Wendler Program Builder
5/3/1 Calculator
Enter a recent set for each of the four main lifts and get the whole Wendler cycle: training maxes, all four weeks of sets and reps, warm-ups, what to chase on the AMRAP sets and the plates to load, in pounds or kilograms.
Your Four Week 5/3/1 Cycle
Every set, every rep, every weight, rounded to plates you actually own.
Bench Press
Training max 190 lb, which is 90 percent of an estimated 213 lb one-rep max.
| Set | Week 1 (5s) | Week 2 (3s) | Week 3 (5/3/1) | Week 4 (deload) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 125 lb × 5 | 135 lb × 3 | 145 lb × 5 | 75 lb × 5 |
| Set 2 | 145 lb × 5 | 150 lb × 3 | 160 lb × 3 | 95 lb × 5 |
| Set 3 | 160 lb × 5+ | 170 lb × 3+ | 180 lb × 1+ | 115 lb × 5 |
Warm-up before every session: 75 lb × 5, 95 lb × 5, 115 lb × 3.
Push the last set of weeks 1, 2 and 3 for as many reps as you can. The written targets are 5, 3 and 1. Your estimate says roughly 10, 7 and 5 reps are in you on those sets.
That is the week 3 top set, 180 lb.
Squat
Training max 285 lb, which is 90 percent of an estimated 317 lb one-rep max.
| Set | Week 1 (5s) | Week 2 (3s) | Week 3 (5/3/1) | Week 4 (deload) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 185 lb × 5 | 200 lb × 3 | 215 lb × 5 | 115 lb × 5 |
| Set 2 | 215 lb × 5 | 230 lb × 3 | 240 lb × 3 | 145 lb × 5 |
| Set 3 | 240 lb × 5+ | 255 lb × 3+ | 270 lb × 1+ | 170 lb × 5 |
Warm-up before every session: 115 lb × 5, 145 lb × 5, 170 lb × 3.
Push the last set of weeks 1, 2 and 3 for as many reps as you can. The written targets are 5, 3 and 1. Your estimate says roughly 9, 7 and 5 reps are in you on those sets.
That is the week 3 top set, 270 lb.
Deadlift
Training max 325 lb, which is 90 percent of an estimated 363 lb one-rep max.
| Set | Week 1 (5s) | Week 2 (3s) | Week 3 (5/3/1) | Week 4 (deload) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 210 lb × 5 | 230 lb × 3 | 245 lb × 5 | 130 lb × 5 |
| Set 2 | 245 lb × 5 | 260 lb × 3 | 275 lb × 3 | 165 lb × 5 |
| Set 3 | 275 lb × 5+ | 295 lb × 3+ | 310 lb × 1+ | 195 lb × 5 |
Warm-up before every session: 130 lb × 5, 165 lb × 5, 195 lb × 3.
Push the last set of weeks 1, 2 and 3 for as many reps as you can. The written targets are 5, 3 and 1. Your estimate says roughly 9, 6 and 5 reps are in you on those sets.
That is the week 3 top set, 310 lb.
Overhead Press
Training max 120 lb, which is 90 percent of an estimated 133 lb one-rep max.
| Set | Week 1 (5s) | Week 2 (3s) | Week 3 (5/3/1) | Week 4 (deload) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set 1 | 80 lb × 5 | 85 lb × 3 | 90 lb × 5 | 50 lb × 5 |
| Set 2 | 90 lb × 5 | 95 lb × 3 | 100 lb × 3 | 60 lb × 5 |
| Set 3 | 100 lb × 5+ | 110 lb × 3+ | 115 lb × 1+ | 70 lb × 5 |
Warm-up before every session: 50 lb × 5, 60 lb × 5, 70 lb × 3.
Push the last set of weeks 1, 2 and 3 for as many reps as you can. The written targets are 5, 3 and 1. Your estimate says roughly 9, 6 and 4 reps are in you on those sets.
That is the week 3 top set, 115 lb.
How the 5/3/1 Calculator Works
One conservative number drives the whole cycle.
5/3/1 runs on a training max rather than a true max. The calculator estimates your one-rep max from the set you enter, takes the percentage you choose, and treats that as the number every other weight is built from. Ninety percent is the default because it leaves room to hit the written reps on a bad day and still beat them on a good one. The idea comes straight from Wendler: his own 5/3/1 for a beginner write-up sets the training max at 80 to 85 percent of a real max and says every percentage in the program is worked out from that figure rather than from your best single.
Each week has three work sets on top of the same warm-up. Week one is three sets of five at 65, 75 and 85 percent of the training max. Week two is three sets of three at 70, 80 and 90 percent. Week three is a five, a three and a single at 75, 85 and 95 percent, which is where the name comes from. Week four drops to 40, 50 and 60 percent for sets of five and does nothing except let you recover.
The last set of the first three weeks carries a plus sign. The written number is the floor, not the target. You take that set for as many clean reps as you can manage, then stop while the bar is still moving. The rep counts shown under each table are what your estimate suggests you have in you, so you have something to chase instead of guessing.
The one-rep max behind each training max is the average of five long established prediction equations, the same ones the one rep max calculator uses. Percentages are the ones published in Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 books. Every weight is rounded to the nearest 5 lb, or 2.5 kg in kilograms, so you can load it with normal plates. Rounding down slightly is deliberate. Estimates are guidance, not coaching or medical advice.
A Worked Example
From one bench set to a full month of training.
Say your best recent bench set is 185 lb for 5 reps. The five formulas put your one-rep max near 213 lb. At 90 percent that is a training max of 190 lb, and every bench weight in the cycle comes off that figure.
Week one opens at 125 lb for five, climbs through the middle set and finishes with a set at 85 percent of the training max where you keep going past five. Week three finishes at 180 lb, and the estimate says roughly 5 reps are in you on that set rather than the single that is written down. That gap is the point of the program. You are not testing a max, you are proving the training max was too low and earning the right to raise it.
When the cycle ends, the usual jump is 5 lb on the two upper body training maxes and 10 lb on squat and deadlift, then you run the four weeks again from the new numbers. If a lift stalls and you cannot beat the written reps on the plus set, drop that training max by roughly 10 percent and build it back up rather than pushing into a wall.
Where the Numbers Stop Helping
Honest limits on what a calculator can tell you.
The training max is only as good as the set you fed it. A set of five or fewer gives a tight estimate. A set of twelve tells you more about your conditioning than your strength, and the training max that comes out of it will usually be too high for the deadlift and too low for nothing at all.
Rounding also matters more in kilograms than in pounds. A 2.5 kg step is a bigger jump than a 5 lb step, so a couple of the lighter sets can land on the same weight. That is fine. The warm-up sets exist to move blood and rehearse the groove, not to be precise.
Finally, this page programs the main lift only. It says nothing about the pressing, pulling and single leg work that fills out a real 5/3/1 session, and it cannot see how you sleep, eat or recover. Those decide whether the next cycle goes up.
More Tools for the Cycle
The numbers you need before and during a 5/3/1 block.
Lift by Lift
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions lifters ask before their first cycle.
What is a training max in 5/3/1?
A training max is a deliberately conservative number that every percentage in the program is calculated from. It is usually 90 percent of your estimated one-rep max. Using it means the written reps stay achievable even on a poor day, which is what lets the program keep moving forward for months.
Should I use 90 or 85 percent for my training max?
Start at 90 percent. Drop to 85 percent if you are coming back from a layoff, if the lift is technically shaky, or if you missed reps on the plus sets last cycle. A training max that is too low costs you one cycle. One that is too high costs you the next three.
What does the plus sign on the last set mean?
It means as many reps as you can do with good form. The written number is a minimum. On the last set of weeks one, two and three you keep going until the bar slows badly, then rack it. Those reps are how the program measures progress without max testing.
How much weight do I add for the next cycle?
The standard jump is 5 lb on the bench and overhead press training maxes and 10 lb on squat and deadlift, or 2.5 kg and 5 kg. You add it to the training max, not to your best single, then run the four weeks again from the new numbers.
Can I use this without knowing my one rep max?
Yes. Enter any hard set you have done recently, for example 225 lb for 5 reps, and the calculator estimates the max for you. A set of five or fewer reps gives the most reliable estimate.