5/3/1 Program Glossary of Terms & Acronyms (2023)

Below you’ll find definitions for some of the most common terms and ideas found through Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 programming framework.

To maximize your success with the program, it’s highly recommend you purchase 5/3/1 Forever, the definitive publication by Wendler that captures all of his best thinking in one place.

If you notice an error or have a suggestion, please let me know.

Note: This was assembled based on my own research. It is not endorsed by Jim Wendler or associated with him in any way. To understand how to implement these ideas to get stronger, I highly recommend you purchase 5/3/1 Forever.

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09/25/2023 10:07 pm GMT

3/5/1

3/5/1 switches the order of the 3 rep week to first instead of second. Some prefer this method because it follows a medium/light/heavy cadence, allowing the 5 rep week to act as a “mini deload” of sorts before the heaviest week.

Reddit discussion on 3/5/1 vs 5/3/1

5/3/1

5/3/1 is programming framework developed by Jim Wendler. It focuses on building strength through slow, consistent increases in intensity while alternating between 5 rep waves, 3 rep waves, and 1 rep waves.

It is not so much a program as it is a programming framework. It’s a flexible methodology that can be applied for a variety of training goals over the long term.

5’s Progression

Also known as 5’s Pro, this refers to a training modification that appears in parts of 5/3/1 Beyond and again in 5/3/1 Forever.

The 5’s progression modification simply means performing 5 reps for all three working sets each week.

Additional discussion on 5’s Progression:

7th Week Protocol

The 7th week protocol is a concept introduced in 5/3/1 Forever. It is a special deload week that can be a few things: a lighter lifting week, a PR attempt, or a Training Max test. See also: deload week.

A common combination of cycles might look like:

Leader cycle #1 (3 weeks)
Leader cycle #2 (3 weeks)
7th week protocol deload (1 week)
Anchor cycle (3 weeks)
7th week protocol TM test (1 week)

Basically, the 7th week protocol is a flexible week, used every 4 or 7 weeks, to either deload or test training maxes between an anchor and leader cycle.

Source:

AMRAP

AMRAP means as many reps as possible.

For example, 85% x 1+ means to lift 85% for as many reps as you can hit with reasonable form.

Here’s a blog post on why AMRAP sets are important for 5/3/1.

Anchor Cycle

Anchor cycles program high intensities on the main lifts with less supplemental work and more volume on lighter assistance work.

An example of an anchor cycle is 3/5/1, going for PR’s on weeks 1 and 3, 3×5 FSL, and 25-50 reps on assistance movements.

Assistance Work

Assistance work is varied and depends on your individual weaknesses.

Some examples of 5/3/1 assistance work movements include:

Abs
- Hanging Leg Raises
- Ab Wheel Roll-outs
Low Back
- Good Mornings
- Back Extensions
- Reverse Hypers
Quads
- Lunges
- Leg Presses
Chest
- Dips
- Dumbbell Presses
- Dumbbell Flyes
Triceps
- Dips
- Tricep Pressdowns
- Tricep Extensions
Shoulders
- Overhead Press
- Behind The Neck Press
- Front Raises
Hamstrings
- Glute Ham Raises
- Good Mornings
- Back Raises
- Leg Curls
Lats & Upper Back
- Pull Ups
- Bent Rows
- Dumbbell Rows
- Shrugs

Source: EliteFTS

BBB

Boring But Big (BBB) is a popular 5/3/1 template that programs 5 sets of 10 reps for supplement work and assistance work.

As an example, a press day on 5/3/1 might look like:

Press – 5/3/1
Press – 5 sets of 10 reps
Lat Raises – 5 sets of 10 reps

That’s it. Boring, but effective.

Here’s the original blog post describing Boring But Big.

BBS

BBS stands for Boring But Strong, a rep scheme for supplemental work that calls for 10 sets of 5 reps. BBS uses FSL percentages (week 1 = 65%, week 2 = 70%, week 3 = 75%).

Source: 5/3/1 Primer

Building the Monolith

Building the Monolith is a 5/3/1 variant that emphasizes muscular growth.

You can find a spreadsheet for this program here: Building the Monolith spreadsheet.

Deload Week

Deload weeks are used in 5/3/1 to help improve recovery and let you prepare for the next cycle. Initially these were programmed every fourth week, but Jim later changed this recommendation in Beyond 5/3/1, instead advising a deload be taken every seven weeks (i.e. after two three week cycles).

In 5/3/1 Forever, Wendler recommended running two leader cycles, taking a deload week, running an anchor cycle, and then following the 7th week protocol.

As of 5/3/1 Forever, options for deloading include:

Deload with light lifts
Go for a PR
Test your training max

Example deload week:

40% x 5 reps

50% x 5 reps

60% x 5 reps

Another example TM test week:

70% x 5 reps

80% x 5 reps

90% x 5 reps

100% x 3-5 reps

Sources:

FSL (First Set Last)

FSL stands for First Set Last, which is a supplemental work variation of 5/3/1.

It uses the percentage of your training max used for your first 5/3/1 working set and programs 5 sets of 5 reps.

This usually translates to 65% x 5 x 5 on week 1, 70% x 5 x 5 on week 2, and 75% x 5 x 5 on week 3.

It is quite similar to FSL (First Set Last) and LSL (Last Set Last). The only difference is that a different percentage of the training max is used; the 5×5 rep scheme remains the same.

Joker Sets

Joker Sets are a form of autoregulation within the 5/3/1 programming framework. They were introduced in Beyond 5/3/1.

Joker Sets are to be used on “good days,” or days when the athlete is being especially fresh and the weights are moving quickly. On these days, 5% can be added to the top set to be performed for the same number of reps as the top set, which varies depending on where the athlete is within a 5/3/1 training cycle.

For example, if it is the 3 rep week and the top set of 3 reps at 100 kg moves quickly, the athlete may decide to perform a Joker Set. They would do this by performing 3 reps at 105 kg, which is 5% more than 100 kg.

If you don’t hit 3 reps, you’re finished. If you hit all 3 reps, you can decide to add an additional 5% or you can still call stop there if you have doubts about hitting 3 reps with another 5% on the bar.

Leader Cycle

A leader cycle uses lower intensities on the main lifts with higher volume supplemental work and less assistance volume.

An example of a leader cycle is 5’s PRO with 5×5 FSL, and 50-100 reps on the three assistance categories.

Main Work

The main work of 5/3/1 consists of three working sets with a different rep range each week. Main work is also known as a working set.

Each training days focuses its main work on one of four major compound movements: the squat, bench press, overhead press, or deadlift.

LSL (Last Set Last)

LSL stands for Last Set Last, which is a supplemental work variation of 5/3/1.

It uses the percentage of your training max used for your last 5/3/1 working set and programs 5 sets of 5 reps.

This usually translates to 85% x 5 x 5 on week 1, 90% x 5 x 5 on week 2, and 90% x 5 x 5 on week 3.

It is quite similar to FSL (First Set Last) and SSL (Second Set Last). The only difference is that a different percentage of the training max is used; the 5×5 rep scheme remains the same.

Vanilla Example

Week 1: 3 sets of 5 reps

Week 2: 3 sets of 3 reps

Week 3: 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps, 1 set of 1 rep (hence 5/3/1)

Week 4: Deload

Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap means performing all nine working sets of a 5/3/1 cycle in one training session. It creates a significant training stimulus.

For example, let’s consider a vanilla 5/3/1 progression in the table below.

Week 1	Week 2	Week 3
60% x 5	70% x 3	75% x 5
75% x 5	80% x 3	85% x 3
85% x 5+	90% x 3+	95% x 1+

Spinal tap would mean performing the three main work sets for weeks 1-3, all in the same session. 3 main work sets per week x 3 weeks = 9 main work sets.

The training max is increased each week instead of every 3 weeks, as each week becomes a full training cycle. In this way, 5/3/1 spinal tap is very similar to nSuns.

SSL (Second Set Last)

SSL stands for Second Set Last, which is a supplemental work variation of 5/3/1.

It uses the percentage of your training max used for your second 5/3/1 working set and programs 5 sets of 5 reps.

This usually translates to 75% x 5 x 5 on week 1, 80% x 5 x 5 on week 2, and 85% x 5 x 5 on week 3.

It is quite similar to FSL (First Set Last) and LSL (Last Set Last). The only difference is that a different percentage of the training max is used; the 5×5 rep scheme remains the same.

Supplemental Work

Supplemental work follows the main work of 5/3/1 and is usually done with the squat, bench press, overhead press, or deadlift.

This is where many of the variations in rep schemes appear in the programming. FSL, SSL, LSL, BBB, BBS, etc. are all essentially different rep and loading patterns for the supplemental work. This should emphasize how important this work is to the success of the training.

Training Max

A training max is the value against which you program your loads. It is usually 80% to 90% of your true one rep max when starting out and can evolve over time as you run multiple cycles of 5/3/1.

For example, if your true one rep max on the squat is 100 kg, then an appropriate training max for 5/3/1 would be somewhere between 80 kg and 90 kg. 90% is a common rule of thumb for most people starting the program, but this may vary depending upon the variation of 5/3/1 being run.

Sources:

Widowmaker Set

A widowmaker set is a supplemental training variation that calls for 1 set of 15 to 20 reps using FSL percentages. These are not unique to the 5/3/1 program and can also be found in other programs, like Doggcrapp.

Week 1: 65% x 1 set x 15-20 reps

Week 2: 70% x 1 set x 15-20 reps

Week 3: 75% x 1 set x 15-20 reps