5/3/1 Calculator
Enter your max and get every load in the four-week cycle, warm-up sets included – rounded to weights you can actually build with plates.
Calculate the cycle
Training max
—
| Set | % TM | Load | Reps |
|---|
What the AMRAP set tells you
The last set is taken for as many reps as you can get. Enter that rep count to see what it means for your max.
Estimated 1RM
—
The estimate uses the same formulas as the one-rep max calculator. If it keeps landing below your current training max, it's time to reset.
8 × 3 – density model starting load
Eight sets of three with one-minute rests. The load stays put until all eight sets are completed.
Starting load
—
Start too light rather than too heavy. The structure progresses on its own once the sets start filling up.
How this calculator works
This calculator does all of 5/3/1's arithmetic at once: it derives the training max, works out each week's three working sets and warm-ups, rounds the loads to weights you can build with plates, and tells you what training max the next cycle starts from.
The training max is the foundation of the whole program. Every percentage is calculated from it rather than from a true max. Wendler's guidance is 90%, and this single number decides whether the program works: set the training max to your actual max and the week-three top set becomes too heavy, killing the AMRAP sets within a couple of cycles. The calculator also offers 85%, which is more conservative and produces a longer run of progress. The percentages are not what they look like. The week-three top set is 95% of the training max – but with a 90% training max that is only about 85.5% of a true maximum. The program never approaches a real max at any point, and that is precisely why it can be repeated cycle after cycle. Warm-ups are 40, 50 and 60% of the training max for five, five and three reps. They are part of the program rather than an optional extra, because there are only three working sets. The AMRAP set is the measuring instrument. Progress shows up as reps rather than load, and the calculator converts that rep count into a max estimate using the same formulas as the one-rep max calculator. When the estimate repeatedly lands below your current training max, reset the training max to roughly 90% of the fresh estimate instead of continuing to add weight. The second calculator on this page handles the density model: eight sets of three with one-minute rests. That is a different progression logic – the load stays put until every set is completed – and the calculator checks Prilepin's chart to see whether 24 reps is a realistic target at the load you chose.Frequently asked questions
Does the training max have to be 90%?
That is the starting guidance, but 85% is common and often the better choice, especially when starting out or coming back from a break. A lower training max means more reps in the AMRAP sets, which is good for the program – progress is measured from them.
What do I do when the AMRAP sets stop growing?
Reset the training max. Calculate a fresh max estimate from your best AMRAP set and set the training max to about 90% of it. This is a built-in mechanism rather than a failure – most lifters reset every two or three cycles.
Why are the loads rounded?
Because 78.3 kg is not a weight you can put on a bar. The calculator rounds to the nearest weight you can build with ordinary plates. You can change the rounding step if your gym has smaller plates.
Should every AMRAP set be taken to failure?
You can, but not every time. The deload week has no AMRAP set at all, and many lifters leave a couple of reps in reserve in week one. Taking every set to failure builds fatigue faster than the program can dissipate it.
Results are estimates and do not replace advice from a coach or healthcare professional.