5/3/1 Upper Lower Calculator

Enter your lifts and get a complete four-day 5/3/1 upper/lower split - main sets with every weight calculated, plus a balanced assistance block for each day.

Your lifts

Weight × reps of a recent hard set for each lift.

Training max

Run Upper Lower in the 531 Tracker app

The app generates the same split, pre-fills every main-lift weight, logs your assistance sets and rest times, tracks your AMRAP PRs and bumps your training maxes when the cycle ends. Works offline, no account needed.

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What is the 5/3/1 Upper Lower split?

The Upper Lower template is 5/3/1 laid out like a classic four-day upper/lower split. Each day still opens with one main lift and its three 5/3/1 working sets - press, deadlift, bench, squat - but instead of supplemental sets of the same lift, the rest of the session is a balanced assistance block: pressing, pulling, arms and shoulders on the upper days, and quads, hamstrings and core on the lower days.

It is the template for people who want 5/3/1's strength progression on the big lifts and a physique-style layout for everything else. The standard templates train the main lifts hard and leave arms and shoulders to look after themselves; this one gives them their own work. The calculator above builds the full cycle - enter a recent hard set for each lift and every main-lift weight is worked out and rounded to what you can load.

The assistance block

Each day's assistance is chosen to cover what the main lift does not:

  • Upper days (press and bench): an incline dumbbell press for a second pressing angle, a chin-up or dumbbell row so pulling volume matches pushing, then curls, overhead tricep extensions and lateral raises for the arms and shoulders. Three sets of ten, lateral raises three of fifteen.
  • Deadlift day: squats for three sets of ten as a light second leg movement, leg curls, and hanging leg raises.
  • Squat day: Romanian deadlifts for three sets of ten, leg extensions, and hanging leg raises.

The squats on deadlift day and Romanian deadlifts on squat day are the closest thing this template has to supplemental work. Keep them light - around half your training max is plenty - and treat them as assistance, not a second main lift.

Choosing assistance weights

The calculator does not assign assistance weights, because they depend on the movement and on you. The rule is simple: pick a weight you can do for all the prescribed reps with one or two in reserve, and when you complete every set with good form, add a little next time. For dumbbell work that usually means moving up one dumbbell; for machines, one plate.

The assistance is there to build muscle and balance, not to set records. If it starts affecting your main sets - a bench day that feels flat because of Monday's arm work - you are going too heavy on it, not too light.

PR sets or 5s PRO?

PR sets. With no heavy supplemental work after the main lift, there is nothing competing with the AMRAP set, so take it and chase rep records. 5s PRO is available in the calculator if you want a lower-stress cycle, but it is not the natural fit here.

Upper Lower or Boring But Big?

Both are four-day templates aimed at size, and they get there differently. Boring But Big adds 5×10 of the main lift and almost nothing else - the size comes from a great deal of squatting, pressing and pulling. Upper Lower keeps the main lift to its three sets and spreads the rest of the session across the whole body, including muscles BBB never trains directly.

Choose BBB if you want bigger main lifts and are happy for your physique to follow. Choose Upper Lower if you want a balanced, gym-split feel with direct arm and shoulder work, or if you are coming to 5/3/1 from a bodybuilding routine and want the main lifts to progress without giving up the accessory work you enjoy.

Who it's for

Lifters who care about how they look as well as what they lift. Anyone moving from a push/pull/legs or "bro split" to 5/3/1 who wants a familiar structure. And anyone who has run the strength templates for a while and wants a cycle with more variety and direct arm work. It runs well for long stretches because the main-lift volume is low and the assistance is easy to recover from.

It is not the template for pure strength - First Set Last or Boring But Strong do that job better - and beginners should start with 5/3/1 for Beginners rather than a split.

Common mistakes

  1. Going heavy on the assistance. It is there to build muscle with reps in reserve, not to be a second set of main lifts.
  2. Adding more exercises. Five movements on an upper day is already a full session. If you want more, add a set, not an exercise.
  3. Skipping the lower-day assistance. Three movements after a squat or deadlift is not much; do them.
  4. Neglecting the main lift. The 5/3/1 sets and the AMRAP are still the point of the day. Do them first, do them properly, and do not let the arm work rush them.
  5. Training max too high. The same rule as every template: 85% of your estimated max, and hold it if you miss reps.

Questions about the Upper Lower template

Is this a 5/3/1 template or a bodybuilding split?

Both. The main lifts follow 5/3/1 exactly - three working sets at the standard percentages, an AMRAP on the last set, and the training max going up every cycle. The rest of each day is laid out like an upper/lower bodybuilding split, with direct work for the chest, back, arms, shoulders, quads, hamstrings and core.

Which days are upper and which are lower?

Day 1 (overhead press) and day 3 (bench press) are upper days; day 2 (deadlift) and day 4 (squat) are lower days. Run them in that order with a rest day where you need one - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday is the usual pattern.

What weights should I use for the assistance exercises?

A weight you can lift for all the prescribed reps with one or two left in reserve. When you complete every set with good form, go up slightly next session. The calculator leaves assistance weights blank because they depend on the equipment and on you; the app lets you log them and remembers what you used.

Why are there squats on deadlift day and Romanian deadlifts on squat day?

So each lower day trains both sides of the legs: the main lift plus a light movement for the other pattern. Keep them light - three sets of ten at around half your training max - and treat them as assistance. They are not supplemental work in the BBB sense.

Should I use PR sets or 5s PRO?

PR sets. There is no heavy supplemental work competing with the AMRAP set, so there is no reason to give up the rep records. The calculator offers 5s PRO if you want an easier cycle.

Upper Lower or Boring But Big for size?

BBB builds size through volume on the main lifts - 5×10 of squats, presses and pulls. Upper Lower builds it through a balanced block of assistance including direct arm and shoulder work. BBB is the stronger choice for bigger lifts; Upper Lower for a more balanced physique and a gym-split feel.

How long should I run it?

As long as you like. The main-lift volume is low and the assistance is easy to recover from, so unlike BBB or BBS there is no reason to cycle off it. Change the assistance exercises every few cycles if you want variety, and deload after every second cycle.

Can I swap the assistance exercises?

Yes. Swap like for like - a different pressing angle, row or curl variation, a leg press for leg extensions - and keep the sets and reps. The app lets you edit the assistance for each day. What you should not do is add exercises; five on an upper day is a full session.

Does the calculator include the deload week?

Yes. The cycle is three working weeks, and a deload week at 40%, 50% and 60% for sets of five on the main lifts is shown separately, to run after every second cycle. Cut the assistance to a couple of light sets that week or drop it altogether.

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