Cycle-based progression method
5/3/1: how progression works
Learn how 5/3/1 uses a Training Max, three loading weeks, AMRAP sets, and fixed increases to build long-term strength.
The basic idea
Jim Wendler created 5/3/1 as a long-term strength system built around the squat, bench press, deadlift, and standing overhead press.
Each main lift follows a four-week cycle. The first three weeks use changing percentages and rep targets, followed by a lighter deload week. You perform an AMRAP set at the end of each loading week, then raise the lift's Training Max by a small fixed amount for the next cycle.
You add weight in small steps and measure progress through cleaner reps, rep records, and completed cycles. You do not need frequent one-rep max tests.
5/3/1 now includes many templates with different supplemental work, assistance, and deload schedules. This guide teaches the classic four-week main-lift progression used by Dynamic Program.
Who benefits from 5/3/1
5/3/1 suits lifters who want steady progress on the main barbell lifts without pushing close to a true maximum every week. The conservative percentages leave room for good and bad training days, while the AMRAP sets still give you a way to set rep records.
Consider 5/3/1 when adding weight every session no longer matches your rate of progress. Intermediate and advanced lifters often need more time to build strength between increases. Under 5/3/1, you make the next planned increase after four weeks rather than after the next workout.
You also need to accept slow increases and keep the same main lifts across repeated cycles. If you can still add weight to a lift every workout with reliable technique and recovery, linear progression will move it faster with less structure.
A complete 5/3/1 program includes supplemental work, assistance, mobility, and conditioning around the main lifts. Those choices shape the program; the 5/3/1 sets in this guide cover its main-lift progression.
Use 5/3/1 for the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press. Use linear progression or double linear progression for curls, lateral raises, triceps work, and other isolation exercises.
Start with a conservative Training Max
5/3/1 calculates its work sets from a Training Max, shortened to TM. The classic starting point is 90% of a recent true or estimated one-rep max.
If your squat 1RM is 150 kg, your starting TM is 135 kg. A set prescribed at 85% uses 85% of 135 kg, not 85% of 150 kg.
Once you establish the TM, treat it as a programming number. Do not retest your 1RM and replace the TM after every cycle. The fixed cycle increases move it forward until your performance shows that it needs to come down.
Starting TM = current true or estimated 1RM × 90%
Example: 150 kg × 90% = 135 kg TM
Read the Training Max guide for help choosing and resetting this number.
Three loading weeks, then a deload
Each lift uses the same TM for all four weeks. Week 1 uses sets of 5, Week 2 uses sets of 3, and Week 3 moves through 5, 3, and 1 rep. Week 4 reduces the load so you can recover before the next cycle.
Every percentage below refers to the TM. The plus sign marks an AMRAP set, meaning as many reps as possible. Complete at least the listed reps, then continue while you can maintain acceptable technique. Do not turn the set into a failed repetition.
The top set gives each loading week its rep-record opportunity. Extra reps show progress, but they do not change the size of the planned TM increase.
A bench press cycle example
Suppose your bench press TM is 100 kg. Week 1 calls for 65 kg × 5, 75 kg × 5, and 85 kg × 5 or more.
You complete 9 good reps on the 85 kg top set. That gives you a rep record to compare with future cycles, but 5/3/1 does not multiply the extra reps into a larger increase. You still finish Weeks 2, 3, and 4 before changing the TM.
Week 1 with a 100 kg bench press TM
Calculate each percentage first, then round the result to a weight you can load. Keep the exact TM in your progression record so rounding the plates does not alter future calculations.
Raise the Training Max after the cycle
After Week 4, add 2.5 kg to the TM for the bench press and overhead press. Add 5 kg to the TM for the squat and deadlift. In pounds, the standard increases are 5 lb and 10 lb.
A 100 kg bench press TM becomes 102.5 kg for the next cycle. Calculate the new work sets from 102.5 kg. A strong AMRAP does not justify skipping ahead by several cycles; the small fixed increase is part of the method.
After enough cycles, you may stop reaching the required reps. If you cannot complete them, or cannot produce about five strong reps at 95% of TM, lower the TM for that lift and build again. Do not reset the other lifts when they still perform as expected.
One poor session can come from fatigue, sleep, stress, or illness. Use the pattern across the cycle before deciding that a TM has become too high.
Using 5/3/1 progression in Dynamic Program
Dynamic Program lets you choose 5/3/1 as the progression method for a selected lift in a week-based plan. Set a separate TM for each main lift, then keep the four weeks in order.
Keep 5/3/1 on the squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press or close main-lift variations that will remain in the plan. Use linear progression or double linear progression for isolation exercises.
How the app handles the next cycle
Under the original progression, you add the fixed amount after each completed cycle and lower the TM when the lift stalls. Dynamic Program also checks the reps and effort you logged for that lift before suggesting an increase, hold, or reset.
The app treats each lift separately, so one poor lift does not change the progression of the other three. Review each suggestion against the full cycle, then start the next four weeks from the accepted TM.
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1. Select a main lift
Apply 5/3/1 progression to a lift that will stay in the plan across repeated four-week cycles.
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2. Set its TM
Start with 90% of a recent true or estimated 1RM. Keep a separate TM for each lift.
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3. Follow the weekly prescriptions
Complete the three loading weeks and the deload in order. Log the reps from each AMRAP set.
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4. Review the next TM
After Week 4, review the suggestion for that lift before starting its next cycle.