Train off the Training Max
Every percentage is taken from a training max, 90% (or 85%) of your true 1RM, not the 1RM itself. Working lighter than your absolute max is what keeps the progression sustainable, week after week.
Free strength tool
5/3/1 program generator.
Enter your maxes and get a personalized 4-week Wendler cycle: working sets, AMRAP, warm-ups, deload and assistance, all computed off your training max. Then import it straight into the Ironstead app.
Free. No sign-up to try.
Your maxes
Enter a 1RM or your training max per lift. Switch off any lift you do not run.
Do not know your 1RM? Estimate it with the 1RM calculator
Overhead Press
Bench Press
Squat
Deadlift
Your 4-week cycle
Overhead Press
65kgTraining Max
from 72 kg 1RM
WeekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Warm-up
5 × 2540%
5 × 32.550%
3 × 4060%
Week 15s
5 × 42.565%
5 × 5075%
5+ × 5585%AMRAP
Week 23s
3 × 4570%
3 × 52.580%
3+ × 57.590%AMRAP
Week 35/3/1
5 × 5075%
3 × 5585%
1+ × 62.595%AMRAP
Week 4Deload
5 × 2540%
5 × 32.550%
5 × 4060%
Assistance · Boring But BigOptional. Swap or edit freely after import.
Overhead Press5 × 1032.5 kg · 50% of TM
Chin-ups5 × 12
Bench Press
100kgTraining Max
from 111 kg 1RM
WeekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Warm-up
5 × 4040%
5 × 5050%
3 × 6060%
Week 15s
5 × 6565%
5 × 7575%
5+ × 8585%AMRAP
Week 23s
3 × 7070%
3 × 8080%
3+ × 9090%AMRAP
Week 35/3/1
5 × 7575%
3 × 8585%
1+ × 9595%AMRAP
Week 4Deload
5 × 4040%
5 × 5050%
5 × 6060%
Assistance · Boring But BigOptional. Swap or edit freely after import.
Bench Press5 × 1050 kg · 50% of TM
Dumbbell Row5 × 10
Squat
140kgTraining Max
from 155 kg 1RM
WeekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Warm-up
5 × 5540%
5 × 7050%
3 × 8560%
Week 15s
5 × 9065%
5 × 10575%
5+ × 12085%AMRAP
Week 23s
3 × 97.570%
3 × 112.580%
3+ × 12590%AMRAP
Week 35/3/1
5 × 10575%
3 × 12085%
1+ × 132.595%AMRAP
Week 4Deload
5 × 5540%
5 × 7050%
5 × 8560%
Assistance · Boring But BigOptional. Swap or edit freely after import.
Squat5 × 1070 kg · 50% of TM
Hanging Leg Raise5 × 15
Deadlift
180kgTraining Max
from 200 kg 1RM
WeekSet 1Set 2Set 3
Warm-up
5 × 72.540%
5 × 9050%
3 × 107.560%
Week 15s
5 × 117.565%
5 × 13575%
5+ × 152.585%AMRAP
Week 23s
3 × 12570%
3 × 14580%
3+ × 162.590%AMRAP
Week 35/3/1
5 × 13575%
3 × 152.585%
1+ × 17095%AMRAP
Week 4Deload
5 × 72.540%
5 × 9050%
5 × 107.560%
Assistance · Boring But BigOptional. Swap or edit freely after import.
Deadlift5 × 1090 kg · 50% of TM
Ab Wheel Rollout5 × 15
Take it to the gym
Send this cycle to the Ironstead app and log every set, offline-first, with AMRAP tracking and e1RM built in.
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How 5/3/1 works
A slow-cooked strength method that just keeps adding weight.
Ride the weekly wave
Each lift runs a 3-week wave: 5s (65/75/85%), then 3s (70/80/90%), then 5/3/1 (75/85/95%). The load climbs while the reps drop, so intensity peaks in week 3.
Push the AMRAP set
The last work set of weeks 1 to 3 is a "+" set: as many reps as possible, 1 to 2 in reserve. It is where the real progress is measured and where extra reps bank strength for the next cycle.
Deload, then add weight
Week 4 backs off to 40/50/60% to recover. Then the cycle repeats with +2.5 kg on upper-body maxes and +5 kg on lower-body maxes. Small, relentless jumps.
Common questions
About 5/3/1.
- Should I enter my 1RM or my training max?
- Either. Flip the toggle per lift. If you enter a 1RM we take 90% (or 85%) of it as your training max. If you already train off a training max, enter it directly and we use it as-is.
- Why 90% and not 100%?
- The training max keeps your working weights honest and repeatable. Basing every set on 90% of your 1RM means you can hit the prescribed reps for weeks without grinding, which is the whole point of 5/3/1.
- What does the "+" on a set mean?
- It is the AMRAP: as many reps as possible on that last work set. Leave 1 to 2 reps in reserve. The reps you hit on the week-3 AMRAP are the best gauge of whether your training max is set right.
- How do I progress between cycles?
- After the deload, add +2.5 kg to upper-body training maxes (press, bench) and +5 kg to lower-body maxes (squat, deadlift), then run the four weeks again. Stall twice and reset that lift down 10%.
- Is this the official 5/3/1?
- No. This is an unofficial calculator built on the published method. It is a planning aid, not affiliated with or endorsed by the author.
Stop planning on paper. Start logging.
Ironstead logs every set of your 5/3/1 cycle, tracks your AMRAP reps and estimated 1RM, and keeps your training max moving. Free for athletes.
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Unofficial tool, based on the published 5/3/1 method. A planning aid, not medical advice. Warm up and use a spotter for heavy sets.