Lift Vault

Free Programs and Spreadsheets

Home » Greg Nuckols Programs

Greg Nuckols Strength & Powerlifting Programs

Here are strength and powerlifting programs created by Greg Nuckols.

To explore the rest of the Lift Vault program collection, check out the Lift Vault Program Library.

To learn more about Greg Nuckols, visit Stronger by Science.

Stronger By Science (SBS) Program Bundle by Greg Nuckols

By
Last updated

Experience level: , ,
Weeks:
Periodization:
Meet prep program:
Program goal: ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

The Stronger By Science (SBS) Program Bundle is a collection of six autoregulated training programs from Greg Nuckols. It’s free with an email signup on the Stronger By Science website, and it comes as a Google Sheets workbook.

The bundle covers six 21-week programs across different goals and experience levels. There’s also a standalone Program Builder that lets you customize almost everything. Getting autoregulation and periodization wired together like this is rare for a free resource.

There’s a catch worth knowing before you start. The spreadsheet automates so much of the programming that there’s a real learning curve. Spend 20-30 minutes with the included PDF instructions before your first session, and don’t skip that step.

If you’re already familiar with Greg Nuckols’ work, you might know his popular 28 Programs (also available here on Lift Vault). The SBS Program Bundle is a more recent and more sophisticated set of programs. Think of the 28 Programs as individual single-lift routines you mix and match yourself. The SBS Bundle is a full training system with built-in autoregulation and multi-lift programming already wired together.

[Read more…]

IRON GIANT – 5 Day, 12 Week Powerlifting Program

By
Last updated

Experience level: ,
Weeks:
Periodization:
Meet prep program:
Program goal: ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

Make way, here comes another hybrid program from /u/benchpauper, the mad scientist that brought you MegaZord, Starscream, and other programs. [Read more…]

Greg Nuckols High Frequency Powerlifting Program Spreadsheet (2 Versions)

By
Last updated

Experience level: ,
Weeks:
Periodization:
Meet prep program:
Program goal: , ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

This is Greg Nuckols’ high frequency block: a repeating three week cycle where you train the same lift five days a week at 65% to 85% of your 1RM, always stopping well short of failure. Every session is short. Nothing in it is a grinder. The whole point is to accumulate a large number of clean, fast reps rather than a small number of hard ones.

[Read more…]

MEGAZORD Hybrid Program Spreadsheet

By
Last updated

Experience level:
Weeks:
Periodization:
Meet prep program:
Program goal: ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

If you’re a fan of Frankenstein-esque hybrid programs, then Megazord may be exactly what you’re looking for. Written (or maybe concocted is a better word…) by /u/BenchPauper on Reddit, this program combines the Coan/Phillipi Deadlift Program, Greg Nuckols’s 2x weekly Intermediate Bench Program for OHP from his 28 Program Collection, and Ben Gillingham’s Raw Bench Program.

The results? Well, see for yourself…. [Read more…]

Greg Nuckols 28 Programs Spreadsheet

By
Last updated

Recommended by Lift Vault:
Experience level: , ,
Weeks:
Periodization:
Meet prep program:
Program goal: , ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

Greg Nuckols released 28 free training programs through his site, Stronger by Science. The bundle covers squat, bench press, and deadlift individually, with templates for beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters at 1, 2, or 3 training days per week for each lift. Every program runs on a 4-week cycle, and you test your 1RM at the end of each cycle. The math: 3 lifts x 3 skill levels x 3 frequencies = 27 programs, plus a 4th deadlift variation (low volume, medium volume, and high volume in addition to the standard beginner version) = 28 total.

The design comes from Nuckols’ data-driven approach to strength training. Instead of a single fixed program, the bundle gives you a modular system: pick your lift, your experience level, and how many days per week you can train that lift. You use the squat, bench, and deadlift programs together, each running at whatever frequency fits your schedule. Intermediate and advanced templates add lift variations (front squats alongside back squats, for example), while beginner programs focus on the competition lifts to build the movement pattern first.

These programs are a good fit for intermediate and advanced lifters who want a percentage-based, structured template they can customize by frequency. Beginners can run them too — the 1x per week beginner versions are the most approachable entry point. You’ll need a 1RM estimate for each lift to get started. If you’re brand new to powerlifting, you might get more mileage from a full-body novice program first. See also: Greg Nuckols High Frequency Program (free spreadsheet).

[Read more…]

Bulgarian Method Program Spreadsheet

By
Last updated

Experience level: ,
Weeks: , ,
Periodization: ,
Meet prep program:
Program goal: ,
Uses RPE:
Uses 1RM Percentage(%):

As an affiliate of various sites, including Amazon Associates, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases via links in this post at no extra cost to you. See Full Disclosure

The Bulgarian Method is built on specificity, frequency and intensity: work up to a daily max on a small number of lifts, and do it often. This spreadsheet is based on Greg Nuckols’ Bulgarian Manual, which adapts the approach to one session per day instead of the two or three the original Bulgarian weightlifting program used.

This is advanced training and it is not a good fit for beginners or early intermediates. It asks you to judge your own capacity daily and adjust intensity on the spot, which is a skill that takes years to develop. If you cannot yet tell the difference between a heavy day and a bad day, this will grind you down.

The spreadsheet holds four separate templates rather than one program, and the order you run them in matters. Three of them are on-ramps; the fourth is the full approach.

[Read more…]