"5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training System to Increase Raw Strength" by Jim Wendler

• The bench press, parallel squat, deadlift, and standing press have always been staples of any strong person’s repertoire.
• Sometimes, the simplest is the best.
• The 5/3/1 philosophy is more important than the sets and reps.
• Emphasize big, multi-joint exercises
• Start too light
• Progress slowly
• Break personally records
• Multi-joint lifts are lifts that involve more than one muscle--i.e., not an isolation exercise like leg extensions--and allow you to build the most muscle. These lifts are the most efficient for building muscle and strength.
• Starting too light allows for more time for you to progress forward.
• Slow progress might not get you the best results today, but it will tomorrow. The longer you can progress, even if it’s by one rep or 2.5 pounds, the more it means that you’re actually making progress.
• If you keep setting and breaking rep records, you’ll get stronger.
• Breaking personal records is a great motivator, and it’s a great way to add some excitement to your training.
• The 5/3/1 program:
• Train 2-4 days per week.
• One day is devoted to each lift: standing military press, parallel squat, deadlift, and bench press.
• Each training cycle lasts 4-6 weeks.
• The first week you do 3 sets of 5 reps.
• The second week you do 3 sets of 3 reps.
• The third week you do 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps, and 1 set of 1 rep (5/3/1).
• The fourth week you do 3 sets of 5 reps. This is an easy deload week.
• After the fourth week, you start over with 3 sets of 5 reps.
• Each week and each set has a percentage to follow, so no more guessing what weight to use.
• I believe in big compound lifts, keeping the set and rep scheme simple, and deloading every fourth week.
• Squat:
• Eyes should be focused. Your eyes should be directed straight ahead or just slightly downward. Don’t take your eyes off the point you choose. Pick something and stare at it intently.
• Place the bar where it allows you to reach depth with good form.
• Keep your elbows down and try to force them under the bar.
• When you begin your descent, push your knees out to the sides and your glutes back.
• Arch your back hard for the entire lift.
• Once you hit parallel, drive your elbows under the bar and explode up.
• Before you take the bar out of the rack, fill your diaphragm with air, place the bar on your back, then confidently push it out of the rack with your back and legs.
• Any more than two or three steps back is a waste of time and energy. Be efficient.
• Squeeze the bar hard during the lift.
• Your descent should be slow enough to permit you to maintain good form, but it should be fast enough not to waste energy or kill the stretch reflex at the bottom.
• Your toes should be pointed out at about a 30-45 degree angle.
• Press:
• As the bar is pressed overhead, bring your head and chest through. Don’t push the bar back.
• Keep your lower back arched and your chest up throughout the entire lift.
• Bench press:
• Your shoulder blades must be pushed back, and your chest must be spread throughout the bench press.
• Your lower back should be arched and kept that way.
• Do not lift your butt off the bench.
• Foot placement is up to you, but make sure they’re in a solid and strong position.
• Over the years, I’ve found that a narrow grip is a little healthier in the long run than a wider grip.
• As soon as the bar is in your hands, make sure your lower and upper back are arched, your feet are firmly on the floor, and your hands are wrapped tightly around the bar.
• I like to take a large breath and force it into my diaphragm before lifting the bar off.
• Don’t use a lift-off partner when you train. Use this only for maximal attempts.
• Keep your elbows tucked on the way down.
• Once you touch your chest, keep your elbows tucked and drive the bar back slightly. About halfway up, allow your elbows to flare out, and keep pushing up and back.
• Deadlift:
• To figure out the best stance for your deadlift, pretend you’re about to perform a vertical jump. Now, look down and move your feet in slightly. This is your starting position.
• Your toes should be pointed slightly outward.
• Your weight should be on the middle of your foot or toward the rear.
• Start with the bar just in front of your shins, but not touching them.
• Your upper back should be pulled together with your shoulders over the bar.
• Your lower back should be arched and held static in whatever position you’re in.
• Your hands should be placed just outside your feet--wide enough to allow you to get your hips through at the top of the lift.
• Before lifting the bar, fill your diaphragm (not your chest) with air.
• Begin the ascent by easing pressure into the bar. Do not jerk the bar off the ground.
• Before the bar is lifted, I always think, “Butt down, chest up.”
• The first movement of the deadlift should be initiated with the legs, not the back.
• Once the bar begins moving up your shins, start pulling back and onto your heels.
• Once the bar passes your knees, push your hips through to complete the lift.
• You can either lower the bar slowly to the starting position or drop it.
• Don’t buy a cheap [lifting] belt. A good belt will last you a lifetime, and once you have it broken in, you’ll consider it the best lifting partner you’ve ever had.
• I recommend wearing a belt for your work sets in this program.
• A good pair of shoes is essential, especially for squatting and deadlifting
• [Chalk] use it. If your gym doesn’t allow it, sneak it in. This is one of the most important things for your strength and safety, so be wary of gyms that don’t allow it.
• Your maxes are the weights you can lift right now.
• Estimated 1RM = weight x reps x 0.0333 + weight
• Once you have your maxes for each lift (bench, squat, deadlift, and standing military press), I want you to take 90% of this number and use this as your “max” for the first 4 weeks of the training cycle. This will allow you to use sub-maximal weights to get stronger, and since you won’t be handling heavy weights all the time, it’ll keep your body fresh and you won’t plateau or regress.
• You don’t need to operate at your real max to make gains with this program.
• You don’t have to train maximally to get strong. You just have to train optimally.
• There are two options you can use with the 5/3/1 method. The sets and reps are the same. Only the percentages differ.
• Option 1:
• Week 1: 65%x5, 75%x5, 85%x5+
• Week 2: 70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x3+
• Week 3: 75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1+
• Week 4: 40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5
• Option 2:
• Week 1: 75%x5, 80%x5, 85%x5+
• Week 2: 80%x3, 85%x3, 90%x3+
• Week 3: 75%x5, 85%x3, 95%x1+
• Week 4: 40%x5, 50%x5, 60%x5
• I’ve used both options,and both have worked very well very me. Right now, I use option 1 exclusively and would recommend this for just about everyone. Most people prefer doing it this way because it allows you to be fresher for the last big set of the day. The second options is very tiring, especially on squat and deadlift days.
• The last set of the day is the all-out set. You’ll be going for as many reps as possible. I highly recommend having a goal in mind for these last sets.
• I’ve always thought of doing the prescribed reps as simple testing your strength. Anything over and above that builds strength, muscle and character. Doing the prescribed reps shows you and your body that you’re strong enough for the workout. The extra reps are your way of dominating the workout and getting better.
• In the 4th week (your deload week), you should not be going for max reps. This is a week to get some light work in and prime yourself for the next month of training.
• In the second four week phase, the lifter will increase his maxes no more than 5 pounds per upper body lift, and 10 pounds for lower body lifts. These increases are to the max that you’re basing your percentages on. You’re not increasing the weight for each set.
• Keep in mind that you’re always trying to hit more reps on your last set of each workout.
• These are small, steady progressions over time that will lead to big gains, and that’s what lifting is all about.
• You keep on increasing the max you’re working from every four weeks until you can no longer hit the prescribed sets and reps.
• When you stall, simple take 90% of your max and start all over again.
• You may stall out with one lift before you do with the others. When this happens, you only need to decrease the one stalled lift.
• If you’re really starting out with 10% less than your actual maxes, you can expect to go through 5-7 cycles at a minimum before you stall out.
• Warming up prior to training is important. I usually recommend the following:
• 1x5 @ 40%
• 1x5 @ 50%
• 1x3 @ 60%
• work sets
• The purpose of the warm-up is to prepare yourself for a great day of work sets--not an average one. You really shouldn’t need too many warm-up sets to prepare yourself for your work sets.
• You’re not going to have great days all the time. When this happens, I recommend going into the weight room with one purpose: getting your prescribed weights and leaving.
• Assistance exercises accomplish four main tasks. They:
• strengthen weak areas of the body
• compliment and help increase the four basic lifts
• provide balance and symmetry to your body and your training
• build muscle mass
• When you’re choosing your assistance exercises, do yourself a favor and justify why you’re doing them. You must have a strong reason for doing an exercise. If you don’t, scrap it and move on.
• Sometimes, instead of what you do in the weight room, it’s what you don’t do that will lead to success.
• You must keep training economy in mind. Training economy means getting the best bang for your buck from each exercise. That’s why squats are better than leg extensions.
• Good exercises:
• dips
• chins
• push-ups
• dumbbell rows
• barbell rows
• barbell shrugs
• dumbbell bench
• dumbbell military
• dumbbell incline
• lunges
• step-ups
• leg-press
• back raise
• good morning
• glute-ham raise
• sit-ups
• dumbbell side-bends
• hanging leg-raises
• abdominal wheel
• Dips are one of the most efficient ways to build your triceps, chest and shoulders. Do 50 total reps if weighted, or 100 if just using body weight. If you’re ever at a loss for what to do on upper body day, do dips. Lots of them.
• Chins are one of the best upper back, lat and biceps exercises you can do. They’re great to do between sets of bench and military press (and squat and deadlift)--you can do them in between any pushing exercise. Do no less than 100 per week.
• Though not as manly as the dip, the pushup still has it’s place in training. One drawback, however, it that push-ups are hard to load.
• [Dumbbell rows are] one of the best ways to build upper back and lat strength. Kroc Rows--high reps (20-40) with the heaviest dumbbell you can handle--are my favorite variation.
• There’s no denying the awesomeness of the barbell row. The key to doing these properly is to figure out what you want to accomplish with the exercise. Then, you perform it in a way that accomplishes this goal.
• Barbell Shrugs. Don’t be the guy who rolls his shoulders from front to back when shrugging. This is a sign of low IQ. I like doing these for high reps with as heavy a weight as possible. Shrugs are great for building trap size and grip strength--two things most people suck at.
• The dumbbell bench is a great assistance exercise to strengthen the upper body pressing muscles and work each arm independently. I’m often asked if the dumbbell bench can be used as a core exercise (to replace barbell benching or military), and the answer is no.
• [For dumbbell incline] any angle will do, so don’t sweat the small stuff.
• Lunges are great for building leg strength and mass. Take big strides, maintain an upright torso and do them right.
• [For step-ups] a general guideline is to use a box that puts your leg at about parallel to the ground.
• [Leg press isn't] squatting, but it’ll help strengthen and build your legs.
• Done on a back raise bench, a glute-ham bench or a 45-degree back raise bench, this movement [back raise] is a simple and effective way to strengthen your lower back and hamstrings. Extra resistance can be added by putting a bar across your back.
• The first mistake people make with good mornings is treating the exercise as a movement and not as a muscle builder/strengthener. The good morning is used to build your lower back and hamstrings, so perform the exercise in a way that hits these muscles correctly. This means pushing your butt way back, trying to keep somewhat of an arch in your back, and using as full a range of motion as you can.
• Nothing works the hamstrings like glute-ham raises. Add in a full range of motion--from the bottom to the top--and you have an exercise that works the low back, hamstrings and calves. If you suck at these, do them every day until you don’t.
• Please don’t be that guy who does them [sit-ups] while holding a plate on his chest. Hold the weight behind your head and prepare to be humbled
• [Dumbbell side-bends] are good for your abs, low back, and obliques. I recommend heavy weight and sets of 15-20.
• Hanging Leg-Raises. Hang from a bar with straight legs, bring your feet to the bar. Return to the starting position, come to a complete stop, and begin the movement again.
• Do these [ab wheel] on your knees for some reps, and on your feet to test yourself out. If you’re on your knees, I recommend sets of 25-50.
• When I tell you to train like a bodybuilder, I just want balance in your training.
• Don’t get overzealous with one are for too long. If you do, expect to spend the same amount of time getting neglected areas up to par.
• Assistance work #1: Boring But Big. This is probably the most popular assistance work to accompany this program, and it’s really simple. After you perform the sets and reps of the program, you simple follow it up with the same exercise for 5 sets of 10 reps.
• Quit farting around with a million things for your lower back and settle on the one that will you strong.
• Assistance work #2: The Triumvirate. Limit your workout to the three most effective exercises for you.
• Assistance work #3: I’m Not Doing Jack Shit. I don’t recommend it, but it’s useful for non-beginners who have a limited time to train. The program entails walking into the weight room, doing the big lift for the day, and then walking out. The disadvantages here are obviously the lack of both volume and balance, but it can work for a while.
• Assistance work #5: Bodyweight. I recommend no less than 75 reps per exercise for each workout.
• Day 1: Military Press (5/3/1), Chins, Dips.
• Day 2: Deadlift (5/3/1), GHR, Leg Raise.
• Day 3: Bench (5/3/1), Chins, Push-ups.
• Day 4: Squat (5/3/1), One-leg Squat, Sit-ups.
• One of the things people need to learn is that you don’t have to kill yourself during every workout to make progress. You should always leave something in the weight room (i.e. you should feel tired, but not dead after a workout).
• Training for strength is a marathon, not a sprint.
• If you want to perform power cleans, please do so first on any of the lower body days (squat and deadlift). You would program this just like a regular 5/3/1 lift.
• For the additional assistance work for the upper body (lats, upper back, triceps, biceps) and lower body (hamstrings, lower back, abs), I recommend picking one exercise for each of these body parts and simply doing 3 sets of 10-20 reps.
• If anything, do more back and upper back work on your upper body day; you can never really do too much of it.
• Let the big lifts stress the joints and mind; let the small lifts stress the muscles.
• I still recommend doing chins/pull-ups between every pressing set (including warm-ups for the pressing movement).
• Because you are already warmed up from the main lift of the day, you will only need to do 1 or 2 warm-up sets for the assistance lift (if at all). Keep the warm-up sets to no more than 5 reps.
• Don’t change the big assistance lifts. Stick with one for at least 3-4 cycles and change if you like. You have to stick with them in order to see progress.
• Big Assistance Exercises:
• Squat
• front squat
• safety-bar squat
• box squat
• leg press
• hack squat
• Pulling
• straight-leg deadlift
• good morning
• trap-bar deadlift
• rack (or block) deadlift
• snatch-grip deadlift
• deficit deadlift
• block deadlift
• rack deadlift
• Pressing
• log press
• log bench press
• close-grip bench press
• football bar (Swiss bar) bench press
• football bar (Swiss bar) press
• incline press
• floor press
• 2-board press
• DB bench press
• DB incline press
• DB press
• For those that don’t know what rest/pause training it, here is an example. A lifter will perform a movement, let’s use the press as an example, and perform an all-out set at a given weight. After this all-out set, he will take 10-15 breaths and perform the press again with the same weight, obviously for less reps, to failure. He will rack the bar, take another 15-20 breaths and do another set to failure. (Note: You do not rest/pause the deadlift and squat.)
• North of Vag:
• Warm-up: foam rolling, static stretching and jumping rope (or similar).
• Lift weights: 5/3/1; keep it basic and strong.
• Condition: Run hills, push Prowler.
• Do this 3-4 times a week and you won’t fall into the trap of being normal.
• People ask you how you train, and you answer, “I look at what you do, and then I do the exact opposite.”
• Kicking ass and training consistently--and with some balance--will do wonders for both your body and your mind.
• Get rid of all the meaningless crap in your life and your training.
• Stop all the things that make you a pussy and steal your energy.
• Warm-Up:
• Foam Roll. Perform 30-50 rolls per leg for the following areas of the body. I also recommend a PVC pipe (this is very uncomfortable but effective). The PVC pipe should be 6” in diameter and 3 feet long. Wrap it in athletic tape so it doesn’t slip.
• IT Band/Hamstring/Quad
• Lower and Upper back
• Piriformis
• Stretching. Do 3-5 sets of 10 seconds for each stretch.
• Hamstrings/low back
• Hip Flexors/Quads
• Shoulders/Chest
• Jump Rope. Take only as much rest as you need between each exercise and perform it correctly.
• 100 double leg
• 50 left leg
• 50 right leg
• 100 alternating legs
• 50 high knees
• 100 double leg
• The two best things to do [for conditioning] are Prowler pushes/sprints, or sprinting hills.
• Nobody ever got strong or got in shape by thinking about it. They did it.
• If you can only train twice a week do the following:
• Day 1:
• Squat 5/3/1
• Bench 5/3/1
• Assistance:
• Chins 3x10
• Back Raises 3x15
• Dumbbell Bench Press 3x10
• Rear Laterals 3x20
• Day 2:
• Deadlift 5/3/1
• Press 5/3/1
• Assistance:
• Dumbbell Rows 3x10
• Dips 3x10-15
• Good Mornings 3x10
• Curls 3x10
• I firmly believe that the squat is the basis for all strength. Not only does it require tremendous leg and hip strength, but it requires a pair of balls to squat hard and heavy.
• Good intentions when combined with ignorance and lack of experience are a recipe for bad form, limited results and injury.
• Barbell training is a lost art in today’s fitness world.
• I believe that any great training program has two things at the top of the training pyramid: strength training and mobility. This two factors will greatly determine how you perform more than anything.
• You don’t have to be fancy to be great.
• Fitness enthusiasts rely on gadgets because they are easily bored and easily swayed by the sparkly of the latest and greatest. Lifers (not lifters) know where the results come from.
• Full body strength routines are the best way for novice lifters to quickly get strong, provided the program is non-retarded (i.e. adheres to an intelligent progression system).
• Nothing is more confusing than diet.
• The bottom line is that if you want to be big and strong, your diet has to be big and strong. You can’t expect to eat like a mouse, and lift like a lion.
• If you want to move some weight, you are going to have to gain some weight.
• Lean, slow weight gain. Eat 4 meals a day in the following order:
• 50g protein shake
• 30-50g protein from eggs, chicken, or beef (Don’t eat anything else until this is done.)
• One serving of fruit or vegetables.
• Any clean carbs you want until full.
• Quick weight gain.
• 30-50g or protein from eggs, chicken, or beef.
• 100g of carbs.
• 1 serving of fruit or vegetable.
• 50g protein shake mixed with milk and/or peanut butter.
• Wake up in the middle of the night and eat a meal or have a huge protein shake with milk or water.
• All diet books have gimmicks; it is how they appeal to the reader.
• You read enough [about a subject] and suddenly things begin to make sense. You just have to read a lot and learn how to read and think critically. These two things will serve you for life.
• Eat a ton of protein. Squat heavy. Push heavy objects. Have sex. Love life.
• The strength curve for athletes/regular guys is heavy at the bottom and light at the top, so they need more low end work. The strength curve for geared lifters is light at the bottom and heavy at the top, so more high end work is needed.
• The key to assistance work is doing enough to stimulate the muscle. Your assistance work should not affect your recovery and overall performance.
• The most important thing is to get the work of the main lifts in.
• The smaller the jumps you can make, the better you’ll be in the long run. Trust in the “small jump” system and reap the benefits long term.
• For overall muscle growth, it’s best to train without the aid/support of equipment.
• Ditch the straps as soon as you can and train minimally for maximum results.
• If you’re deloading, deload! Cut back on everything and let your body rest and recover.
• Steady, slow progression will never go out of fashion, and neither will the big exercises.
• To get big and strong: I would recommend the 5/3/1 program, with the Boring But Big assistance work. Then have that person drink a gallon of milk a day. Three things that are very easy and simple to do.
• I do chins and dips because they are the most efficient upper body assistance exercises.
• Training Rules of Being Awesome:
• I will strength train 2-4 days/week.
• I will commit myself to increasing my strength in the basic lifts (squat, press, bench press, deadlift and power clean) as I believe that these lifts have a great carryover to all areas.
• I will condition like a man 2-4 days/week: prowler, hills, weighted vest, sprints or stadium steps will always trump hamster-cages like treadmills and ellipticals.
• I will stretch hard.
• I will keep strength training in the weight room and conditioning on the track. I don’t take a barbell to a marathon so keep your mouth breathing out of my squat rack.
• I don’t need fly-by-night gadgets to get strong; a barbell, rack/squat stands, platform and a bench press is all I need.
• I will strive to have a great workout on the main lift--and a good workout on my assistance. I recognize which lifts really matter and which are done for support.
• I don’t get sidetracked by the latest or greatest training program or an article or a post on a forum. Programs may change but principles remain forever.
• I strive to eat well: beef, eggs, chicken, fish, milk, protein powders, fruits and vegetables make the bulk of my diet. I will eat protein. And then eat some more.
• I recognize the importance of patience in the quests for strength. This is a lifelong pursuit which will serve me in all areas of my life.
• A sad state of “looks before performance” is plaguing the world.
• Stand up and show the world who you are and what you can do.
• Bleed success.
• 5/3/1 Boring But Big:
• Day 1:
• press 5/3/1
• bench 5x10
• lats 5x10
• Day 2:
• deadlift 5/3/1
• squat 5x10
• abs 5xF
• Day 3:
• bench 5/3/1
• press 5x10
• lats 5x10
• Day 4:
• squat 5/3/1
• deadlift 5x10
• abs 5xF
• Only substitute the 5x10 assistance exercises.
• There are two variations: use the same main & assistance lift or alternate the main & assistance lifts.
• It's better to start too light for the lower body assistance work. (Newbies should use ~30% of training max)
• Use ~50-60% of your training max for assistance work.
• The goal of the assistance work is to get 5 sets of 10 reps. You can use whatever weight progression you want (i.e. ascending, descending, pyramid).
• Don't try to program DB work. Just pick heavier or lighter DBs.
• For newbies try using 30% for cycle 1, 45% for cycle 2, and 60% for all other cycles.
• Once you're using 60% of your training max for assistance work stay there. As you increase your training weight each cycle, your assistance work weight will increase with it.
• When deloading still do the 5x10 work. Or if it's too much, drop to 3x10.
• If 5x10 deadlifts is too much for you, substitute it with good mornings or straight-leg deadlifts.
• You can superset the 5x10 work to shorten the workout.
• Don't use a belt for the 5x10 work on squat and deadlift.
• You can substitute curls or shrugs for the lat work.
• Do not add more to the program. If you can add more, than you aren't working hard enough.
• You can push the final sets of the 5/3/1 work to as many reps as possible.
• Conditioning work should reflect your goals while on the program.
• For the first cycle, underestimate your weights by 10%.
• Do as many reps as possible on the final set of the 5/3/1 work.
• Upon completion of a cycle: add 5 pounds to your upper-body lifts and 10 pounds to your lower-body lifts. Then recalculate your weights based on this new training max.
• You must have a strong reason for doing an exercise. If you don't, scrap it.
• Sometimes, instead of what you do. It's what you don't do in the weight room that will lead to success.
• I recommend adding two or three conditioning sessions per week, using hill sprints, Prowler pushes, or whatever else works for you.
• Rest 3-5 minutes between sets of the core lift, and 1-2 minutes between sets of the assist
• The final set of your core lift is the one that produces mass and strength, so give it everything you have, and get as many reps as you can with that weight.
• Don't train more than two days in a row.
• 1RM formula: weight x reps x 0.0333 + weight = estimated 1RM
• warm-up sets: 5x40%, 5x50%, 3x60%
• Mistakes to Avoid:
• Don't customize. You must do the program as it's written.
• Take it easy with the assistance work. Do one or two exercises for 5 sets of 10, or maybe do a few more exercises for fewer sets.
• Start with the right weights.
• Progress slowly.