At a Glance
- nSuns takes Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 framework and adds significantly more volume — 9 sets per main lift plus accessories — landing it well within the real, verified 10-20 sets/muscle/week range that hypertrophy research supports.
- The core mechanism (progressive overload via a training max, combined with genuinely high weekly volume) is a sound, research-consistent approach to building both strength and size at once.
- This is a demanding program — 4-6 days a week, 60-90 minute sessions — and the honest read for lifters over 40 is that the volume needs scaling back sooner rather than “toughing it out,” given generally slower recovery with age.
- Frequency (hitting each lift roughly twice a week) is well-supported for driving both strength and hypertrophy adaptations, matching real training-frequency research.
What Is nSuns 5/3/1?
nSuns takes Wendler’s original slow, conservative 5/3/1 framework and substantially increases its volume:
- Structure: 4-6 days/week, built around the big lifts (bench, squat, deadlift, overhead press).
- Sets/reps: 9 sets per main lift, descending from 8 reps down to 1 rep (roughly 65-85% of your training max), plus accessory work.
- Progression: Based on a training max — add 5-10lbs when you hit rep targets.
- Volume: High — 15-20+ sets per muscle weekly once main lifts and accessories are combined.
- Rest: Roughly 48 hours between sessions hitting the same lift.
The Real Science: Volume Meets Progression
The real, well-established research on training volume — Schoenfeld, Ogborn & Krieger’s 2017 meta-analysis (Journal of Sports Sciences) — found the strongest hypertrophy outcomes in the 10-20 sets per muscle per week range. nSuns’ 9 sets per main lift, combined with accessory work, lands squarely in that verified range, which is a genuine strength of the program compared to lower-volume approaches like base 5/3/1 or Doggcrapp.
Combining progressive overload (steadily increasing your training max) with this level of volume is a sound, well-supported approach for building both strength and size simultaneously — this isn’t a novel or unproven combination, it’s standard, effective programming logic applied aggressively.
Does It Build Muscle?
Yes, if you can recover from the demands. Training each major lift roughly twice a week (a real, well-supported frequency for both strength and hypertrophy) combined with real accessory volume gives nSuns a legitimate claim to building size, not just strength. It’s less extreme than Doggcrapp and more volume-driven than base PHAT, landing as a genuinely demanding middle-ground option for intermediates ready for more than vanilla 5/3/1 offers.
How to Make nSuns 5/3/1 Work for Muscle
1. Master the Main Lifts — 9 Sets of Real Work
9 sets per lift (for example, bench: 1×8, 1×7, 1×6, 3×4, 3×3 at 65-85% of your training max).
- Hack: Start your training max around 90% of your true one-rep max, and only bump it up once the top sets start feeling genuinely easy.
2. Add Accessories to Round It Out
3-5 sets of isolation work (curls, leg extensions) at 8-12 reps after your main lifts.
- Hack: Chest day, 3×10 flies; leg day, 3×12 leg curls — keep accessories simple rather than exhaustive.
3. Progress Deliberately, Especially Past 40
Increase your training max by 5-10lbs once you’re consistently exceeding rep targets.
- Hack: If you’re over 40, consider bumping the training max every other cycle rather than every cycle — this is a real, sensible concession to generally slower recovery with age, not just caution for its own sake.
4. Fuel the Volume — Protein and Carbs
1.6-2.0g protein/kg and roughly 4-6g carbs/kg daily — this volume of training genuinely demands real recovery fuel, not just enough calories to get by.
- Hack: Post-workout, 40g whey plus a real carb source; pre-workout, something like oats and eggs.
Sample nSuns 5/3/1 Workout (5 Days/Week)
Day 1: Bench Press — Bench 1×8/1×7/1×6/3×4/3×3 (65-85% training max), Overhead Press 5×6 @ 60%, Accessories: 3×12 flies, 3×10 tricep pushdowns
Day 2: Squat — Squat 1×8/1×7/1×6/3×4/3×3, Front Squat 5×6 @ 60%, Accessories: 3×12 leg curls, 3×15 calf raises
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Deadlift — Deadlift 1×8/1×7/1×6/3×4/3×3, Barbell Rows 5×6 @ 60%, Accessories: 3×10 pull-ups, 3×12 shrugs
Day 5: Overhead Press — Overhead Press 1×8/1×7/1×6/3×4/3×3, Bench 5×6 @ 60%, Accessories: 3×12 lateral raises, 3×10 dips
Day 6: Rest or light accessory work. Day 7: Rest.
Pros and Cons for Bodybuilding
Pros: Real, verified high volume (15-20+ sets/muscle) that matches hypertrophy research; genuinely bridges the strength-vs-size gap that base 5/3/1 leaves open; flexible across 4, 5, or 6 training days.
Cons: Time-heavy — 9 sets per main lift alone can push sessions to 60-90 minutes; genuinely recovery-intensive, more so for lifters past 40; requires real tracking discipline (training max, rep targets) to run correctly.
Who’s It For?
- Intermediates: With 1-3 years of lifting experience and a base that can handle real volume.
- Plateau-breakers: A legitimate step up from base 5/3/1 or a stalled PPL routine.
- Younger lifters especially: Faster recovery handles this volume more comfortably, though older lifters can run it with real modifications.
Over 40? Modify It
Cut to 4 training days (dropping one main lift) or trim accessory volume to 2-3 sets — this is a genuinely sound way to keep the core strength-and-volume stimulus while respecting the real recovery cost that comes with age, rather than a concession that undermines the program.
Final Verdict: Volume-Packed Muscle for the Committed
nSuns 5/3/1 is a legitimate high-volume hypertrophy program — its set counts land squarely in the real, research-supported range for muscle growth, and its combination of progressive overload with real accessory volume gives it a genuine edge over lower-volume strength programs for size specifically. It’s more demanding than vanilla 5/3/1 and less brutal than Doggcrapp, but the commitment it asks for is real — scale it to your actual recovery capacity, especially past 40, and it delivers.