5/3/1 Calculator (Wendler Work Sets)

The 5/3/1 program, created by Jim Wendler, is one of the most widely used strength templates because it is simple and hard to mess up. Everything is built off a training max rather than your true one-rep max. The training max is 90 percent of your best single, and using that lower number on purpose keeps the working weights manageable so you can keep progressing for months instead of grinding to a halt in weeks.

A cycle runs four weeks per lift. Week 1 is sets of 5 at 65, 75, and 85 percent of the training max. Week 2 is sets of 3 at 70, 80, and 90 percent. Week 3 is the 5/3/1 week, with sets of 5, 3, and 1 at 75, 85, and 95 percent. Week 4 is a deload at 40, 50, and 60 percent to let you recover. Enter your one-rep max and pick the week, and this calculator works out the training max and rounds each set to a weight you can actually load on the bar.

The part that drives progress is the last set. The plus sign on it, the 5+, 3+, or 1+, means AMRAP: do as many clean reps as you can, stopping a rep or two short of failure. Beating your previous rep count on that top set is how you know it is working. After a full cycle, add 5 pounds to your training max for upper-body lifts like the bench and press, and 10 pounds for the squat and deadlift, then run the next cycle from the new numbers. Resist the urge to start heavier; the slow build is the whole point.