5/3/1 Boring But Big: a simple three-day version

5/3/1 is a strength programme by Jim Wendler built around four lifts (squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press), one per session, with the main work set from a percentage of a training max and a rep scheme that changes each week: sets of 5, then 3, then 5/3/1, then a deload. Boring But Big is the most popular assistance template for it: after the main sets, five sets of ten of the same lift at a much lighter weight. The name is honest. Fifty reps of squats is boring, and it builds muscle.

IronBuddy's preset is an adaptation, not the programme. It keeps the shape of a day (main lift, then 5×10 of it, then a little assistance) and runs it three days a week on machines and dumbbells with a normal 10–12 rep range. There are no percentages, waves or deloads to calculate. The questions below spell out the differences.

Each day has one main movement pattern. The main sets come first and heavier; the 5×10 of the same exercise follows at a lighter weight; two or three assistance exercises finish the day. Rest 2 minutes on the main and volume sets, a minute on the assistance.

The preset uses a leg press for the squat pattern, a machine chest press for the bench pattern and a dumbbell Romanian deadlift for the hinge, so it works in any gym. If you have a barbell and the experience, swap in the squat, bench press and deadlift and keep everything else.

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday

  Week: Squat, rest, Bench, rest, Hinge / press, rest, rest

  Suits: The layout the preset uses. A rest day after every session, which the 5×10 volume work needs.

• Two days a week

  Week: Squat, rest, rest, Bench, rest, rest, rest, then Hinge / press, Squat, Bench the next weeks

  Suits: The minimum. The three days rotate, so each main lift comes round every ten days or so.

• Lifters who want one big thing per day. One main lift to get stronger on, one block of volume to grow from, then go home.
• Three days a week. The sessions are short on exercises but long on sets; the rest day after each one matters.
• Not the original. If you want 5/3/1 as written, with training maxes and waves, build it as your own split in IronBuddy and log the percentages as weights. If you want a plan that trains everything twice a week, an Upper Lower split or three-day full body plan is a better fit.

• Main lift: weight and 1RM. The main sets are where strength shows. Watch the best-weight and estimated 1RM charts for the leg press, chest press and Romanian deadlift; those three lines are the programme.
• 5×10: all fifty reps, same weight. The volume work is done when you finish every set of ten with the weight you started with. Log it as five sets; when all five are easy, add a little. If the fifth set collapses, the weight is too heavy, not your effort too low.
• Same lift, two jobs. The leg press appears twice on Monday. IronBuddy logs them as separate exercises on the day, and the summary compares each with its own previous session, so the main sets and the volume sets are tracked apart.
• Volume per session. Fifty volume reps plus the main sets make the session volume chart jump; that is expected. Compare Monday with Monday, not with Wednesday.

For adding weight without guessing, read how to track progressive overload.

IronBuddy includes 5/3/1 (BBB) as one of its ten preset splits, with the exercises above, a rep range and a rest time on every exercise. The 5×10 sets are listed as a second entry of the main exercise with a “BBB volume” note, so they are logged apart from the main sets.

1. Open Splits, filter the presets if you like, and open 5/3/1 (BBB).
2. Tap Set active. Home shows this week's days with their status, and Edit Week puts each day on the weekday you train.
3. Swap any exercise for one your gym has. The first time you edit a preset, IronBuddy saves your version under My splits and leaves the preset as it was.
4. Open each day from Home, enter reps and weight (and any drop sets or supersets), then tap Log workout. The summary compares every exercise with last time.
5. Check Progress for best weight, estimated 1RM and volume per exercise, and Muscle Balance on Home for your weekly sets per muscle group.

The 7-day free trial includes the whole workout tracker: workout logging, progress charts, body metrics, the full library of 800+ exercises, every split and your own custom splits. Buying IronBuddy for €6.99 keeps everything unlocked after the trial, and adds export and import of your data, a local copy of your data kept on your phone, share cards, a customizable Home and accent colors. In both the trial and the full version, Android's own backup protects your data if Google backup is turned on. See training splits in IronBuddy for screenshots of the presets, filters and week editor.