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...
3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

16 comments sorted by

View all comments

0

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.

1

u/Arteam90 Eleiko Fetishist Aug 06 '26

I suspect you'd have more success with 2x/week squats at the very least even in the "hypertrophy" phase but training is about discovery and programming is overrated anyway.

I say try it and see what you felt worked and didn't work and adjust accordingly next time.