Strength Training – Block-Periodized Maximal Strength

About the plan

12-week strength training plan for people who have been training for at least a year and want to raise their squat, bench press and deadlift numbers instead of just maintaining the routine. The week has four sessions — squat on Monday, bench press on Tuesday, deadlift on Thursday and overhead press with a technical bench day on Friday — and each one revolves around a main lift with accessories chosen to support that lift. The periodization is in blocks: accumulation in weeks 1 to 3 with five sets of five reps between 70% and 76% of your max load; intensification in weeks 5 to 7 with sets of three and four reps above 80% in a top set and back-off set format; realization in weeks 9 and 10 with cluster sets and work at 90%; a taper in week 11 and a test of the three lifts in week 12. Weeks 4 and 8 are deloads. All loads are prescribed as a percentage of your one-rep max — if you don't yet know your estimated max on each lift, start with the linear progression plan and come back here when the load stops going up every session.