nSuns 5/3/1 LP (5-Day)
The Program That Ate Reddit
Sometime around 2016, a Reddit user named /u/nSuns posted a program on r/Fitness that combined Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 percentage structure with the aggressive linear progression of a beginner program. The community lost its mind. Within months, r/nSuns had tens of thousands of subscribers, and "I'm running nSuns" had become one of the most common sentences in any lifting-related subreddit.
The appeal was obvious. Wendler's original 5/3/1 progresses monthly — you add weight to your training max every cycle, typically every 3-4 weeks. For intermediate lifters who are still capable of weekly or even session-to-session progress, this felt painfully slow. nSuns took the elegant percentage-based structure of 5/3/1 and bolted on a linear progression model: hit your AMRAP set, and if you got enough reps, your training max goes up next week. Not next month. Next week.
The result is a program that is brutally effective, brutally high-volume, and — in the grand tradition of internet lifting culture — tracked almost exclusively via Google Sheets.
How It Works
Each training day has two compound lifts: a T1 (main lift) with 9 sets, and a T2 (secondary lift) with 8 sets. Both follow specific percentage schemes based on your training max (TM). After the barbell work, you add 3-4 accessory exercises.
The 5-Day Split
| Day | T1 (9 sets) | T2 (8 sets) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Bench Press | OHP |
| Tuesday | Squat | Sumo Deadlift |
| Wednesday | OHP | Incline Bench |
| Thursday | Deadlift | Front Squat |
| Friday | Bench Press | Close-Grip Bench |
The Set Structure
The T1 lift follows a wave-loading pattern across 9 sets, building to a heavy AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) set, then backing off:
T1 Example (Bench Press):
| Set | Reps | % of TM |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 75% |
| 2 | 3 | 85% |
| 3 | 1+ (AMRAP) | 95% |
| 4 | 3 | 90% |
| 5 | 3 | 85% |
| 6 | 3 | 80% |
| 7 | 5 | 75% |
| 8 | 5 | 70% |
| 9 | 5+ (AMRAP) | 65% |
The third set is the money set — the 1+ AMRAP at 95% of your training max. How many reps you get here determines your progression.
The T2 lift uses a similar percentage wave but at lower intensities, typically ranging from 50% to 70% of its own training max across 8 sets.
Progression Rules
After each session, your training max for that T1 lift adjusts based on the AMRAP:
| Reps on 1+ Set | Upper Body | Lower Body |
|---|---|---|
| 0 reps | Decrease TM by 5 lbs / 2.5 kg | Decrease TM by 5 lbs / 2.5 kg |
| 1 rep | Keep TM the same | Keep TM the same |
| 2-3 reps | +5 lbs / 2.5 kg | +10 lbs / 5 kg |
| 4-5 reps | +5-10 lbs / 2.5-5 kg | +10-15 lbs / 5-7.5 kg |
| 6+ reps | +10-15 lbs / 5-7.5 kg | +15-20 lbs / 7.5-10 kg |
This is aggressive progression. It's also why the program works so well for intermediates — you're still riding the wave of neurological adaptation and can add weight weekly if the volume doesn't bury you.
The Accessories
nSuns only prescribes the T1 and T2 compound work. Accessories are up to you, which is both a strength and a source of endless Reddit threads asking "what accessories should I do?"
The general recommendation:
- 3-4 accessories per day, targeting muscle groups not hit by the compounds
- Pull work every session — the pressing volume is enormous, so rows and pull-ups are essential for shoulder health
- Face pulls — not optional, genuinely important for balancing the pressing volume
- Sets of 8-15 reps, 3-4 sets each
The .trn file below includes a recommended set of accessories for each day. Swap them based on your needs.
Who Should Run This
nSuns is for:
- Intermediate lifters who can still add weight weekly but have outgrown simple 5x5 programs
- Lifters who want to get strong fast and don't mind spending 75-90 minutes in the gym
- Anyone who responds well to high volume on compound lifts
- People who enjoy percentage-based training and want clear, quantified progression
nSuns is not for:
- Beginners — the volume is too high and the percentage structure is unnecessary when you can just add weight every session on a linear program
- Lifters who are time-constrained — 17 sets of compound work before accessories means sessions routinely hit 90 minutes
- Anyone with joint issues, particularly shoulders — the pressing volume (bench twice a week, OHP once, close-grip bench once, incline once) is extreme
- Lifters who don't eat enough — this program demands fuel. If you're in a caloric deficit, nSuns will eat you alive
The Spreadsheet Legacy
nSuns is arguably the most spreadsheet-dependent program ever created. The original was distributed as a Google Sheets template. Every percentage, every set, every rep is calculated from your training max. The community built dozens of variants — spreadsheets with accessory tracking, plate calculator tabs, macro tracking sidebars. For a few years, "nSuns spreadsheet" was one of the top autocomplete suggestions on Google for fitness-related terms.
The spreadsheets work. They also crash on mobile, require manual logging after every set, and turn a training session into a data-entry exercise. The program that made thousands of lifters stronger also made them intimately familiar with Google Sheets' cell-reference syntax.
The .trn file captures the full 5-day program with all percentage schemes described in the notes for each exercise. Import it and let the app handle the math.
Download
Download the .trn file and import it into the TRN app. Five training days, 17 compound sets per session, progression rules, and accessories. Your phone's spreadsheet app will finally get some rest.