Free Programs and Spreadsheets
Here are strength and powerlifting programs created by Jim Wendler. Some have been reinterpreted from books or other materials published by Jim. These are not official publications from him.
To explore the rest of the Lift Vault program collection, check out the Lift Vault Program Library.
To learn more about Jim Wendler, visit JimWendler.com.
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 26
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: High Volume, Mass, Strength
Uses RPE: false
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): True
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Mythical Mass is a 6 month-long combination of various strength programs used for building mass.
The programs included are:
As you can see, the entire set of programming takes about 6 months to work through.
The goal? Get freaking huge.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Yes
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: Indefinite
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
This is a version of 5/3/1 that was posted on Reddit a few months ago. It’s noteworthy because it lays out enough 3 week cycles to be run for about a year straight.
If you’re looking for a straightforward, no-frills strength program that lets you just put your head down and get to work, then this is something I think you’ll like.
It’s also pretty flexible and allows the lifter to choose their own accessories and supplemental lifts.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Beginner
Weeks: 3
Periodization: Linear Periodization, Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
5/3/1 is one of the most popular strength training programs ever, influencing other programs like GZCL and nSuns along the way. Its popularity has stemmed from its simplicity, flexibility, and ability to be run over and over for long periods of time. It favors slow, steady, repeatable progression over the long term instead of programs that pile on the weight for a few weeks or months before progress grinds to a halt.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 4
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Hypertrophy, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Boring But Big (BBB) is a template built on top of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1. You train 4 days per week, one main lift per day (squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press) using the standard 5/3/1 loading scheme, then follow it up with 5 sets of 10 reps (at 50% of your training max) on the same or a paired lift. Each session also includes one accessory movement, typically lat work or abs.
The idea behind BBB is straightforward: use the 5/3/1 main work to build strength, then pile on the volume with 5×10 to force hypertrophy. You’re not switching programs or adding complexity. You’re just bolting on more work after the strength sets. Wendler originally detailed this template in his 5/3/1 Second Edition, and it’s also covered in 5/3/1 Forever.
BBB is best for intermediate lifters who’ve already run base 5/3/1 and want to add size without abandoning their strength base. If you’re still in beginner territory, start with 5/3/1 for Beginners first. The volume in BBB is real, and jumping straight into 5×10 when you’re still adapting to the main work is going to beat you up. Even experienced lifters should start the supplemental sets at 50% and resist going heavier for the first few cycles.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 7
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Hypertrophy, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
5/3/1 BBB for bodybuilding is a hypertrophy-focused interpretation of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 Boring But Big. It runs a 7-week cycle (two 5/3/1 waves plus a deload) across 4 training days per week. The twist that sets it apart: leg extensions and leg curls run as the main 5/3/1 lift, the squat and deadlift get demoted to supplemental slots, and you stack 5 supplemental movements at 5×10 behind every main lift. Every exercise is swappable through dropdown menus in the sheet.
It’s a high-volume bodybuilding spin on Wendler’s Boring But Big. Instead of squatting and deadlifting heavy off the 5/3/1 percentages, you push the legs with isolation work on the main slot and chase size with a wall of 5×10 accessory volume. The GriefandHoz deviations are deliberate: leg-ext/leg-curl as the main lift (the creator’s personal preference, not a Wendler prescription), 5 supplemental movements instead of 2, and the BBB 5×10 rep scheme on everything. The author describes it as a “bastardization of BBB which is a leader, with the accessory volume of an anchor.”
This one’s for lifters who like the 5/3/1 structure but want it aimed at size, not a 1RM. You should be comfortable customizing a template, because the default exercise selection reflects one person’s preferences and you’ll likely want to tweak it. If you’d rather keep squat/bench/deadlift/OHP as your main lifts, you can swap them back in a couple of clicks. Newer lifters are better served by a leaner program first, since the accessory volume here runs well past what most beginners can recover from.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 6
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Powerlifting, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Benching the Monolith is a version of Jim Wendler’s Building the Monolith program that focuses on, you guessed it, the bench press. [Read more…]
By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Advanced, Intermediate
Weeks: 6
Periodization: Undulating Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: High Volume, Mass, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
Building the Monolith is a 6-week strength and size program from Jim Wendler, the creator of 5/3/1. You train 3 days a week, and every session pairs a heavy lower body lift with a press and a pull. Loads run off a training max set at 85% of your true 1RM, which keeps the high-rep work like 5×5 squats and 10×5 pressing hard but doable.
It’s a brute-force plateau breaker. Standard 5/3/1 runs slow monthly waves; Building the Monolith front-loads a huge amount of squatting and pressing over six hard weeks to pack on muscle and work capacity fast. You can see its DNA in later high-volume templates like GZCL and nSuns. Wendler wrote it for lifters who had stalled and wanted a short, punishing block to shake things loose.
This one’s built for advanced lifters trying to break a plateau. You need a solid strength base and the recovery to handle the volume while eating and sleeping to match. If you’re a novice or still adding weight every week on a linear program, you’ll get more out of standard 5/3/1 for now. For a bench-focused take on the same idea, check out Benching the Monolith.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Beginner, Intermediate
Weeks: Indefinite
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: High Volume, Powerlifting, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
nSuns 5/3/1 is a high volume linear progression powerlifting program inspired by Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1. It comes in 4, 5, and 6 day versions (plus squat and deadlift focused variants), and it progresses weekly instead of monthly.
Each day you’ll work the main lift for 9 sets, including an AMRAP set that drives next week’s weights, then a secondary lift for 8 more. It’s a ton of volume. Those who stick with it tend to add pounds to their total quickly, and the extra work capacity pays off in whatever program they run next. All of the spreadsheets below were assembled by Redditor /u/nsuns.
nSuns is best suited to late stage novices and early intermediates who recover well and want to push hard. If you’re brand new to lifting, you’ll progress faster on a simpler program like Starting Strength – a true novice can add weight multiple times per week and doesn’t need this much volume.
[Read more…] By Kyle Risley
Last updated
Recommended by Lift Vault: Recommended
Experience level: Intermediate
Weeks: 3, 4
Periodization: Linear Periodization
Meet prep program: No
Program goal: Powerlifting, Strength
Uses RPE: No
Uses 1RM Percentage(%): Yes
As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure
5/3/1 is a strength template more than a fixed program. You set a Training Max at 90% of your true 1RM, then run 4 week cycles: three weeks of work with an AMRAP top set, then a deload, adding a little to the Training Max each time. Everything is built around steady progress on the big barbell lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, and press).
The point is slow, sustainable progress. You leave reps in the tank most of the time and only chase a rep PR on the last set, so you keep moving forward for months instead of stalling out in a few weeks. It’s also easy to bolt extra volume or specificity onto, which is why so many variations exist (Boring But Big for size, First Set Last, the 3/5/1 powerlifting version). It was influential enough that programs like GZCL and nSuns grew out of its ideas.
It’s best for intermediate lifters who have stalled on simpler linear progression. If you’re a true beginner still adding weight every session, you’ll progress faster on a basic linear program like GZCLP first, since 5/3/1’s monthly jumps are slower than you need. Come to it when straight linear progression stops working.
[Read more…]