5/3/1 Building the Monolith

What is 5/3/1 Building the Monolith?

Building the Monolith is Jim Wendler's six-week 5/3/1 template for getting bigger, posted on his own site in 2016. It is three days a week and a lot of work: the squat twice, the press twice, the deadlift and bench once, and high-rep upper-body work on every day.

Monday is the squat, three ramp sets then four more sets of five at the top weight, and the press, three ramp sets then one set for as many reps as you can at the first weight. Then 100 chin-ups, 100 face pulls or band pull-aparts and 100 to 200 dips in total. Wednesday is the deadlift, five sets ending with three at the top weight, and the bench press, seven sets ending with five at the top weight, then dumbbell rows for 5 sets of 10 to 20 and 100 curls. Friday is the squat again, three ramp sets and then one set of 20, and the press for 10 to 15 sets of five, then weighted chin-ups for 5 sets of 5, 100 face pulls and 100 shrugs. Wendler says only the first three exercises of each day are required; the rest is window dressing.

Is 5/3/1 Building the Monolith right for you?

This is for an experienced lifter who wants size, has a solid grip on technique and can commit to six hard weeks, eating included. Wendler asked the people who ran it for 1.5 pounds of ground beef and a dozen eggs a day, and conditioning three or four times a week is mandatory: the Prowler (light), a weight-vest walk or the bike. If the guidelines are more than you can commit to, he points you to a simpler 5/3/1 program first.

How progression works

Your training max starts at 85% of your max, which Wendler calls lower than you think. The weeks run 70/80/90%, then 65/75/85%, then 75/85/95%, and the same again in weeks four to six. His week four says to adjust the training max for all four lifts but not by how much, so Durata uses his standard 5/3/1 step: 5 lb (2.5 kg) on the press and bench and 10 lb (5 kg) on the squat and deadlift, after week three and again after week six. There are no rep PRs in this program; the sets are what is written. The Friday set of 20 runs at the percentages printed in his post, 45, 55, 55, 50, 65 and 70%, and the Friday press at 70, 50, 75, 60, 65 and 75%, as written, even where they break his own "5% jumps per week" line. He says you may lower the 20-rep percentages if you need to. After six weeks, assess and run it again if you feel good.

Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed from your training maxes, and your logged AMRAP sets are what move those maxes.

5/3/1 Building the Monolith — every set, every session

Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.

5/3/1 Building the Monolith — common questions

5/3/1 Building the Monolith side by side