5/3/1 Strength
Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 with four-week waves, submaximal training, and built-in deloads.
WAVE
Build for four weeks, then peak on a heavy single.
Equipment: Barbell, Dumbbell, Machine, Cable
Who this is for
Intermediate lifters who've stalled on linear progression. Wendler designed 5/3/1 to be slow and durable: you train at percentages of a training max (90% of your true 1RM), so the working weights always feel doable, and you progress by tiny increments over months rather than chasing PRs every week.
If you've been lifting consistently for at least a year, can squat your bodyweight, and want a program you can run for years, this is it.
Structure
Four days a week, one main lift per day: Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press. Each lift cycles through a four-week wave:
- Week 1: 5 reps at 65/75/85% of training max (last set is AMRAP — as many reps as possible)
- Week 2: 3 reps at 70/80/90% (last set AMRAP)
- Week 3: 5/3/1 at 75/85/95% (last set AMRAP)
- Week 4: Deload at 40/50/60%
After a wave finishes, training max bumps up: +5 lbs upper body, +10 lbs lower body. Then the wave starts over.
Accessory work is RPE-based, scaled to how hard the main lift was that day.
How to run it in Rackd
Pick the program, set your training max for each main lift (start conservative — 85% of your 1RM, not 100%), and show up. Rackd does the wave math, suggests the AMRAP target, and bumps your training max automatically when you hit a clean cycle.
Notes
- The AMRAP set on the heaviest day is where you find out where you really are. Don't sandbag, don't chase PRs.
- The deload week isn't optional. It's the reason this program works for years.
- If you miss reps two waves in a row on the same lift, drop the training max 10% and rebuild.