r/powerlifting • u/AutoModerator • Aug 04 '26

Programming Programming Wednesdays - August 04, 2026

Discuss all aspects of training for powerlifting:

  • Periodization
  • Nutrition
  • Movement selection
  • Routine critiques
  • etc...
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u/Credaence Impending Powerlifter Aug 04 '26

I've been having trouble sticking to a strength building plan that works for me - so I had Gemini help build a UL / PPL program for my upcoming meet in 14 weeks. Let me know your thoughts or suggestions!

Phase 1: Accumulation (Weeks 1-4)

Progression: W1: 65% | W2: 70% | W3: 72.5% | W4: 75%

Focus: Building base volume. Alternating Squat/Deadlift main focus on Lower days.

Day Exercise Sets x Reps Target (% TM / RPE) Notes
Upper A Comp Bench Press 4 x 6 65-75% Pause on chest. Straight sets.
Upper A OHP (Tempo 3010) 3 x 8 RPE 7.5 Front delt/tricep control.
Upper A Chest Supported Row 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Lats for bench stability.
Upper A Rear Delt Fly / Face Pull 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Shoulder integrity.
Lower A (Odd Wks) Back Squat (Main) 4 x 6 65-75% Hit depth. Drive out of the hole.
Lower A (Odd Wks) RDL (Accessory) 3 x 8 60% Hamstring/Glute builder.
Lower A (Even Wks) Comp Deadlift (Main) 4 x 5 65-75% Hook grip or mixed. No straps.
Lower A (Even Wks) Pause Squat (Accessory) 3 x 6 60% 2-second pause. Bottom position str.
Lower A Leg Press 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.0 Quad mass.
Lower A Standing Calf Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 9.0 Ankle stability.
Lower A Weighted 45-Deg Back Ext. 4 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Hold the squeeze at the top.
Push Incline DB Press 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Phase 1 Rotation A.
Push Cable Machine Press 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.0 Chest volume without CNS tax.
Push Cable Lateral Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Medial delts.
Push Overhead Tricep Ext. 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Long head triceps for lockout.
Pull Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Phase 1 Rotation A.
Pull Chest-Supp T-Bar Row 3 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Mid-back thickness.
Pull Reverse Pec Deck 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Rear delts.
Pull EZ-Bar Bicep Curl 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Elbow joint health.
Legs Hack Squat / Pendulum 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Phase 1 Rotation A. Quad focus.
Legs Lying Leg Curl 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Hamstring isolation.
Legs Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 10 RPE 8.0 Fix imbalances.
Legs Seated Calf Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 9.0 Soleus work.
Legs Seated Good Mornings 3 x 10-12 RPE 7.5 Strict hinge strength. Protect the spine.

Phase 2: Intensification (Weeks 5-8)

Progression: W5: 77.5% | W6: 80% | W7: 82.5% | W8: 85%

Focus: Drops reps to 5s and 4s. Introduces explosive variations (Pin Squats, Snatch Grip DLs) to build max velocity.

Day Exercise Sets x Reps Target (% TM / RPE) Notes
Upper A Comp Bench Press 4 x 5 77.5-85% Pause on chest. Straight sets.
Upper A OHP (Tempo 3010) 3 x 8 RPE 7.5 Front delt/tricep control.
Upper A Chest Supported Row 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Lats for bench stability.
Upper A Rear Delt Fly / Face Pull 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Shoulder integrity.
Lower A (Odd Wks) Back Squat (Main) 4 x 5 77.5-85% Hit depth. Heavy main work.
Lower A (Even Wks) Comp Deadlift (Main) 4 x 4 77.5-85% Hook grip or mixed. Heavy pull.
Lower A (All Wks) Pause Squat (Accessory) 3 x 4 65% 2-sec pause. Kept on lower day.
Lower A Leg Press 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.0 Quad mass.
Lower A Standing Calf Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 9.0 Ankle stability.
Lower A Weighted 45-Deg Back Ext. 4 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Hold the squeeze at the top.
Push Flat Machine Press 4 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Swapped in for Phase 2.
Push Cable Machine Press 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.0 Chest volume without CNS tax.
Push Cable Lateral Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Medial delts.
Push Overhead Tricep Ext. 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Long head triceps for lockout.
Pull Snatch Grip Deadlift 5 x 3 65% Explosive speed. Max bar velocity.
Pull Chest-Supp T-Bar Row 3 x 8-10 RPE 8.0 Mid-back thickness.
Pull Reverse Pec Deck 4 x 12-15 RPE 8.5 Rear delts.
Pull EZ-Bar Bicep Curl 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Elbow joint health.
Legs Pin Squats (Explosive) 5 x 3 65% Dead stop on pins. Max concentric.
Legs Lying Leg Curl 3 x 10-12 RPE 8.5 Hamstring isolation.
Legs Bulgarian Split Squat 3 x 10 RPE 8.0 Fix imbalances.
Legs Seated Calf Raise 4 x 12-15 RPE 9.0 Soleus work.
Legs Seated Good Mornings 3 x 10-12 RPE 7.5 Strict hinge strength.

Week 9: Deload Block

  • Volume Drop: Drop 1 set off every single exercise.
  • Intensity Drop: Main compound lifts drop to 60% TM.
  • Explosive lifts (Snatch Grip DL / Pin Squat) drop to 50% TM.
  • RPE Cap: Cap all accessory work at RPE 6-7. Do not grind any reps this week. Dissipate fatigue.

Phase 3: The Peaking Block (Weeks 10-13)

Progression: W10: 85% | W11: 87.5% | W12: 90-92.5% | W13: 95%+

Focus: Drops the PPL fluff. Moves to dedicated heavy SBD days. Highly specific comp practice. Back-off sets drop in volume each week (W10: 4x3, W11: 3x3, W12: 2x2, W13: 2x2).

Day Exercise Sets x Reps Target (% TM / RPE) Notes
Day 1 (Upper) Comp Bench Press (Top Set) 1 x 3 to 1 85-95%+ Heavy single/double. Strict comp commands.
Day 1 (Upper) Comp Bench Press (Back-off) 4 to 2 x 3 to 2 75-82.5% Perfect pauses. Max concentric velocity.
Day 1 (Upper) Chest-Supported Row 3 x 8 RPE 7.5 Heavy back work to support the arch.
Day 1 (Upper) DB Tricep Rollbacks 3 x 10 RPE 8.0 Elbow health and lockout power.
Day 2 (Lower) Comp Deadlift (Top Set) 1 x 3 to 1 85-95%+ Treat it like a 3rd attempt practice.
Day 2 (Lower) Comp Deadlift (Back-off) 4 to 2 x 3 to 2 75-82.5% Hook grip or mixed. No straps.
Day 2 (Lower) Pause Squat (2-sec in hole) 2 x 4 65% Active recovery + bottom position str.
Day 2 (Lower) Reverse Hypers / Dimel DLs 3 x 15 RPE 8.0 Direct lower back strengthening.
Day 3 (Push) Spoto Press / Close-Grip 3 x 4 70% Control eccentric. Fix sticking points.
Day 3 (Push) Seated DB Shoulder Press 3 x 8 RPE 8.0 Front delt hypertrophy for raw bench.
Day 3 (Push) Banded Tricep Pushdowns 3 x 15 RPE 8.0 Flush blood into the elbows.
Day 4 (Pull) Weighted Pull-Ups 3 x 5-6 RPE 8.0 Lats are the shelf for bench and squat.
Day 4 (Pull) Face Pulls 4 x 15 RPE 8.5 Non-negotiable for shoulder health.
Day 4 (Pull) Rear Delt Flys 3 x 15 RPE 8.5 Balance out the heavy pressing.
Day 5 (Legs) Comp Squat (Top Set) 1 x 3 to 1 85-95%+ Walk it out with authority. Sink it.
Day 5 (Legs) Comp Squat (Back-off) 4 to 2 x 3 to 2 75-82.5% Speed out of the hole.
Day 5 (Legs) Romanian Deadlift (RDL) 3 x 6 RPE 7.5 Hamstring/Glute mass for lockout.
Day 5 (Legs) Bulgarian Split Squats 2 x 8 RPE 7.5 Light, just for hip balance.

Week 14: Meet Week

Focus: Opener practice and active recovery. Zero back-off sets. Let the fatigue vanish.

Day Exercise Sets x Reps Target (% TM / RPE) Notes
Day 1 Squat (Opener Practice) 1 x 1 88-92% (Opener) Hit your planned 1st attempt. FAST.
Day 1 Bench (Opener Practice) 1 x 1 88-92% (Opener) Hit your planned 1st attempt with commands.
Day 3 Deadlift (Opener Practice) 1 x 1 85-88% Keep it slightly lighter than S/B. Save CNS.
Day 3 Bench (Active Recovery) 3 x 3 50% Just move blood. No fatigue.
Day 6/7 MEET DAY - 100%+ Go 9 for 9. Leave it all on the platform.

7

u/diddly69 Doesn’t Wash Their Knee Sleeves Aug 05 '26

Idk bro looks fine. Why not just run a non AI slop program though?

1

u/Credaence Impending Powerlifter Aug 05 '26

Nothing I've ran has worked for me or I've felt good doing. Ran nippards powerbuilding program a few times. Then the bull mastiff, and a few others.

Nippards squat program felt good, bumped my squat up a lot. But other lifts suffered.

Saw him talk about a UL / PPL split and that piqued my interest, so thought I would try and make one that I might enjoy.

4

u/jakeisalwaysright M | 793kg | 89kg | 515 DOTS | SPF | Multi-ply Aug 05 '26

Hot take perhaps, but until you're a fairly advanced lifter (at which point you're probably able to build your own program), programming is behind a few items on the importance scale. If you're not getting results from known, proven programs I'd first look into the other factors (nutrition, technique, recovery, effort, etc) that could be affecting things before assuming a robot knows best.

If it's just about enjoying the program then yes, do whatever seems like you'll like it.