5 3 1 Workout Pdf

Posted on by



Pdf

Jim Wendler is the creator and author of 5/3/1: The Simplest and Most Effective Training Method for Raw Strength and Beyond 5/3/1: Simple Training for Extraordinary Results. He is a three-time letter winner at the University of Arizona (football) and has squatted 1000. The 5/3/1 method builds on your 1RM (one-repetition maximum)—the heaviest weight you can lift for one perfect rep on an exercise. You can test your 1RM before beginning this program or just. Smith Machine Sumo Squats (Glute Focus) 3 6 - 12 5. Glute Kick Back 3 15 Cardio 30 Min Low Intensity on Treadmill at a 10 -15% Incline Day 5 - Legs & Arms Exercise Sets Reps Legs 1. Deadlifts 3 - 4 6 - 12 2. Good Mornings 2 - 3 12 -15 3. Leg Extensions 2 - 3 12 - 15 Arms 4. Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 12 5. Incline Skullcrusher 3 12 Cardio. Day 1, 3 & 5 - Chest, Back & Legs Exercise Sets Rep Goal Chest Bench Press 5 6 - 10 Dumbbell Flye 5 6 - 10 Incline Bench Press 6 6 - 10. WORKOUT ROUTINES VARIATION 1 VARIATION 2 Main Goal: Build Muscle Training Level: Advanced Program Duration: 16 Weeks Days Per Week: 6 Days. 5/3/1, like the majority of lifting programs by reputable coaches, is a training methodology that operates in multiple dimensions – it manages intensity, volume, and fatigue, exposes you to different rep ranges and movements, and measures progress as more than just training weights – all very important factors for long term success in your.

More of a template than a strict program, many variations of 5/3/1 exist. You’ll find some of the best spreadsheets for these variations here. All of them will get you stronger by focusing on steady progression of the Big 3 lifts though. Jim Wendler’s popular 5/3/1 template was highly influential on the popular GZCL and nSuns programs.

The program is comprised of 3 and 4 week cycles, designed to run indefinitely.

Related: Jim Wendler’s Building the Monolith

Contents

  • 1 Recommended Reading: Jim Wendler Books
  • 2 5/3/1 FAQs
  • 3 Spreadsheets
  • 5 Updates:

Recommended Reading: Jim Wendler Books

5/3/1 Forever by Jim Wendler

Beyond

The latest in the 5/3/1 series, 5/3/1 Forever collects all of Jim’s thinking on 5/3/1 with the latest training methods (e.g. anchors and leaders) and over 50 different 5/3/1 training templates.

Even though this is the most expensive Wendler book, it covers everything and removes the need to check out any of Wendler’s older stuff.

Beyond 5/3/1 by Jim Wendler

If Forever is too expensive for you, the best bang for your buck is Beyond 5/3/1. This represents a major step forward in Jim’s training philosophy, introducing concepts like First Set Last (FSL) and Joker sets that have become 5/3/1 staples.

To understand how 5/3/1 can work best for you, putting in a little reading work goes a long way.

5/3/1 for Powerlifting by Jim Wendler

If you’re looking for a powerlifting specific interpretation of the 5/3/1 for Powerlifting. An example of this program is available in a spreadsheet below, though nothing beats reading the book.

5/3/1 FAQs

What is Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program?

5/3/1 is a flexible lifting template that can be applied to a variety of lifting goals. It is best suited for intermediate level lifters and is renowned for the significant length of time an athlete can continually make progress on it.

Can 5/3/1 be run for powerlifting?

Yes, there are variations of 5/3/1 that are well suited for powerlifting. A spreadsheet of a powerlifting 5/3/1 variation is available on Lift Vault.

Does 5/3/1 not have enough volume to be effective?

5 3 1 program pdf

A common point of criticism against 5/3/1 is that it doesn’t program enough volume (volume being reps x weight lifted). For certain variations of the program, this could be true. The “original” version of the program published on T-Nation in 2009 does, in fact, only contain 3 working sets for each primary movement. This was “addressed” later when Wendler released his book Beyond 5/3/1. This contained a variation known as “first set last” that added an additional AMRAP set to each day’s primary lift. Another common remedy is to run the “Boring But Big” variation (spreadsheet included here), which contains a significant number of back off sets for extra volume. This only scratches the surface of ways to add volume to 5/3/1. To learn more, check out Wendler’s classics: Beyond 5/3/1 and 5/3/1 Forever.

What other programs did 5/3/1 influence?

The basic principles of 5/3/1 had significant influences on the GZCL template and nSuns. Click on either link to learn more.

Spreadsheets

5/3/1 BBB (Boring But Big) Spreadsheet

Wendler’s 5/3/1 Boring But Big (BBB) program is renowned for both its brutal simplicity and serious results.

Basically, BBB follows the 5/3/1 template where one main lift is trained per session (squat, bench, deadlift, or overhead press) using the 5/3/1 rep scheme before dropping the weight and doing 5 sets of 10 reps for the same lift.

The result? Strength and size. No gimmicks, just hard work.

Because the training max increases monthly, this program is best geared for intermediate to advanced lifters that require more recovery and cannot progress as quickly as novice/intermediate lifters.

Wendler 5-3-1 BBB Spreadsheet

5/3/1 BBB Program Spreadsheet (variation)

This is simply another variation of the program above. Check out both and see which layout you prefer more.

Wendler 5/3/1 Spreadsheet

5/3/1 for Beginners Program Spreadsheet

Full program details now available at 5/3/1 for Beginners

via /r/fitness wiki sidebar

531 FOR BEGINNERS | LiftVault.com

Pdf

e

5/3/1 BBB for Bodybuilding

This is a tweaked version of 5/3/1 that combines a view different 5/3/1 principles into a “bastardized” program for bodybuilding goals. You can view the full details on this page: 5/3/1 BBB for Bodybuilding.

5/3/1 BBB for Bodybuilding | LiftVault.com

Power & Hypertrophy 5/3/1 Program Variation

Source Unknown

Workout

Power Hypertrophy 5/3/1 | LiftVault.com

5/3/1 Vanilla + 3/5/1 Powerlifting Specific Program Variation

This spreadsheets contains two different templates: “vanilla” (i.e. normal) 5/3/1 and a powerlifting variation known as 3/5/1. The powerlifting variation of 5/3/1 switches weeks 1 and 2 and incorporates additional heavy single work – increasing the specificity needed for powerlifting and including additional recovery time by not scheduling consecutive heavy lifting weeks.

Jim Wendler 531 v2.1 (BBB + Powerlifting) Spreadsheet

NSuns Linear Progression Program Variation

This popular mutation of 5/3/1 was created by Redditor /u/n-suns. It was inspired by 5/3/1 but is significantly different and is definitely not associated with Jim Wendler. However, I am including it here because it is a very popular program and may be of interest to people already looking into 5/3/1.

It allows for faster progress week to week than the initial BBB program, making it ideal for novice and intermediate lifters that are able to recovery more quickly.

If you like this spreadsheet, check out the other n-Suns program spreadsheets.

2_Suns_531_Linear Progression

Video Overview

If you’d prefer to watch instead of read, check out this excellent video overview of the 5/3/1 training methodology (source: Alex Bromley).

Review - Does 5/3/1 Work? Jim Wendler's Linear Progression Program for Strength Athletes Explained

Watch this video on YouTube

Updates:

  • 3/11/20 – Added kg/lb rounding and full program details for 5/3/1 for Beginners (same spreadsheet)
  • 3/1/20 – Created a more detailed program page for 5/3/1 BBB (same spreadsheets)
  • 2/25/20 – Added 5/3/1 BBB for Bodybuilding spreadsheet + detailed program page
  • 5/14/19 – Added “Power & Hypertrophy” 5/3/1 version

Related Posts

  • The Best Beginner Powerlifting Programs

    There are so many powerlifting programs available that it can be confusing for a novice lifter to determine which program is right for them. Here are some of the most popular powerlifting programs for beginners. The following programs are chosen for their intelligent exercise choice,…

  • nSuns 5/3/1 Complete Program Collection (4 Day, 5 Day, Cap3, and More)

    nSuns 5/3/1 is a linear progression powerlifting program that was inspired by Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 strength program. It progresses on a weekly basis, making it well suited for late stage novice and early intermediate lifters. It is known for its challenging amount of volume. Those…

  • Sheiko Program Spreadsheets & Templates

    To best understand Sheiko's training methodology, Lift Vault highly recommends you read or listen to his interview with Omar Isuf. Sheiko programs are powerlifting programs attributed to Boris Sheiko, renowned Russian powerlifting coach. His programs are known for their high volume and great results for…

  • Smolov Program and Smolov Jr Program Spreadsheets

    Ah, yes. The infamous Smolov program for squats and Smolov Jr for squat and/or bench press. If you're willing to build these lifts at any cost (e.g. a record attempt) then this might be the ticket! While not recommended for general strength work, as articulated…

  • Classic 9 and 12 Week Powerlifting Peaking Program Spreadsheets

    As old as time itself, these peaking programs can be run for squat, bench, and deadlift when preparing for a powerlifting meet. Both seek to improve your 1 rep max by 5% after the end of the cycle. The differences between the 9 week and…

  • Half Marathon Training Program Spreadsheets

    Running a half marathon is far from impossible for most healthy individuals, but does require careful training. Luckily, Hal Higdon did a great job of laying out programs well suited for novice, intermediate, and advanced runners. For the full explanation of the programs, please read…

Since I started powerlifting, I’ve had a couple workouts that I really liked. The first was the Madcow 5×5 version of Bill Starr’s 5×5 routine, and the second was Sheiko. (The Sheiko volume about killed me tho cuz I wasn’t prepped well enough for it. DOH! BUT, I loved it!)

Now the workout I’m really into is Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 workout routine. If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend getting your hands on it. Even better, buy it so you can go back to it like I do from time to time. Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Book (2nd Edition): The Simplest and Most Effective Training System for Raw Strength.

5 3 1 Workout Pdf

Also, I’ve created a 5/3/1 workout spreadsheet (based on one that my workout partner had) and also created a video explaining how it works.

  • Train 3-4 days per week
  • One day will be devoted to the standing military press, one day to the parallel squat, one day to the deadlift and one day to the bench press.
  • Each training cycle lasts 4 weeks.
  • The first week you will do 3 sets of 5 reps (3×5).
  • The second week you will do 3 sets of 3 reps (3×3).
  • The third week you will do 1 set of 5 reps,1 set of 3 reps and 1 set of 1 rep (5/3/1).
  • The fourth week you will do 3 sets of 5 reps (3×5). This is an easy deload week.
  • After the fourth week, you begin again with 3 sets of 5 reps.
  • Each week and each set has a percentage to follow, so you won’t be guessing what to do anymore.

Emphasize Big, Multi-Joint Compound Movements

For years I did a lot of isolation exercises; Curls, Tricep extensions, Leg extensions, etc etc etc… I also did a couple compound movements like squat and bench, but I never really focused on compound multi-joint movements. MAN, WHAT A WASTE OF YEARS THAT WAS!!

Mult-joint compound movements build the most muscle and work all these smaller muscles in addition. People are baffled when I tell them I rarely if ever do curls. Actually can’t remember the last time I did a bicep curl. Also, I’ve always had problems with tiny calves and hated it. Amazingly, when I started focusing on the big compound lifts, my calves actually grew. (They’re still small in my mind, but they’re better than before.)

Start Too Light & Progress Slowly

We all want to make huge gains fast, and in the beginning this is possible. However, the longer we train, the slower the progress becomes. That’s why, with this program it’s all about starting light and progressing slowly. You will hit a point where it starts getting much harder and that’s when you learn to appreciate the deload weeks.

Break Personal Records (PR’s)

Another big thing about the 5/3/1 program is breaking personal records. That could be in weight or reps. If at the beginning of one cycle you’re only benching 225lbs x 5, but then the next cycle you hit 7 reps, then you’re getting stronger…. obviously.

5/3/1 Workout Pdf Template

If you don’t buy Wendler’s book(s) [5/3/1 for Powerlifting and/or Jim Wendler 5/3/1 Book (2nd Edition)], you should at least read his write up atMen’s Health on the 5/3/1 Workout

5 3 1 Powerlifting Program Template

I highly recommend taking the Wendler 5/3/1 workout program for a test drive for at least 12-16 weeks.

I may act like a 12yr old a lot of the time, but that's because I have a genetic defect that will not allow me grow up. HOWEVER, I do take strength training and fitness very seriously and I love using what I know to help others reach their fitness goals and avoid the bazillion mistakes I've made in my 25+ yrs of training. Since I don't know everything, I never stop learning. Note: I am no longer a 'certified' trainer, but I truly understand more about fitness and health now than I ever did with that official piece of paper.

5/3/1 Workout Pdf Exercises

Comment with Facebook!