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5/3/1 calculator

Enter your one-rep max for any of the squat, bench press, deadlift and overhead press, and pick a training max of 90% or 85%. You get the training max for each lift and all twelve sets of Jim Wendler's four-week 5/3/1 cycle, rounded to the plates you have.

Unit
Training max
Round loads to

Read in the unit above.

Example result

Squat training max

125kg

Bench press training max

90kg

Deadlift training max

162.5kg

Overhead press training max

55kg

Training max is 90% of your 1RM; every set is a percentage of it, rounded to 2.5 kg. A + set means as many reps as you can.

5/3/1 cycle in kg
Lift and weekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Squat, Week 1 (5s)82.5 × 595 × 5107.5 × 5+
Squat, Week 2 (3s)87.5 × 3100 × 3112.5 × 3+
Squat, Week 3 (5/3/1)95 × 5107.5 × 3120 × 1+
Squat, Week 4 (deload)50 × 562.5 × 575 × 5
Bench press, Week 1 (5s)57.5 × 567.5 × 577.5 × 5+
Bench press, Week 2 (3s)62.5 × 372.5 × 380 × 3+
Bench press, Week 3 (5/3/1)67.5 × 577.5 × 385 × 1+
Bench press, Week 4 (deload)35 × 545 × 555 × 5
Deadlift, Week 1 (5s)105 × 5122.5 × 5137.5 × 5+
Deadlift, Week 2 (3s)112.5 × 3130 × 3145 × 3+
Deadlift, Week 3 (5/3/1)122.5 × 5137.5 × 3155 × 1+
Deadlift, Week 4 (deload)65 × 580 × 597.5 × 5
Overhead press, Week 1 (5s)35 × 540 × 545 × 5+
Overhead press, Week 2 (3s)37.5 × 342.5 × 347.5 × 3+
Overhead press, Week 3 (5/3/1)40 × 545 × 352.5 × 1+
Overhead press, Week 4 (deload)22.5 × 527.5 × 532.5 × 5
Build a session from these maxes

5/3/1 examples

The cycle is the same for everyone. What changes is the max you start from, the training max you pick, and the plates you round to.

  • Example 1

    Starting 5/3/1 after a linear program

    A lifter whose novice gains have slowed, with recent maxes of 315 lb squat, 225 lb bench, 365 lb deadlift and 135 lb press.

    Training max
    90% of 1RM
    Round loads to
    5
    Squat 1RM
    315 lb
    Bench press 1RM
    225 lb
    Deadlift 1RM
    365 lb
    Overhead press 1RM
    135 lb
    • Squat training max285 lb
    • Bench press training max205 lb
    • Deadlift training max330 lb
    • Overhead press training max120 lb

    Week 1's top squat set is 240 lb for 5 or more, well below what a linear program had you squatting for 5. That is the point: the + sets leave room to beat last month's reps instead of grinding the same weight.

    Build a session from these maxes Open with these numbers

  • Example 2

    Back after a year off

    A returning lifter using old maxes of 225 lb squat, 155 lb bench, 275 lb deadlift and 95 lb press, and choosing the 85% training max.

    Training max
    85% of 1RM
    Round loads to
    5
    Squat 1RM
    225 lb
    Bench press 1RM
    155 lb
    Deadlift 1RM
    275 lb
    Overhead press 1RM
    95 lb
    • Squat training max190 lb
    • Bench press training max130 lb
    • Deadlift training max235 lb
    • Overhead press training max80 lb

    Old maxes overstate where you are now, so the lighter training max is the safer start. If the week 3 top set gives you 5 reps or more, the training max isn't too high, and each cycle adds weight from there.

    Build a session from these maxes Open with these numbers

  • Example 3

    Upper body only, with fractional plates

    A woman running 5/3/1 for her bench (55 kg) and press (35 kg) only, with 0.5 kg plates in her gym.

    Training max
    85% of 1RM
    Round loads to
    1
    Bench press 1RM
    55 kg
    Overhead press 1RM
    35 kg
    • Bench press training max47 kg
    • Overhead press training max30 kg

    At these weights a 2.5 kg rounding step is a big share of each set, so rounding to 1 kg keeps the percentages honest. Leave the lifts you don't run empty and the cycle covers only the two you do.

    Build a session from these maxes Open with these numbers

  • Example 4

    A powerlifter between meets

    A strong lifter with 405 lb squat, 275 lb bench, 500 lb deadlift and 185 lb press, using the original 90% training max.

    Training max
    90% of 1RM
    Round loads to
    5
    Squat 1RM
    405 lb
    Bench press 1RM
    275 lb
    Deadlift 1RM
    500 lb
    Overhead press 1RM
    185 lb
    • Squat training max365 lb
    • Bench press training max250 lb
    • Deadlift training max450 lb
    • Overhead press training max165 lb

    The heaviest prescribed set is 95% of the training max, about 85% of the real max. 5/3/1 builds strength without heavy singles, so plan any heavier work around a meet separately.

    Build a session from these maxes Open with these numbers

The 5/3/1 percentages

Every set is a percentage of your training max, not your one-rep max. Three weeks build up to a top set, and the fourth is a deload. The last set of weeks 1 to 3, marked +, is as many reps as you can do with good form, and the goal is a rep record each time.

Wendler's 5/3/1 cycle, percentages of the training max
WeekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Week 1 (5s)65% × 575% × 585% × 5+
Week 2 (3s)70% × 380% × 390% × 3+
Week 3 (5/3/1)75% × 585% × 395% × 1+
Week 4 (deload)40% × 550% × 560% × 5

Training max: 90% or 85%?

Wendler's original 2009 article sets the training max at 90% of your one-rep max. A later template, 5/3/1 for Hardgainers, starts at 85% and gives a check: if you can't get at least 5 reps on the week 3 top set at 95%, the training max is too high.

Use 90% if your maxes are recent and you want the original program. Use 85% if your maxes are old, estimated, or your + sets grind.

How to progress 5/3/1 between cycles

After each four-week cycle, Wendler adds 5 lb to the bench and press and 10 lb to the squat and deadlift. In kilograms, the matching steps are 2.5 kg and 5 kg. Enter the new numbers and the calculator rebuilds the cycle.

Don't add weight to a lift whose + sets came up short. Keep its training max for another cycle, or recalculate from a recent set with the rep max calculator.

Technique for the 5/3/1 lifts

Main lift, one day a week

Barbell Back Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Your + sets are how you judge the training max. A rep that stops above parallel looks like progress and isn't, so set a depth and count only the reps that reach it.

How to do it

  1. Set the bar in the rack at about armpit height, step under it and rest it on the meaty part of your upper back, hands just outside your shoulders.
  2. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, stand up to lift the bar off the hooks and take two or three short steps back.
  3. Set your feet about shoulder width, toes turned slightly out, then breathe deep into your belly and tighten your trunk as if bracing for a punch.
  4. Bend at the hips and knees at the same time and sit straight down between your heels, knees moving forward and out in line with your toes.
  5. Go down until the crease of your hip passes below the top of your knee, keeping your whole foot on the floor.
  6. Drive up through your midfoot, keep your chest and hips rising at the same speed, and breathe out only once you are standing tall.

Cues

  • Big breath and brace before every rep
  • Knees out over your toes
  • Chest and hips rise together

Common mistakes

  • Squats getting shallower on the + set as fatigue builds: count only reps where your hip crease sinks below your knee.
  • Hips shooting up first out of the bottom: the bar ends up over your toes and the set turns into a good morning, so drop the load and push your upper back into the bar as you stand.

Full squat guide

Main lift, one day a week

Barbell Bench Press

Chest

Bounced or hip-lifted reps on the + set inflate the count and push the next training max up faster than your bench can follow.

How to do it

  1. Lie on the bench with your eyes just under the bar and plant your feet flat, a little wider than your hips.
  2. Pull your shoulder blades together and down into the bench, keeping a small arch in your lower back with your glutes on the pad.
  3. Grip the bar a little wider than shoulder width and lift it out so it sits over your shoulders.
  4. Lower the bar under control to your lower chest, elbows about 45 degrees from your sides.
  5. Touch your chest without bouncing, then press up and slightly back toward the hooks.

Cues

  • Shoulder blades pinned
  • Elbows at 45 degrees
  • Touch, then press

Common mistakes

  • Bouncing the bar off the chest, which adds reps the muscles didn't earn.
  • Lifting the hips to finish a rep: that rep doesn't count toward the + set.

Full bench press guide

Main lift, one day a week

Barbell Deadlift

Glutes, Lower Back

The deadlift carries the heaviest loads of the cycle. Reset each rep on the + set, so the count reflects strength and not a bounce off the floor.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and the bar over the middle of your feet, close to your shins.
  2. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees just enough to grip the bar with your hands right outside your legs.
  3. Bring your shins to the bar, lift your chest until your back is flat, and squeeze your armpits down as if bending the bar around your legs.
  4. Take a big breath into your belly, brace, and pull until the bar is tight against the plates without lifting it yet.
  5. Push the floor away and keep the bar against your body; once it passes your knees, drive your hips forward to stand tall.
  6. Lower by pushing your hips back first, then bend your knees once the bar passes them, and set it down under control.

Cues

  • Bar over midfoot
  • Pull the slack out first
  • Push the floor away

Common mistakes

  • Yanking the bar off the floor: pull the slack out first, then push. Jerking it loose is when backs round.
  • Shooting the hips up first so the pull turns stiff-legged: keep your chest and hips rising together, and lighten the bar if you can't.
  • Letting the bar drift away from your legs, which makes the same weight much harder on your lower back.

Full deadlift guide

Make it fit you

  • Round to the plates you have

    Choose 2.5 kg or 5 lb with standard plates. With 0.5 kg plates choose 1 kg, which keeps light lifts like the press closer to their percentages.

  • Run only the lifts you train

    Leave a lift empty and it drops out of the cycle, so you can run 5/3/1 for two lifts and train the rest your own way.

  • Move each lift at its own pace

    Wendler is clear that the lifts won't all go up together. Between cycles, raise only the maxes whose + sets earned it and keep the others.

  • Use your + sets to check the training max

    Write down the reps on every + set. If the week 3 top set gives you fewer than 5, the training max is too high: lower it and rebuild the cycle.

  • Get a max without testing one

    No recent max? Enter a hard set in the one-rep max calculator and use its estimate. The 90% or 85% training max absorbs most of the error.

Questions

What is a training max in 5/3/1?

A number below your real max that every set is worked from: 90% of your one-rep max in Wendler's original program, 85% in his later templates. Starting lighter leaves room to set rep records on the + sets.

What does the + mean in 5/3/1?

Do as many reps as you can with good form on that set. It is the last set of weeks 1 to 3, and beating your previous rep count on it is how you measure progress.

How much do you add after each 5/3/1 cycle?

5 lb on the bench and press and 10 lb on the squat and deadlift, or 2.5 kg and 5 kg. Only add it to a lift whose + sets went well.

Should I use 85% or 90% for my training max?

90% is the original. 85% is the safer start when your maxes are old or estimated. If you can't get 5 reps at 95% in week 3, the training max is too high either way.

Can a beginner run 5/3/1?

Wendler wrote a beginner version that starts the training max at 80 to 85% and adds 5 sets of 5 at the first set's weight. If in doubt, he says, start too light.

Where do the 5/3/1 percentages come from?

From Jim Wendler's own 2009 article on the program, which this calculator follows exactly. The Smolov Jr. calculator covers a much shorter, higher-frequency squat or bench block.

Sources

Your next training max, from your logs

Log every 5/3/1 set with its reps and RIR, and RIRLift keeps each lift's estimated max current, so your next cycle starts from where you are now.

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