5/3/1 Training Max Calculator

Your training max is the weight every 5/3/1 percentage is based on. Jim Wendler sets it at 90% of your true or estimated one-rep max, so your working sets stay submaximal and repeatable. Training off 90% rather than your actual max leaves room to hit the prescribed reps each week and to grind out the AMRAP set. Some lifters use 85% for a bigger buffer, which this calculator also supports.

Each four-week cycle uses fixed percentages of your training max. Week 1 runs 65%, 75%, and 85% for sets of 5. Week 2 runs 70%, 80%, and 90% for sets of 3. Week 3 runs 75%, 85%, and 95% for 5, 3, then 1 rep. Week 4 is a deload at 40%, 50%, and 60%.

The last set of each main week is an AMRAP set, meaning as many reps as possible while keeping good form. So 5+ means at least 5 reps, 3+ means at least 3, and 1+ means at least 1. These extra reps drive your progress and signal when to raise your training max. Stop a rep or two short of failure rather than pushing to a grinding miss.

Loads are rounded to the nearest weight you can actually load with standard plates. In pounds that is usually the nearest 5 lb (a pair of 2.5 lb plates), and in kilograms the nearest 2.5 kg (a pair of 1.25 kg plates). You can pick a finer increment, such as 1.25 lb or 0.5 kg, if you own microplates. Rounding keeps the prescribed percentages close while staying practical in the gym.

After each four-week cycle, Wendler suggests adding a small fixed amount to your training max: about 5 lb (2.5 kg) for upper-body lifts like the bench and overhead press, and 10 lb (5 kg) for lower-body lifts like the squat and deadlift. Recalculate here with the new max to set up your next cycle. If your AMRAP reps stall for two cycles, reset your training max to roughly 85% to 90% of your recent best and build back up.

Enter your best true one-rep max if you have a recent, honest single. If not, use an estimated 1RM from a rep-max calculator based on a set you have actually performed. Either way the training max builds in a buffer, so a slight overestimate will not wreck the cycle. When in doubt, start lower, since 5/3/1 is built around slow, steady progress.