93 reviews for 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.
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 training methods. Go to www.jimwendler.com to learn more.
5/3/1 BBB is free on Boostcamp App. Also check out 5/3/1 for Beginners or 5/3/1 Boring But Big, which are also free on Boostcamp.
Read the full 5/3/1 program guide below.
Gustaf H.
Man, 233 weeks complete
1 year of prior experience
Less than expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Did not fit to well with my goals but i have it a try
Sigrunn
Woman, 275 weeks complete
5 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Very doable. Great progression from week to week and easy to modify after need.
Girth lord
Man, 343 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Do you want mass? Because this is how you get mass. Long time 531 classic with periodization Bible as my go to. This is a nice change of pace and an excellent way to challenge yourself. I superset everything I can for the sake of time, and that turns it up some. Good luck.
Justin P.
Man, 363 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
I had been doing 531 BBB for sometime before finally getting "bored". This program is challenging and requires significantly more focus, energy and time. The results have been great and I certainly gained more muscle mass than I expected. The only modifications I made were for the conditioning portions, I used my rower instead of the AirDyne bike. Otherwise, great program for pushing anybody stuck on a plateau or looking for something challenging.
Ken H.
Man, 583 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone looking to kick their strength gains up notch or two. Be prepared to work past the point you're ready to quit! That's where the gains live.
The BoNeless I.
Man3 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
I will continue this for 16 week and want to see how it will go
Bizon B.
Man3 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Great program, challenging but doable. Changed dips to weighted version but came back to bodyweight dips as they arę better for my shoulders and elbows
Daniel M.
Man, 483 weeks complete
5 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
I love the simplicity, the progressions and the exercise selection of the program. The percentages on the compound lifts are spot on. I have already recommended this program to a friend that is a fan of Jim Wendler’s 5-3-1 program. I have gained roughly 3-5 pounds of muscle and dropped a noticeable amount of body fat. My strength has increased on all the compound lifts, especially my Overhead Press. My plan is to run back through the program again, for another 6 weeks. Love this program!!
Kris R.
Man, 425 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Swapped some of the ohp for incline bench, and added some weighted dips. 2 of the 4 weeks I swapped sqats for legpress
Man, 37
3 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
So good.