5/3/1 Percentages by Week: Every Set of the 4-Week Cycle

Wendler 5/3/1 percentages chart

Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 runs on a fixed 4-week wave. Every session has three work sets, and the "+" on the last set of weeks 1-3 marks it as an AMRAP set. The chart shows how the three sets climb each week and drop on the deload.

Need percentages of your true max instead? The 1RM percentage chart turns any max into the weight at each percentage.

If you have not set a Training Max yet, read how to calculate your Training Max first. The whole chart is meaningless without the right number.

5/3/1 BBB percentages

Boring But Big keeps the main sets above and adds 5 sets of 10 at 50% of your Training Max. That 50% stays the same in weeks 1-3, and the deload week has no 5x10 at all. Advanced lifters move it to 60-70% after several cycles. The Boring But Big guide covers the full template.

Warm-up sets before the work sets

Wendler prescribes the same three warm-up sets every session, also calculated from the TM: 5 reps at 40%, 5 reps at 50%, 3 reps at 60%. Add empty-bar and lighter sets before those as needed, especially for squat and deadlift days. The warm-ups end exactly where the deload-week percentages sit, which is not a coincidence - the deload week is essentially warm-ups only.

The AMRAP set: how many reps, and when to stop

The final set of weeks 1-3 is where progress is made and measured. Do as many quality reps as possible, stopping 1-2 reps short of technical failure - when bar speed grinds or form breaks, the set is over. The prescribed number (5, 3 or 1) is the minimum to beat. Each AMRAP set also gives you an estimated 1RM via weight x reps x 0.0333 + weight, so you can watch your strength trend week to week without ever testing a max.

• Week 1 at 85%: most lifters get 8-12 reps early in a training block; beating your previous rep record matters more than the raw number.
• Week 2 at 90%: typically 5-8 reps with a correctly set TM.
• Week 3 at 95%: 3-5+ reps means the TM is set right; only getting the single means the TM is at its ceiling and should hold or reset before the next cycle.
• Never take an AMRAP set to actual failure - a missed rep or an ugly grinder teaches you nothing and taxes recovery for days.

5/3/1 deload week: what to do and skip

Week 4 is a deload: 5 reps at 40 / 50 / 60% TM on each main lift, and that is the whole session. No AMRAP set, no Boring But Big 5x10, and assistance work is dropped or kept token-light. The point is to dissipate accumulated fatigue before the next, heavier cycle - lifting hard on deload week because it "feels too easy" just means you start cycle two pre-fatigued. Easy conditioning and mobility work are fine. The deload week article covers how to tell when you need one outside the schedule.

Cycle length and running cycles back-to-back

One full cycle is 4 weeks. When it ends, add 5 lbs (2.5 kg) to your upper-body Training Maxes and 10 lbs (5 kg) to your lower-body TMs and start the chart again from week 1. 5/3/1 is designed to be run back-to-back indefinitely - the small increments plus AMRAP rep records are the long-term progressive overload engine. Some experienced lifters run two cycles between deloads (weeks 1-3, then 1-3 again, then deload); as written, take the deload every fourth week.