What is First Set Last?
First Set Last (FSL) is the 5/3/1 template most people should start with, and the one most people come back to. After the day's three main working sets, you go back to the weight of the first set - the lightest one - and do five sets of five with it. Then a small amount of assistance work.
Because the first set is 65%, 70% or 75% of your training max depending on the week, the FSL weight changes every week along with the main work. That is the main difference from Boring But Big, where the supplemental weight is fixed for the cycle and the volume is twice as high.
It is run four days a week, one main lift per day: overhead press, deadlift, bench press and squat. The calculator above builds the whole cycle - enter a recent hard set for each lift and every weight is worked out and rounded to what you can load.
5×5, or one set for reps?
There are two common ways to do FSL, and the calculator uses the first:
- 5×5 at the first-set weight. The standard version. Twenty-five quality reps at a weight you can handle with good bar speed. It builds strength and technique without leaving you wrecked, which is why it pairs so well with PR sets on the main work.
- One set for as many reps as possible. Sometimes called FSL AMRAP: after the main sets, take the first-set weight for a single all-out set, typically stopping around 10-20 reps. Less volume, more intensity. It suits lifters who want the session over quickly or who are running it as an anchor.
Some lifters run three to five sets of five to eight reps rather than a strict 5×5. That is the same idea with a bit of flexibility - if you have a good day, take a couple of extra reps on the last set.
PR sets or 5s PRO?
FSL works with either, and which one you pick decides what kind of cycle it is.
- PR sets - the last main set is an AMRAP and you try to beat your rep record. This is the classic pairing. The FSL sets afterwards are light enough that the AMRAP does not compromise them, and vice versa.
- 5s PRO - every main set is a straight five, no AMRAP. It is less draining, and it is the standard choice when FSL is used as a leader - two cycles building a base before an anchor cycle with PR sets.
If you are not sure, use PR sets. The point of FSL is that it leaves room for them.
Assistance work
FSL is the lightest of the supplemental templates, so this is where the assistance matters. The usual guidance is 50-100 reps each of a push, a pull and a single-leg or core movement per session. The calculator gives you two movements a day at 5×10 - chin-ups and face pulls on press day, hanging leg raises and back extensions on deadlift day, and so on - which is the low end of that range - add a set or two if you recover well. Swap in dips, rows, lunges or ab wheel work as you like; keep it to bodyweight and dumbbells and do not turn it into a second workout.
Conditioning fits well around FSL. Two or three sessions a week of hill sprints, prowler work or hard bike intervals will not hurt your recovery the way they would on Boring But Big.
Who FSL is for
Almost everyone. It is the usual recommendation for someone new to 5/3/1, because it adds useful volume without asking much of your recovery, and it is what many experienced lifters settle on for the long term. Specifically:
- New to 5/3/1. Run FSL with PR sets for your first few cycles. It teaches the percentages and the AMRAP sets without the volume of BBB.
- Strength first. Repeated sets of five at 65-75% are exactly the kind of practice that makes the main lifts go up.
- Dieting. FSL is the supplemental template that holds up best in a calorie deficit.
- Sport or conditioning alongside lifting. It leaves enough in the tank for other training.
If your goal is size above all, BBB is the better tool. If FSL 5×5 has become comfortable and you want more, Second Set Last is the same structure at the second-set weight.
Common mistakes
- Treating the 5×5 as heavy work. It is not. The FSL sets should be crisp and fast. If they are grinding, your training max is too high - drop it to 85% or below.
- Skipping the assistance. On BBB you can get away with a pull and some core work. On FSL the assistance is a bigger share of the training, so do it.
- Adding a bit of everything. FSL plus a few BBB sets plus a joker set is not a programme. Run the template as written for a full cycle before you change it.
- Never progressing beyond it. FSL is a great default, but after several cycles try SSL, or a BBB leader followed by an FSL anchor, and see what a change does.