Physique

Program guide

nSuns 5/3/1 LP

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Plan your next strength week with nSuns. Compare 4, 5 and 6-day versions, calculate your sets, and learn when to add weight.

Open the nSuns calculatorWhere this fits: intermediate

Is this a fit?

Choose this if:
you want weekly progression and can fit a substantial amount of barbell work into four, five or six training days.
You need:
a barbell, rack, bench and equipment for your chosen assistance. Most days contain nine main-lift sets and eight second-lift sets before assistance.
Consider another option if:
that workload does not fit your week. Compare 5/3/1 BBB for cycle-based progression, or GZCLP for a novice plan.
Start here:
choose the version you can attend consistently, then enter a current max or recent set in the calculator. Four days drops the standalone press day; six days adds focus work, not a higher experience badge.

nSuns 5/3/1 LP is a spreadsheet. A Reddit user called nSuns built it in 2016 by taking Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 percentages, compressing the three-week wave into a single day per lift, adding six back-off sets, and moving the training max every week instead of every cycle. He posted it with the note that it took his squat, bench and deadlift total “from 905 to 1215” in about six months, and r/Fitness has been running it ever since.

Every number on this page comes from the formulas in that spreadsheet, not from a summary of it.

How a day works

Two barbell lifts, then whatever assistance you want. From the original post: “Each day you warm up to the first lift shown, do all the sets in the row for the weight and reps listed, then move onto the second lift. There are two programmed lifts per day, after which you will do accessory work to your needs or desires.”

The first lift is the day’s main lift for 9 sets. On every day but the volume bench day, set 3 is a 1+ at 95%: one rep required, as many as you can. The second lift is a lighter variation for 8 sets.

The training max

Enter a 1RM; the sheet sets the training max at 90% of it and rounds up to the nearest 5 lb or 2.5 kg. Every set is a percentage of that training max, rounded to the nearest 5 lb or 2.5 kg, with exact halves rounding up. That is how the spreadsheet does it, and it is why some calculators disagree with it by 5 lb on certain sets. From the second week on you type over the training max yourself, so it is always a round number.

The sets

Percent of the lift’s own training max.

Day type Sets
Volume bench (day 1) 65 × 8, 75 × 6, 85 × 4, 85 × 4, 85 × 4, 80 × 5, 75 × 6, 70 × 7, 65 × 8
Squat, press 75 × 5, 85 × 3, 95 × 1+, 90 × 3, 85 × 3, 80 × 3, 75 × 5, 70 × 5, 65 × 5
Bench 75 × 5, 85 × 3, 95 × 1+, 90 × 3, 85 × 5, 80 × 3, 75 × 5, 70 × 3, 65 × 5
Deadlift 75 × 5, 85 × 3, 95 × 1+, 90 × 3, 85 × 3, 80 × 3, 75 × 3, 70 × 3, 65 × 3

The rep counts differ between bench, squat and deadlift on purpose. The second lifts use the training max of the lift they come from:

Second lift Of Sets
Press (under volume bench) press TM 50 × 6, 60 × 5, 70 × 3, 70 × 5, 70 × 7, 70 × 4, 70 × 6, 70 × 8
Sumo deadlift deadlift TM 50 × 5, 60 × 5, 70 × 3, 70 × 5, 70 × 7, 70 × 4, 70 × 6, 70 × 8
Close-grip bench, incline bench bench TM 40 × 6, 50 × 5, 60 × 3, 60 × 5, 60 × 7, 60 × 4, 60 × 6, 60 × 8
Front squat squat TM 35 × 5, 45 × 5, 55 × 3, 55 × 5, 55 × 7, 55 × 4, 55 × 6, 55 × 8

The versions

Day 4-day 5-day 6-day, deadlift 6-day, squat
1 Bench (volume) + press Bench (volume) + press Bench (volume) + press Bench (volume) + press
2 Squat + sumo Squat + sumo Deadlift + front squat Squat + sumo
3 Bench + close-grip Press + incline Press + incline Press + incline
4 Deadlift + front squat Deadlift + front squat Squat + sumo Deadlift + front squat
5 Bench + close-grip Bench + close-grip Bench + close-grip
6 Deadlift 8 × 3 at 72.5% + front squat 6 × 3 at 56.25% Squat 8 × 3 at 72.5% + sumo 6 × 3 at 56.25%

The 5-day is the one nSuns ran and the one most people mean. The 4-day drops the press day, so the press only appears as a second lift. The 6-day versions add a third day of the focus lift with eight triples.

Assistance per day, from the sheet: chest, arms and back on day 1; legs and abs on squat day; shoulders and chest on press day; back and abs on deadlift day; arms on the second bench day; upper back and legs on day 6. The author’s whole instruction on it: “Assistance work is done with bodybuilding sets/reps, and can be changed to fit your needs.”

Progression

Once a week per lift, after its 1+ set, count the reps you got:

Reps on the 1+ set Training max
0 or 1 hold
2 or 3 +5 lb / +2.5 kg
4 or 5 +5 to 10 lb / +2.5 to 5 kg
more than 5 +10 to 15 lb / +5 to 7.5 kg

The volume bench day has no 1+ set and never moves the bench training max; the bench top day does. There is no deload and no stall rule in the sheet. A bad week holds the number. The sheet does not define a two-week reset rule; repeated misses are a reason to review your inputs and training, not proof of a single cause.

Calculator

Enter your 1RMs, pick a version, and get every set of the week with plates per side. The “after this week” box turns your 1+ reps into next week’s training max.

Units
Round to
Enter
1RM per lift
lb
lb
lb
lb
Version
Squat TM285 lb
Bench TM205 lb
Deadlift TM365 lb
Press TM125 lb

Day 1

AssistanceChest, arms, back

Bench (volume)TM 205 lb

  1. 135×845
  2. 155×645, 10
  3. 175×445, 10, 10
  4. 175×445, 10, 10
  5. 175×445, 10, 10
  6. 165×545, 10, 5
  7. 155×645, 10
  8. 145×745, 5
  9. 135×845

PressTM 125 lb

  1. 65×610
  2. 75×510, 5
  3. 90×310, 10, 2.5
  4. 90×510, 10, 2.5
  5. 90×710, 10, 2.5
  6. 90×410, 10, 2.5
  7. 90×610, 10, 2.5
  8. 90×810, 10, 2.5

Day 2

AssistanceLegs, abs

SquatTM 285 lb

  1. 215×545, 25, 10, 5
  2. 240×345, 45, 5, 2.5
  3. 270×1+45, 45, 10, 10, 2.5
  4. 255×345, 45, 10, 5
  5. 240×345, 45, 5, 2.5
  6. 230×345, 45, 2.5
  7. 215×545, 25, 10, 5
  8. 200×545, 25, 5, 2.5
  9. 185×545, 25

Sumo deadliftof deadlift TM 365 lb

  1. 185×545, 25
  2. 220×545, 25, 10, 5, 2.5
  3. 255×345, 45, 10, 5
  4. 255×545, 45, 10, 5
  5. 255×745, 45, 10, 5
  6. 255×445, 45, 10, 5
  7. 255×645, 45, 10, 5
  8. 255×845, 45, 10, 5

Day 3

AssistanceShoulders, chest

PressTM 125 lb

  1. 95×525
  2. 105×325, 5
  3. 120×1+25, 10, 2.5
  4. 115×325, 10
  5. 105×325, 5
  6. 100×325, 2.5
  7. 95×525
  8. 90×510, 10, 2.5
  9. 80×510, 5, 2.5

Incline benchof bench TM 205 lb

  1. 80×610, 5, 2.5
  2. 105×525, 5
  3. 125×325, 10, 5
  4. 125×525, 10, 5
  5. 125×725, 10, 5
  6. 125×425, 10, 5
  7. 125×625, 10, 5
  8. 125×825, 10, 5

Day 4

AssistanceBack, abs

DeadliftTM 365 lb

  1. 275×545, 45, 25
  2. 310×345, 45, 25, 10, 5, 2.5
  3. 345×1+45, 45, 45, 10, 5
  4. 330×345, 45, 45, 5, 2.5
  5. 310×345, 45, 25, 10, 5, 2.5
  6. 290×345, 45, 25, 5, 2.5
  7. 275×345, 45, 25
  8. 255×345, 45, 10, 5
  9. 235×345, 45, 5

Front squatof squat TM 285 lb

  1. 100×525, 2.5
  2. 130×525, 10, 5, 2.5
  3. 155×345, 10
  4. 155×545, 10
  5. 155×745, 10
  6. 155×445, 10
  7. 155×645, 10
  8. 155×845, 10

Day 5

AssistanceArms, other

BenchTM 205 lb

  1. 155×545, 10
  2. 175×345, 10, 10
  3. 195×1+45, 25, 5
  4. 185×345, 25
  5. 175×545, 10, 10
  6. 165×345, 10, 5
  7. 155×545, 10
  8. 145×345, 5
  9. 135×545

Close-grip benchof bench TM 205 lb

  1. 80×610, 5, 2.5
  2. 105×525, 5
  3. 125×325, 10, 5
  4. 125×525, 10, 5
  5. 125×725, 10, 5
  6. 125×425, 10, 5
  7. 125×625, 10, 5
  8. 125×825, 10, 5

After this week

Enter the reps you got on each 1+ set. The TM moves once a week per lift: 0 or 1 rep holds it, 2 or 3 add 5 lb (2.5 kg), 4 or 5 add 5 to 10, more than 5 add 10 to 15. The low end is shown first.

reps

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reps

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Worked example

The spreadsheet ships with a sample lifter: squat 450, bench 300, deadlift 460, press 160. Training maxes: 405, 270, 415, 145. The calculator reproduces its cells exactly; two days of the 4-day version:

Day 2 Squat (TM 405) Sumo deadlift (of 415)
1 305 × 5 210 × 5
2 345 × 3 250 × 5
3 385 × 1+ 290 × 3
4 365 × 3 290 × 5
5 345 × 3 290 × 7
6 325 × 3 290 × 4
7 305 × 5 290 × 6
8 285 × 5 290 × 8
9 265 × 5
Day 4 Deadlift (TM 415) Front squat (of 405)
1 310 × 5 140 × 5
2 355 × 3 180 × 5
3 395 × 1+ 225 × 3
4 375 × 3 225 × 5
5 355 × 3 225 × 7
6 330 × 3 225 × 4
7 310 × 3 225 × 6
8 290 × 3 225 × 8
9 270 × 3

Say the squat 1+ at 385 goes for 4 reps and the deadlift 1+ at 395 for 7. Next week the squat training max is 410 (up to 415) and the deadlift 425 (up to 430). The bench 1+ at 255 for a single rep holds at 270.

In kilograms, a 140 kg squat gives a training max of 127.5 (126 rounded up), and the top set is 120 × 1+. Three reps there is +2.5 kg next week.

Mistakes

  • A training max from a 1RM you hit once, two years ago. The 1+ set should give you 2 to 4 reps in week one. One rep or none means the number is high; drop the 1RM you entered, not the sets.
  • Counting the volume bench day as a 1+ day. It is not one. Bench moves on its top day only.
  • Bumping the training max mid-week. Each lift moves once, after its own 1+ day. The sheet expects you to edit the number before next week, not before the next set.
  • Chasing the high end of every band. The sheet gives ranges. Use the progression bands in context; their upper limits are not a promise of sustainable weekly gains.
  • Adding a second program’s worth of assistance. Seventeen barbell sets a day is the program. The author’s own accessory note is one sentence.
  • Running it on a cut. nSuns posted it alongside a weight-gain plan. The volume wants calories.
  • Treating the second lift as optional. Front squats at 55% and sumo at 70% are the hypertrophy half of the day. Skip them and it is a 9-set program.

Questions lifters ask

Do you add exactly 5 lb for 2 to 3 reps, or more?
Follow the sheet: 2 or 3 reps is 5 lb, 4 or 5 is 5 to 10, more than 5 is 10 to 15. Take the low end unless the set was easy. The TM is the one number you carry forward, so keep it honest. Thread
I got 0 reps on the 1+ set. How much do I drop the TM?
The sheet says hold it. The sheet does not specify a reset after two weeks. Check whether your input reflects a current max, then review your training before deciding on a change. Thread
I hit the 1+ set for 3 but missed a rep on a back-off set. Do I still add?
By the sheet, yes: its progression table reads only the 1+ set. Its other line, "if you were able to complete all the reps", is why people hesitate. One missed back-off rep is noise; the same miss every week means the TM is high. Thread
The 3-rep set after the 1+ set is the hardest set of the day. Normal?
Yes, 90% for 3 right after an all-out single is the heaviest work of the week. Rest fully before it. If it fails every week, the TM is high. Thread
How hard do you go on the deadlift 1+ set?
Hard enough to count. The 1+ set is the only input the program has, so a lazy single tells it to hold the TM. Stop when the next rep would be ugly, not when it would be slow. Thread
Bench is stalling on the 5-day. What now?
Bench gets a volume day and a top day each week. Hold the TM a week, check that the 1+ set is at 95% of a TM you own, and leave the accessories alone. Thread
What do I run after nSuns?
Review your recent sets, training maxes and recovery before switching. If you want cycle-based progression, compare 5/3/1 BBB; the sheet does not prescribe a one-month switching deadline. Thread

Make your next workout count

Choose a program that fits your week, then calculate your weights.

Ready to work toward more muscle and strength? Follow guided workouts and see your progress with Physique.

The app includes 5/3/1 BBB and GZCLP. Check the program library for the full built-in list.

Sources

nSuns 5/3/1 LP was created by the Reddit user nSuns and builds on Jim Wendler's 5/3/1. Physique is not affiliated with or endorsed by nSuns. 5/3/1 was created by Jim Wendler. Physique is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jim Wendler or Jim Wendler LLC.