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

The 5/3/1 percentage chart

Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 runs on a fixed 4-week wave. Every session has exactly three work sets, and the "+" on the last set of weeks 1-3 marks it as an AMRAP set. Here is every set of the cycle:

If you have not set a Training Max yet, read the 5/3/1 Training Max explained or use the step-by-step guide first - the whole chart is meaningless without the right TM.

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.

Deload week: exactly 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 planning guide 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 2.5 kg (5 lbs) to your upper-body Training Maxes and 5 kg (10 lbs) 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.