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Build the main working weights for the Wendler 5/3/1 method from your one rep max. The program starts from a training max set at ninety percent of your true max, and every prescribed set is a percentage of that training max rather than the tested single. The final set of each week is taken for as many quality reps as possible.
Build Wendler 5/3/1 weights from a training max.
training max = 1RM × 0.9 week 1: 65% ×5, 75% ×5, 85% ×5+ week 2: 70% ×3, 80% ×3, 90% ×3+ week 3: 75% ×5, 85% ×3, 95% ×1+
Percentages apply to the training max, not the tested one rep max, which is the core of the method. The plus sign means the final set is taken as many reps as possible, and weights are rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg, or 5 lb in pounds mode.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1RM | Your tested or estimated single, from which the training max is derived. |
| training max | Ninety percent of the one rep max, the base for all working weights. |
| AMRAP | The last set of each week, taken for as many reps as possible. |
A 100 kg max gives a 90 kg training max. Week 1 works at 57.5, 67.5, and 77.5 kg for five reps each before the AMRAP set, and week 3 climbs to 67.5, 77.5, and 85 kg for five, three, and one or more reps, each rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg.
The Wendler 5/3/1 method starts from a training max set at about ninety percent of your true one rep max, a deliberate reduction that leaves room for steady progress without grinding to failure. Every working weight in the program is a percentage of that training max rather than of the tested max itself.
Warm up sets use forty, fifty, and sixty percent of the training max for five reps each, and the main work follows a four week wave that repeats with small increases.
Week one works at sixty five, seventy five, and eighty five percent for sets of five, five, and five or more. Week two uses seventy, eighty, and ninety percent for three, three, and three or more. Week three climbs to seventy five, eighty five, and ninety five percent for five, three, and one or more. Week four is a deload near forty, fifty, and sixty percent.
The final set of each main week is taken for as many quality reps as possible, and those extra reps drive progress between waves. After the wave, the training max is raised, commonly by a small fixed amount per cycle, and the percentages are recomputed.
Continue with the Bench Press Calculator, Lifting Percentages Calculator, or the One Rep Max Calculator — or browse more weightlifting tools and all sports calculators.
Using about ninety percent leaves a reserve so the required reps stay achievable and progress can continue for months. Training from a true max makes the top sets a grind and stalls progress.
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Last reviewed: September 2026. See how we build and check every tool on the about page.
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Content updated: September 2026