Please note: This is not official 5/3/1 advice and is not associated in any way with Jim Wendler. If you want official 5/3/1 advice, buy the book.
Boring But Strong, or BBS, is a supplemental work scheme in 5/3/1. After your main work, you do 10 sets of 5 reps on the same lift using First Set Last percentages. It’s the heavier, lower-rep cousin of Boring But Big.
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What is Boring But Strong?
BBS adds a big dose of supplemental volume on the main lift: 10 sets of 5 reps at your First Set Last percentage, which is 65% of your training max in week 1, 70% in week 2, and 75% in week 3. Where Boring But Big piles on reps with 5 sets of 10, BBS keeps the reps low and the bar a touch heavier, so it builds strength and density while still stacking up volume.
Boring But Strong Example
Say you have a squat training max of 300 lb. After your main 5/3/1 sets, your BBS supplemental work each week is:
- Week 1: 65% x 300 = 195 lb, for 10 sets of 5
- Week 2: 70% x 300 = 210 lb, for 10 sets of 5
- Week 3: 75% x 300 = 225 lb, for 10 sets of 5
That’s 50 supplemental reps on your main lift, on top of the main work. It looks tame on paper and gets very hard by the back half of those ten sets.
Who Should Use It
BBS fits lifters who want supplemental volume that carries over to strength more than pure size, and who recover well enough to handle ten heavy-ish sets. It works best in a leader block, where the lighter main-work intensity leaves room for all that supplemental volume. If the loads start grinding, drop the percentage rather than skipping sets.
Boring But Strong Resources
Here are some helpful discussions of Boring But Strong:
5/3/1 Glossary
Learn about other 5/3/1 terms in our 5/3/1 glossary.
5/3/1 Forever Book (Recommended Reading)
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The most up-to-date and complete collection of Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 programming framework. Contains dozens of templates to keep 5/3/1 fresh and adaptable.
