The 1.3 Rotated 3×5 Full Body Strength Specific Training Program is available here on this page and discussed in detail. You will find a download of this workout program also on this page so you can print and take with you to the gym.
The PDF download includes the details for the each of the weight lifting workouts, the workout schedule, details on how to execute the workout program, a printable workout log, and a weight increase percentage table.
1.3 Rotated 3×5 Full Body Workout Download
WLC Level 1.3 Weight Lifting Workout ProgramWLC Level 1.3 Weight Lifting Workout ProgramSimply right click on the link above to download this particular workout program from the WLC Workouts Manual. All details you need to execute this workout program is included in this download as well as on the page as shown below.
If you need any help with this workout program or have any questions, please visit the forums and ask your questions there. I check the forums daily and answer questions there first as they are top priority.
Good luck with this workout program! I have used this particular program often over the years and it always gives great results. It's short, sweet, and produces results. Plus, you get the easier day in the middle of the week that helps you recover faster from the other weight training workouts in this program.
Give this one a shot. It might not feel like very much volume, but you will enjoy this weight lifting workout program. It will produce results.
Workout Details
There are 6 different weight lifting workouts in this weightlifting program that you will rotate throughout the schedule. This program only includes the best overall weight lifting exercises and does not need any other exercises added. Just stick with these, and you'll see why you don't need any other exercises for this workout program.
Workout A
1. Squat 3×5
2. Bench Press 3×5
3. Chin Up 3×5
Workout B
1. Squat 2×5
2. Overhead Press 3×5
3. Rows 3×5
Workout C
1. Squat 3×5
2. Bench Press 3×5
3. Pull Up 3×5
Workout D
1. Squat 3×5
2. Overhead Press 3×5
3. Chin Up 3×5
Workout E
1. Squat 2×5
2. Bench Press 3×5
3. Deadlift 1×5
Workout F
1. Squat 3×5
2. Overhead Press 3×5
3. Pull Up 3×5
Workout Schedule
The workout schedule will be 3 days per week with 4 days of rest. Each workout has at least 1 day of full rest between workouts. This is the optimal weight lifting schedule for building muscle that allows proper rest and recovery between workouts.
Volume is kept very low in this workout program and an extra active recovery workout is included in the middle of each week with squats using 20% less weight than the previous workout. The other exercises will continue to use higher intensity during that middle workout, but taking it easy on squats allows you to recover faster from the other workouts.
Week 1 Workout Schedule
Week 1, Day 1 = Workout A
Week 1, Day 2 = Off
Week 1, Day 3 = Workout B
Week 1, Day 4 = Off
Week 1, Day 5 = Workout C
Week 1, Day 6 = Off
Week 1, Day 7 = Off
Week 2 Workout Schedule
Week 2, Day 1 = Workout D
Week 2, Day 2 = Off
Week 2, Day 3 = Workout E
Week 2, Day 4 = Off
Week 2, Day 5 = Workout F
Week 2, Day 6 = Off
Week 2, Day 7 = Off
Repeat Schedule
Explanation of Workout Program
You can see that the squat movement is done every workout. During the middle workout of each week, the weight will be decreased by 20% to give your body and mind a chance to recover. Rows and deadlifts are alternated on a weekly basis. Notice that the bench press and the overhead press are alternated every other workout. Chin ups are done once per week during the first workout of the week while pull ups are done once per week during the last workout of the week. Each exercise will use a constant amount of weight for all sets.
Starting Weights
You should start with 10% less than your previous rep maxes on each exercise. This means you will not reach new personal records until the end of Week 4. So take your current rep maxes on each exercise and reduce them by 10%. That will be your starting weight for each exercise. Each exercise will be increased by 2.5% each week as possible.
Plan of Progression
Only increase the weight when you have done all sets with good form at a given weight. Squat weight will be increased by 2.5% once per week during Workout C and Workout F. For the Squat, Workout B and Workout E will use 20% less weight than the previous Workout A and Workout D, respectively. Workout D for the Squat will use same weight as previous Workout C. Workout A will use previous Squat weight from Workout F. Bench and Press will be increased by 2.5% every other time the exercise is done. Chin Ups and Pull Ups will increase by 2.5% each time they are done, if possible. Rows and Deadlifts are alternated each week and will increase by 5% each time the exercise is done.
Stalling and What to Do
If you haven't increased the weight on a given exercise for 3 consecutive chances, you are stalling on that exercise. Decrease the weight by 10% on that exercise, and continue increasing from there once again. You may end up stalling on the overhead press sooner than other exercises. To prevent this, you might decrease weight increases from 2.5% to 2% or less. Use fractional plates as needed to prevent stalling. Simply monitor your progress each workout and make smaller jumps in weight as the exercise gets harder. Any weight increase is progress even if it's a small increase.
When to Stop This Program
Stop this program once squats or deadlifts stall for the second time. As long as you are making progress on squats and deadlifts, you must continue the program. Make this program last as long as possible. This means you are getting stronger and stronger the longer you can last with this program. Reset the other exercises as many times as needed and use fractional plates to prevent stalling for as long as possible.
Intensity Level
This program is very low volume. Intensity will stay rather low up until you begin to reach new levels of strength. Intensity will increase as the program continues and the weight gets heavier. You will most likely be going to failure on several sets by the end of the program.
Other Details
In order to learn proper form and technique for these exercises, you can watch the videos on the Weight Lifting Complete website: 7 Core Weight Lifting Exercises. Within those videos, you will see a man by the name of Mark Rippetoe coaching others. He has written a book and made a DVD that you really should have if you want to learn how to do the exercises properly. Here is a link to his book named “Starting Strength” and his “Starting Strength DVD.” The book along with the DVD are great for learning how to do the exercises properly on your own. I highly, highly recommend them.
Eventually, if not now, you will need a way to add weight around your waist for chin ups and dips. No matter where you are at right now, it’s going to happen sometime in the near future. Men and women of all sizes will not only be able to do chin ups and dips but will also be adding extra weight around their waists to make the exercises even more difficult. I highly recommend a hip belt from Ironmind but there are much cheaper alternatives that will work: weight belt.
Crystal says
So I am a mother of two, work full time, work in the side ect. I am killing myself trying to workout 5-6 days a week. My results are slow moving. My diet is pretty good. So if I follow this plan I only need these three days of workouts? No cardio at all? I have heard so many different rules, three days on one day off, 5-6 days a week with two days of cardio. Any advice would help. It so hard to know what is right.
President of WLC says
Hey Crystal,
I actually recommend starting with the 1.1 BASE 3×5 Full Body Strength Specific Training Program if you’re just starting here at WLC.
Yes, you will only need 3 days of workouts BUT I would recommend doing some warm-up cardio or mobility exercises before the weight lifting workouts and some higher intensity cardio directly after the weight lifting workout. This might be 15 minutes of high intensity interval training.
Combining the weights and cardio on the same day will help save you additional time.
I’m not sure what you’ve been doing or your experience with weight lifting, but focusing on increasing the weight each and every workout even by a small amount will lead to amazing results. Also measure your progress with cardio in some way and always try to beat the previous workout.
If you don’t mind, could you list out a typical day of eating? You should strive for a large variety of different foods and stay away from any foods that are negative calorie foods (or foods that aren’t providing your body with complete nutrition). So no junk foods. Many people don’t realize that some foods are junk foods… for example, apple juice from typical grocery stores is junk.
Let me know if you have further questions. Good luck!
Crystal says
Thank you so much for answering me.
A typical day for food is:
BF: Oatmeal with fruit, greek yogurt, granola OR egg white omalete with veggies.
LUNCH: Spinach Salad, Grilled chicken, Rasberry Vinagrette Dressing or Chicken Sandwhich with carrots or fruit
DINNER: This is the meal I struggle with keeping about the same. But i try to have protein weather it is chicken, egg, or lean meat, with sweat potato or brown rice and a veggie.
SNACK: Protein shake, or carrots with hummus, or a bowl of fruit.
I try very hard to stay away from junk food, but i do find myself having a cookie here or there. which i know is bad, but if i do have one, i 99% will not have more then one a day if that. I been trying to come up with a healthier alternative when i am craving sweets.
I know I am lacking in the healthy fat. I am not really into almonds, so my go to healthy fats are peanut butter and avacodo (which to be honest I don’t eat enough)
I have been reading a ton of the info on your site, which is VERY helpful!!
I have worked out on and off for years now, but with in the past year and a half became very serious. I used to do a lot of cardio (like insanity, t25), but then i was introduced to crossfit which i really like, but I can’t afford a gym and I never know what to put together to make a workout success full. This is what I like about your workouts though. It doesn’t use machines (I am not a fan of), and since I work from home I don’t have any. i am in the process of slowly building my home gym. I do not have a power rack which is something i really need to save up n buy sooner then later because my squats can only be like 60lbs bc I can’t lift more then that over my head 🙁 work in progress.
President of WLC says
Crystal, you are very welcome.
Breakfast looks good, but I would 100% have the entire whole eggs versus egg whites. Please read this: Are Whole Eggs Healthy? Also, you might try adding peanut butter to your oatmeal as it’s very good and gives you some extra healthy fats.
For lunch, I would add some homemade oil and vinegar dressing to the spinach salad (especially the oil is important… a mixture with Udo’s Choice Oil is great). I have a recipe somewhere I can find if you’re interested.
Remember to always have as much variety as possible from day to day and meal to meal. Different foods give you different benefits. If you eat the same things every single day, you might be missing out on some very important nutrients that are very beneficial to your body.
Something I recommend is entering all the foods you normally eat each day at this website: Nutrition Data and see how you fare in terms of all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. As an example, you’ll see if your diet it anti-inflammatory… if it isn’t, this may be a cause of joint pain (as one example).
I am not a fan of weight training machines at all. Some can be good but most aren’t. Nothing beats free weights!
Let me know if you have further questions and good luck!
Crystal says
Thank you. Great article on the eggs. It honestly is so hard to tell what is wrong or right.
Y should I put the oil in salad? Is it for the fat? Do u have a link to that oil?
Last question… When I can I try to track my food in myfitnesspal, do u know how that differs from that nutrition site?
I feel like I keep limiting the foods I eat bc I am unsure of what I can eat. It seems like u have a ton of info so I will try n keep reading every minute I can.
President of WLC says
Crystal,
Yes, the oil would provide you healthy fats at a good ratio. Many people include plenty of fat in their diets but their ratio of the type of healthy fats can be too high for Omega 6 versus Omega 3 fats. Please don’t get caught up in that too much but eating more fatty fish that is wild caught can help that ratio as fish can be high in Omega 3. Flax oil too.
The oil I’ve used a lot myself is Udo’s Choice Oil but it can be a little on the expensive side. It does go great with oil, though for a good oil and vinegar salad dressing.
Here’s a recipe from Mike Geary that we have used that tastes great:
1/3rd of container filled with balsamic vinegar
1/3rd of container filled with apple cider vinegar
Fill the remaining 1/3rd of container with equal parts of extra virgin olive oil and Udo’s Choice EFA Oil Blend
Add just a small touch (approx 1 or 2 teaspoons) of real maple syrup
Add a little bit of onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper and then shake the container to mix all ingredients well.
I don’t know much about MyFitnessPal. The nutrition data website gives the most detail I have personally ever seen about vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. It also gives you an inflammation rating for each food and an overall rating. It works pretty well. And everything was free last time I used it.
Really…
You want to eat food that is natural and hasn’t been modified in any way. Usually, if it’s in a bright and colorful package… it isn’t good. You want to look for foods with a very small list of ingredients. For example, the ingredients list for an apple is “apple.” For a protein bar, you will see all kinds of ingredients that are not healthy. So 99% of protein bars are not healthy even though they are marketed to us as healthy foods.
Another example…
Pure butter from grass fed cows is very, very healthy and is high in fat BUT it got such a bad reputation a long time ago. When that happened, overall health in this country has declined as we switched to very low fat diets (NOT good) and butter alternatives that will really kill you over time.
I will help however I can. Just let me know if you have questions.
Peter says
Hi Josh,
I am about to start this program, I just have a question about the starting weight.
Your instructions call for starting with 10% less than my previous rep maxes on each of the exercises. I have always documented my weight progression, but it’s been quite a while since if reached by maxes (about nine months). Since then I’ve used two of your weight plans that had other goals than reaching and increasing my maximum. I have the feeling that I would reach a plateau quite early if I really took my maxes as a basis for calcuating how to procede. My feeling is that I should start a little lower and maybe increase a little faster if I see that I am able to. What are your thoughts on that?
By the way, what do you think about suplementting this low-volume workout with some easy isolation exercises like calf raises or cable flies for the chest? Would that be OK or might that lead to lesser strength gains.
Thanks!
Peter
President of WLC says
Hey Peter, nice to see you around! Hope everything has been going great for you. Yes, it’s okay to start even lighter and increase by feel. Maybe try 20% lighter than your previous rep maxes instead of 10% lighter. If you’ve lost more strength, you go to 25% or even 30% if you want to take your time building strength again. Larger increments between workouts actually leads to increased muscle gains so keep that in mind as well. You don’t want to plateau too early, though, so it’s a give and take relationship. A couple isolation exercises are fine BUT do I wouldn’t do too much volume, intensity, or frequency of those isolation exercises. You have to take into account the big picture in order to know if this will be too much for you. Each individual is different. Just some of the factors that matter are (1) your recovery ability, (2) genetics, (3) nutrition intake, (4) water intake, (5) quality of sleep, and much more. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Peter says
Hey Josh,
Many thanks for the fast reply! I went ahead and experimented with the
weights for the exercises before settling on a starting weight and I hope I’ve settled on a good starting weight. – It’s actually about 20% below my previous max. weight.
Another small question: In a low volume workout like this, what would be your recommendation for the rest between sets and exercises? I was considering going with 120 sec.
Best,
Peter
President of WLC says
Peter, depending on your fitness levels I would rest as much as needed to get most of your strength back between sets. I use weight lifting to build strength as much as possible. You want to overload the muscles with as much weight as possible. I do not use weight lifting to increase fitness levels and conditioning. So I never push it with rest between sets. I use cardio and conditioning workouts to increase fitness levels which allows you to rest much less between sets so your workouts can go faster. You can use weight lifting workouts to increase your fitness levels but your overload factor will decrease and results for strength and muscle will slow. I hope I have explained this correctly. If you’re not sure what I am saying, please let me know. Again, great to hear from you again! Hope everything is going amazing for you!