls, Shrugs)
• Triceps – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Triceps Pushdowns or Triceps Extensions)

Squat (5/3/1)

• Low Back – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Reverse Hyper, Back Raise, Good Morning)
• Quads – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Leg Press, Lunges, Hack Squats)
• Abs – 5 sets of 10-20 reps (Sit-ups, Hanging Leg Raises, Ab Wheel, DB Side Bend)

You can change exercises however you see fit; it won’t make or break the program. However, one thing to remember is that accessory work is intended to supplement and strengthen the main movement, not detract from it. If you’re continually increasing your weight on shoulder presses, but military press or bench is stalling, you should lower the accessory weight. Remember, focus must remain on the main movements, that’s where the gains come from.

Bodyweight

This option is as simple as it sounds; use bodyweight exercises to supplement the main lift. Wendler reccomends at least 75 reps per exercise, and at least 2 bodyweight exercises per training session. Note that you can use most of the same bodyweight exercises to supplement military press as bench. Same goes between deadlifts and squats. If you want, you can perform weighted bodyweight movements, such as weighted push-ups, bodyweight squats, hyperextensions, dips, one-legged squats, etc. This allows you to continue loading without needing to increase reps. Bands or chains may also be utilized.

A Final Word

5/3/1 is not just for powerlifters, and its not just a grown-up version of 5×5. It’s for anyone, with a little bit of experience under his (or her) belt, who wants a logical, simple, and consistent approach to lifting. It’s an effective way to increase not only your one-rep max, but all rep maxes, which lends itself to all-around strength in addition to top-end strength.
As a final note of caution, I would recommend this program only if you have at least 2 years of lifting experience, can squat or deadlift at least 1.5x bodyweight, and know your own body well. Preparedness is crucial, as this is not a program for beginners and those who are still trying to grasp basic form. It’s also essential to stick to the program for the long haul since the whole concept is the snowballing of small waves into a tsunami of brute strength.

Special thanks to Wendler disciple DeathyMcDeath for helping writing this article.

Tags: 5/3/1, bench, jim wendler, squat, strength training

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