5/3/1 Triumvirate, Explained: Wendler's Original Three-Lift Template

What is the 5/3/1 Triumvirate?

When Wendler published the first 5/3/1 book, the Triumvirate was one of the assistance templates he offered alongside Boring But Big. The rule is strict and simple: three exercises per training day, no more. The first is the day's main lift run through the normal 5/3/1 progression; the other two are assistance movements done for 5 sets each. Where Boring But Big answers "what do I do after the main lift" with fifty more reps of the same barbell lift, the Triumvirate answers it with two well-chosen accessories - less volume, more variety, much easier recovery. What follows is the widely published base template; buy Wendler's 5/3/1 books for the full method.

The 4-day schedule

The Triumvirate uses the classic 5/3/1 split: four sessions per week, one main lift each, in the book's order of press, deadlift, bench, squat. Each session is the main lift plus its two assistance exercises:

• Day 1: Overhead press 5/3/1 sets, then dips 5x15 and chin-ups 5x10
• Day 2: Deadlift 5/3/1 sets, then good mornings 5x12 and hanging leg raises 5x15
• Day 3: Bench press 5/3/1 sets, then dumbbell bench press 5x15 and dumbbell rows 5x10
• Day 4: Squat 5/3/1 sets, then leg press 5x15 and leg curls 5x10

These are the pairings from Wendler's book example, and they are deliberately complementary: a push and a pull on press day, posterior chain and abs on deadlift day, pressing volume and upper-back work on bench day, quad and hamstring work on squat day. They are a starting point, not scripture - the assistance work guide covers what each slot is for and how to substitute.

The main-lift percentages by week

The main work is identical to every other 5/3/1 template. All percentages are of your Training Max (TM) - 90% of your true or estimated 1RM, never your actual max:

The final set of weeks 1-3 is an AMRAP "plus" set - as many quality reps as possible, stopping 1-2 short of technical failure. Warm up to the first work set with something like 40/50/60% of TM for 5/5/3 reps. On the deload week you do the main lift only: no AMRAP, no assistance. The full set-by-set breakdown lives in 5/3/1 percentages by week.

The 5x15 / 5x10 assistance scheme

Each assistance exercise gets 5 sets, usually one movement around 15 reps and one around 10 - fifty to seventy-five reps per exercise, done with moderate loads. The point is added muscle and work capacity, not another maximal effort: pick weights you could do a few more reps with, rest about 90 seconds between sets, and progress by adding reps first and weight second. The heavy lifting for the day already happened in the main sets.

Progression cycle to cycle

After each 4-week cycle, add 2.5 kg (5 lbs) to your upper-body Training Maxes and 5 kg (10 lbs) to your lower-body Training Maxes and run the next cycle. That pace looks slow and is the reason the program works for years: the AMRAP sets let you express extra strength immediately, while the TM climbs conservatively behind it. If a lift stalls - grinding AMRAPs, missed prescribed reps - reset that TM to 90% of its current value and rebuild. First-cycle setup is covered in the start 5/3/1 guide.