5/3/1 Building the Monolith

5/3/1 Building the Monolith (BtM) was created by Jim Wendler, world renowned powerlifter and coach. BtM is designed for advanced athletes with many years of consistent training under their belt.

Building the Monolith is a popular advanced program known for building size. BtM runs in 6 week cycles, with a basic weekly periodization on the main compounds movements–Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press–of Medium/Light/Heavy intensity for 3 weeks, then repeats with an extra ~5 lbs for upper body lifts and ~10 lbs for lower body lifts in the last 3 weeks.

There is A LOT of volume in the program for accessory lifts with 100 chins/facepulls/dips every Monday, 100 rows/curls every Wednesday, and 5x5 weighted chins, 100 facepulls/shrugs and widowmaker sets every Friday.

To learn more about Jim's famous 5/3/1 training philosophy, be sure to check out his 5/3/1 Forever book, which collects all of Jim's thinking on 5/3/1 with the latest training methods (e.g., anchors and leaders) and over 50 different 5/3/1 training templates. Go to www.jimwendler.com to learn more.

5/3/1 BBB is free on Boostcamp App. If you're a novice or early stage intermediate lifter, check out 5/3/1 for Beginners or 5/3/1 Boring But Big, which are also free on Boostcamp.

531 BTM PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS

Setting your Training Max for 5/3/1 BtM
According to Jim Wendler, if you are smart, you should first run the program for 6 weeks with a lower than you think TM (85% of your 1RM). Assess how you feel, and increase or decrease your 1RM for the next training cycle.

This means that when you are starting the program, enter ~85% of your actual 1RM in the Boostcamp program onboarding.

Adjusting your Training Max after Week 3

Once you're done Week 3, you need to manually adjust your 1RM in Program Settings, which will calculate your increased weights for the last 3 weeks of the program.

Add 2.5-5 lbs (or 1-2.5 kg) for Bench Press and Overhead Press, and add 5-10 lbs (or 2.5-5 kg) for Squat and Deadlift. The increases are general guidelines and assume that you were able to complete all the sets and weights required in the first 3 weeks.

Starting another cycle after week 6

Once you complete 6 weeks of 531 BtM, you've completed one cycle of the program. To begin a new cycle, you can automatically do so in the app. Note that 5/3/1 BtM is an incredibly intensive program, and is generally not recommended to be done for back-to-back cycles without breaks.

531 BTM FAQ

Difference between 5/3/1 BBB & Building the Monolith?

Overall, 531 BtM is harder and even more physically demanding than 531 BBB. Trainees who've had experiences with both would recommend starting with 531 BBB, which can be run for many cycles back-to-back with great results. 531 BBB is aimed for advanced, highly dedicated lifters.

How to eat on 531 Building the Monolith?

531 BtM requires a lot of dedication in the gym and outside of the gym. This means that in terms of diet, you need to be eating right. Per Jim Wendler, he had athletes eating 1.5 pound of ground beef a day and a dozen eggs a day, along with other meals, for 6 weeks. Read his original article for details.

5/3/1 Building the Monolith reviews and results

You can find 5/3/1 building the monolith reviews below or on Reddit r/weightroom. It is a popular advanced programs that people have seen incredible size and strength gains from.

5/3/1 Building the Monolith app

5/3/1 Building the Monolith app is free on Boostcamp, the last lifting app you'll ever need. Boostcamp is not affiliated with Jim Wendler. For more info on Jim Wendler's training philosophy, be sure to visit www.jimwendler.com for his writing, books, and store.