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Wendler 5/3/1
5/3/1 is an intermediate powerlifting program that runs as repeating four-week waves at 4 sessions per week. It is built into Ægir Iron and free to load for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster.
What this program is
Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 gives each main lift, the overhead press, deadlift, bench press, and squat, its own day. Every four-week wave runs three working weeks at rising percentages of a training max, and the final set of each working week is an AMRAP you push for extra reps, followed by a lighter deload week. The percentages come off a training max set at around ninety percent of your true one-rep max, which keeps the working weights honest and leaves room to grind. Boring But Big, five sets of ten on the main lift, is an optional supplemental you can add after the main work.
Week 2: 70% x3, 80% x3, 90% x3+
Week 3: 75% x5, 85% x3, 95% x1+
Week 4 (deload): 40% x5, 50% x5, 60% x5
At a glance
| Discipline | Powerlifting |
| Experience level | Intermediate |
| Length | 12 weeks (three four-week waves) |
| Training days | 4 per week |
| Equipment | Barbell and rack |
| Loading | Percentage of a training max, resolved live from your maxes, with automatic AMRAP-driven progression. |
| Price | Free for individual lifters and rostered athletes |
Free for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster. Coaches pay only for roster tools.
How it works in Ægir Iron
Ægir Iron ships 5/3/1 as a configurable program you load in a couple of taps. You choose whether your saved number is a true one-rep max, in which case the app takes ninety percent for your training max, or a training max you have already set, whether to add Boring But Big, and which of the four lifts get a day. The app prices every working set from your training max, rounds each to the nearest five pounds, and flags the plus set as an AMRAP. Each four-week wave is its own cycle, so when you finish one the app prompts you to advance: the AMRAP reps you logged size each training-max jump, and the next wave reprices itself. No spreadsheet math and no rebuild. If you do not have a training max yet, add a quick estimate as you load the program, or just start logging and the app suggests a starting weight from your own history, a related lift, or your bodyweight.
Start 5/3/1
Open Ægir Iron, go to Program, choose New Program, then Browse Programs, and load 5/3/1. It is free on iOS, Android, and the web, with your data synced across all three.