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Deadlift 1 Day per Week - Powerlifting Programs

These are deadlift programs that call for the athlete to deadlift 1 day per week. Some are deadlift-only programs, while others program all lifting movements.

To search through all programs based on lots of different criteria, check out the Lift Vault Program Library.

Power Muscle Burn 5-Day Powerbuilding Split Spreadsheet

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Power Muscle Burn is a 5-day powerbuilding split that trains each muscle group three ways in a single session. You open with heavy power sets in the 3 to 5 range, drop to moderate muscle sets of 6 to 12, then close with a high-rep burn set taken to about 40 reps. The split runs chest and triceps, back and traps, quads and calves, shoulders and biceps, then deadlift and hamstrings.

Powerbuilding means you chase strength and size in the same block instead of picking one. That’s the whole point of the Power, Muscle, Burn method from Steve Shaw of Muscle & Strength. The heavy work keeps you strong, the moderate work adds muscle, and the burn set squeezes out the last bit of growth. You run it when you want to get bigger and stronger at once without switching programs.

It’s a good fit for intermediate lifters who want both strength and size and can commit to five training days a week. You don’t need a max or any percentages to start. Skip it if you want a pure strength or pure hypertrophy focus, or if you can’t train five days a week.

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8 Week Mass Building Hypertrophy Workout Spreadsheet

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This is an 8-week, 4-day hypertrophy program from Muscle & Strength built to add size. It runs a bro split: chest and side delts, upper back and rear delts, arms and abs, then legs. Most exercises are three sets in the 10 to 12 range, and the last set of the bigger lifts gets a high-intensity finisher like a rest-pause set, a drop set, or slow negatives.

It’s a high-intensity-technique mass block, the kind of bro-split hypertrophy plan you’ve seen built around training each set close to failure. The split sends plenty of volume at one or two muscle groups per day, and the finishing techniques squeeze a bit more out of the sets that matter. Pick weights that are hard for the listed reps, beat the log book week to week, and the size follows.

It’s for intermediate lifters chasing size who are willing to train each set hard, often to failure. You don’t need a max or any percentages here. Skip it if you want strength or percentage-based work, or if you’d rather run a full-body or push/pull/legs structure.

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Nick Bare 16-Week Hybrid Training Program Spreadsheet

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Nick Bare’s 16-week hybrid plan trains you to run and lift at the same time. Most days pair a morning run with an evening lifting session, so you end up with about five lifts and four runs a week, with Sunday off.

Bare Performance Nutrition put the whole thing out for free, one week at a time. We pulled all 16 weeks into a single spreadsheet so you can see the full plan and log it in one place.

It isn’t a beginner program. You should already be able to run five to seven miles easy and handle a barbell. If that’s you, it’s one of the most complete free hybrid plans you’ll find.

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Dan John Minimalist Training Program Spreadsheet

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Dan John’s Minimalist Training is a 2-day-per-week, full-body strength template. You train both days as full sessions and rest the other five or so days. There’s no fixed length to the program, and it’s built to run during busy stretches when you can’t give the gym much time.

It’s a good fit for busy lifters who still want real strength work. Two sessions a week covers the deadlift, squat, and press, plus enough accessory work to keep things balanced.

We built Dan John’s program into a clean Lift Vault spreadsheet. Enter your 10-rep max for each accessory once and the sheet works out every set load for you, so you just train and log what you hit.

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12 Week Intermediate Strongman Program Spreadsheet (Big Loz)

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Once you have a base of strongman training, you need a plan that pushes your main lifts hard while still building your events. This free 12 week intermediate strongman program comes straight from Laurence “Big Loz” Shahlaei, a 10x World’s Strongest Man competitor, published through Cerberus Strength.

You train 4 days a week across three 4-week blocks. The deadlift, strict press, safety bar squat, and push press all run on percentages that wave up to heavy singles, and the program peaks in weeks 11 and 12 with a PB attempt on deadlift and push press. Accessories, carries, and events round out each day.

We built the whole thing into an interactive spreadsheet. Enter your four main maxes once and every working weight prints out as “weight x reps” for all 12 weeks. Accessories and events have green cells you fill in as you train.

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8 Week Beginner Strongman Program Spreadsheet (Cerberus)

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Strongman is one of the most fun ways to get strong, but most beginner plans either skip the events or assume you already own a full strongman gym. This one does neither. It’s a free 8 week beginner strongman program from Cerberus Strength, the brand built around 10x World’s Strongest Man competitor Laurence “Big Loz” Shahlaei.

You train 3 days a week. Two gym days build your press, pull, and squat, and the third day is events, where you pick a couple of strongman movements and learn to handle them. The main lifts run on percentages of your one-rep max, so the weight climbs in a planned way across the 8 weeks.

We turned the free PDF into an interactive spreadsheet. Enter your maxes once and every working weight for all 8 weeks fills in for you, so you can skip the math and just lift.

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GZCL P-Zero (GZCL 2.0) Spreadsheet

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GZCL P-Zero is the flexible, do-it-your-way framework from Cody Lefever, the coach behind the whole GZCL family. It keeps the GZCL pyramid of three tiers but drops the rigid week-by-week layout, so you can run it full-body or on any split you like.

Instead of fixed weeks, P-Zero moves through three stages. Each tier gets heavier and drops reps as you advance, and you move up a stage when your top set stops improving. It is autoregulated, which makes it run as long as you keep progressing.

If you are newer to the system, start with our GZCLP beginner program or browse the full GZCL method spreadsheets for the other templates.

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Doggcrapp (DC) Training Spreadsheet

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Doggcrapp (DC) training is a high-intensity, low-volume system from Dante Trudel. You hit each body part with one brutal rest-pause set, rotate your exercises, and try to add weight to the bar every single session.

It is built around short, hard workouts and a blast-and-cruise structure, so you push all-out for a stretch and then back off to recover. Trudel shared the whole thing for free on the IntenseMuscle forums years ago, and it built a cult following for good reason.

This one is for intermediate and advanced lifters with solid technique, not beginners. The intensity only pays off if your form holds up when you are deep into a set. If you want a more measured hypertrophy approach, our HST program is a gentler option.

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Alberto Nunez Upper Lower Program Spreadsheet

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Alberto Nunez’s Upper Lower Program is a free 15-week hypertrophy program built around a 4-day upper/lower split. It’s designed by the head bodybuilding coach at 3D Muscle Journey (3DMJ) and 2022 WNBF Mr. Universe winner. The program comes in 4 variants – arms & delts dominant, torso dominant, quad dominant, and glute-ham dominant – so you can pick the one that matches your weakest body parts. Each variant still trains your full body twice per week. You just get extra volume where you need it most.

What I like about this program is how simple the progression system is. You pick a weight, work your way up through the rep range, then add load. No percentages, no math. RPE targets keep the intensity honest without overcomplicating things.

It’s a solid pick for beginners and intermediates who want a structured hypertrophy plan without a steep learning curve. One caveat: if you’re an advanced lifter already doing 5+ days per week of high-volume training, this might feel like a step back in total weekly volume. It’s intentionally moderate, landing around 14-18 sets per muscle group per week, lower than a program like PHAT or a typical John Meadows setup. All credit goes to Alberto Nunez and 3D Muscle Journey for making this available for free.

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KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks Program Spreadsheet

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KONG: Savage Size in 12 Weeks is a hypertrophy program created by Alex Bromley of Empire Barbell. It’s a 5-day bodybuilding split that runs 12 weeks across three 4-week blocks, hitting each body part twice per week. It first appeared in Bromley’s book of the same name.

If you’re familiar with Bromley’s other work, like his Bullmastiff strength program, you know he programs in clear blocks and doesn’t waste your time. KONG takes a different angle: where Bullmastiff is strength-focused, KONG is built purely for size. Block 1 puts isolation exercises first, so you hit lagging body parts when you’re freshest. That’s backwards from how most people train, and it works.

I’d recommend it for intermediate lifters coming off a strength block who want a dedicated hypertrophy phase. The time cost is real at 5 days a week and 75 minutes a session, and some lifters needed extra rest days beyond the two off days, so keep that in mind if your recovery is limited.

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Ben Pollack Free Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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Ben Pollack’s free powerbuilding program is a 7-week training plan built for lifters who want to get both stronger and bigger but don’t have the recovery capacity (or schedule) for 5-6 days in the gym. It runs 3 days per week, alternating between push/pull/legs weeks and full body weeks. If you’ve got more bandwidth, you can also run it on a rolling 4-day schedule and finish in about 5 weeks.

The program comes from Ben Pollack (a.k.a. PHDeadlift), who held the all-time world record raw total of 2,039 lbs at 198 lbs and later earned his IFBB Pro card in bodybuilding. The guy has a PhD in the history of strength from the University of Texas, too. So yeah, he’s qualified.

What I like about this program is that it’s built for real-life constraints. A lot of “powerbuilding” programs are really just bodybuilding with squats and deadlifts bolted on. This one programs heavy competition-style lifts next to real hypertrophy work (myo-reps, AMRAP sets, brutal 20-rep high bar squats, dead-stop deadlifts), and the blend is well thought out.

The instructions on Ben’s Substack are dense. He writes out exercise-by-exercise coaching cues for every session, which is great for learning but a lot to parse on your first read. The spreadsheet handles tracking, but read the write-up first so the “why” behind each workout makes sense.

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Dr. Swole’s PPLUL (Push Pull Legs Upper Lower) Program Spreadsheet

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Dr. Swole’s PPLUL (Push Pull Legs Upper Lower) is a 5-day hypertrophy program designed by Bill Wong, a medical doctor and WNBF pro natural men’s physique competitor. It runs 8 weeks at about 60 minutes per session, built for lifters with at least 2 years of training under their belt – late beginners, intermediates, and advanced lifters who want to maximize muscle growth.

What I like about PPLUL is how it solves a real problem with both PPL and Upper/Lower splits. A standard PPL split tends to skew toward upper body volume, while a standard Upper/Lower split can lean lower body–heavy. PPLUL combines the two so you hit every muscle group at least twice per week without the volume imbalance.

One thing to note: the Upper day in this program leans push-heavy. Some users have noted there’s less back work on that day than you’d expect, so if back development is a priority for you, consider adding a rowing movement or extra set of chin-ups on Upper day. A few reviewers over 40 also mentioned needing extra rest days beyond the two built-in ones.

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70s Powerlifter Program Spreadsheet

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Alex Bromley’s 70s Powerlifter is an 18-week, 4-day per week strength program from his book Base Strength. It’s an upper/lower split built around one primary lift per session – bench, squat, overhead press, and deadlift – with two compound variations and bodybuilding accessories stacked on top.

The program draws heavy inspiration from the high-volume training style of 1970s powerlifters like Doug Young and Bill Kazmaier, who were known for piling on compound work and topping it off with plenty of bodybuilding movements. If you’ve already run Bromley’s Bullmastiff program, this is the natural next step from the same book. I’d recommend it for intermediate lifters who aren’t afraid of volume – and I mean real volume.

Sessions can run 90 minutes, and by week 3 of each wave you’re doing 5 working sets on your main lift plus 4 sets of two different variations. It’s a lot. But lifters who commit to it and pick conservative starting weights tend to put real weight on all four lifts. Fair warning, though: if you aren’t eating and sleeping enough to support this kind of workload, you’ll run into a wall fast.

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Beast Slayer 2.0 Program Spreadsheet (Bald Omni-Man)

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Beast Slayer 2.0 is a 4 day per week hypertrophy program created by Coach Paris Butler, better known as Bald Omni-Man on YouTube. It uses a hybrid upper/lower + full body split to hit your upper body 3x per week and lower body 2x per week in 4 training sessions per week.

What I like about this program is how it handles progression. Instead of just one method, it gives you several tools: double progression, dynamic double progression, cluster sets, and an optional linear periodization track for your main compounds. You pick the right tool for each lift. That kind of flexibility is rare in a free program.

Note: If you’re looking for a more flexible schedule (3-5 days), check out Paris’s Golden Warrior program, which has built-in 3, 4, and 5 day variants. If you want a 6 day PPL, he also has Power Bomb PPL.

This is the 2025 update to the original Beast Slayer. The biggest changes: more pulling volume (the #1 piece of feedback from 1.0) and an updated exercise selection with dropdown menus in the spreadsheet. The lower body frequency is only 2x per week, so if legs are your priority, you might want something with more squat and deadlift volume.

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SSPT Deadlift Singles Program Spreadsheet

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Matt Gary at SSPT is well-known as an advocate of mainly performing the competition deadlift only as singles.

The main reasons for this is that it gives the athlete more opportunity to practice their approach and setup of the lift and that it removes the stretch reflex from assisting with subsequent reps.

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Mythical Mass 26 Week Bulking Program

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Mythical Mass is a 6 month-long combination of various strength programs used for building mass.

The programs included are:

  • 5/3/1 BBB Beefcake #1 (3 weeks)
  • 5/3/1 BBB Beefcake #2 (3 weeks + 1 week deload)
  • 5/3/1 Building the Monolith #1 (3 weeks)
  • 5/3/1 Building the Monolith #2 (3 weeks + 1 week deload)
  • Deep Water Beginner (6 weeks)
  • Deep Water Intermediate (6 weeks)

As you can see, the entire set of programming takes about 6 months to work through.

The goal? Get freaking huge.

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5/3/1 x 365 Program Spreadsheet

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This is a version of 5/3/1 that was posted on Reddit a few months ago. It’s noteworthy because it lays out enough 3 week cycles to be run for about a year straight.

If you’re looking for a straightforward, no-frills strength program that lets you just put your head down and get to work, then this is something I think you’ll like.

It’s also pretty flexible and allows the lifter to choose their own accessories and supplemental lifts.

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3 Day Chinese Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet

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This Chinese Olympic weightlifting program is a 3 day, 4 week peaking block designed for competition preparation. It was originally designed for school-aged lifters that were only able to train 3 days per week.

Program Overview

  • 4 week peaking mesocycle
  • 3 training days per week
  • Trains a variety lifts, but is designed to peak the snatch and clean & jerk
  • Trained lifts include the snatch, clean & jerk, power snatch, power clean, snatch pull, clean pull, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, back squat, front squat, hang snatch, push press, and press.
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Takano 12 Week Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet

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This is a 12 week Olympic weightlifting program with 3 to 6 training days per week, depending upon your classification. It can be used by beginner, intermediate, and advanced weightlifters, as it provides programming for multiple lifter classifications.

This program can be used in preparation for a weightlifting competition.

The program has seemingly been attributed to Bob Takano, though I have no idea if he had anything to do with it or not. You can find the best of Takano’s thinking in his book: Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach’s Guide.

Program Overview

Here’s a quick breakdown of the program. You’ll find more detail in the spreadsheet and the notes below.

  • 12 week program
  • 3 to 6 training days per week
  • Appropriate for the following classifications: CIII, CII, CI, CMS
  • Main exercise movements
    • Hang Power Snatch
    • Behind the Neck Push Press (BTNPP)
    • Hang Power Clean
    • Back Squat
    • Snatch Deadlift
    • Press
  • Frequency for snatches, cleans, and jerks varies from 2-6 times per week, depending upon the lifter’s classification
  • Accessory movements are also included

It is important to note that weight, sets, and reps are denoted like this: (weight/reps) x sets.

For example, (100/4)x3 means to lift 100 kg for 3 sets of 4 reps. (Or 100 lbs – the units do not matter).

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15 Week Intermediate Powerlifting Program (PRs on the Platform)

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This is a 15 week, 4 day intermediate powerlifting program by PRs On The Platform, a powerlifting coaching service.

Thanks to PRs on the Platform for sharing this program with Lift Vault through the program submission form.

Program Overview

This powerlifting program is comprised of three training blocks: a volume/hypertrophy block (weeks 1-5), a strength block (weeks 6-10), and a competition peaking block (weeks 11-15). As such, it can be used for meet preparation.

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