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Linear Periodization & Linear Progression Powerlifting Programs

Linear periodization is a programming method that gradually increases intensity relative to an athlete's one rep max (1RM) while simultaneously reducing volume. It is one of the most common periodization methods used in strength training.

Below you'll find powerlifting and strength training programs that utilize linear periodization (aka linear progression).

Popular Linear Periodization Programs

  1. Jonnie Candito Linear Periodization Program
  2. GreySkull LP
  3. nSuns 5/3/1 LP
  4. Ivysaur 4-4-8 Beginner Strength Program
  5. Jim Wendler 5/3/1

If you don't find the program you're looking for, check out the Lift Vault Program Library, which lets you search based on periodization type, program length, and much more.

Related: powerlifting programs, powerbuilding programs, bodybuilding programs, strength training programs

Ivysaur 3 Week Intermediate Aesthetic Workout Routine

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The Ivysaur Intermediate Aesthetic Routine is a 5 day per week hypertrophy program built on a repeating 3-week cycle. Each session is built around two to four compound lifts for sets of 4 or 8, and four of the five days finish with accessories done as AMRAP sets of about 12. The set count goes up each week of the cycle (3, 4, then 5 sets on most lifts), and your main lifts go up 5 or 10 lbs at the start of every new cycle.

It was written by Reddit user u/lvysaur (with a lowercase L, which is why most people spell it Ivysaur), who posted it on r/lvysaur in April 2017 as the next step after the Ivysaur 4-4-8 beginner program. The goal is golden-era bodybuilding proportions, so most of the work goes to the chest, arms and upper back. Deadlift volume is lower than in 4-4-8, and the arms get much more isolation work.

It’s meant for lifters who’ve outgrown a beginner program. lvysaur’s rule is to switch once two or more of your lifts can’t hit a new PR at least once every 3 weeks. If you’re still adding weight every session, stay on 4-4-8. Workouts take about 60 to 100 minutes, and the week 3 sessions are the longest.

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Tactical Barbell Program Spreadsheets (Operator, Zulu, Fighter, Mass & More)

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This is a collection of templates for the Tactical Barbell program. Included are the Operator, Zulu, Fighter, Gladiator, Mass, and Grey Man templates – all in the same spreadsheet, with drop down menus and 1RM inputs for easy customization.

Tactical Barbell is K. Black’s strength system for people whose job demands more than lifting: military, law enforcement, fire fighters, and other first responders. Sessions are short and submaximal – you’ll work between 70% and 90% of your 1RM in 3 week waves – so you can keep training hard on the conditioning side without digging yourself into a recovery hole.

Most templates run 2 to 4 days per week on a 6 week cycle, so there’s a version for almost any schedule. If you want a minimalist strength base that leaves room for everything else in your life, it’s hard to beat. If a bigger squat or bench is your main goal, a dedicated program like 5/3/1 will get you there faster.

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The Famous Reddit PPL Program Spreadsheet (Improved)

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The Reddit PPL is a 6 day push/pull/legs program built on linear progression. You train a push day, a pull day, and a leg day, then run all three again, with one rest day to finish the week. The barbell lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, and rows) drive your progress and add weight every session you hit your reps, while the rest of each day is hypertrophy work to build size.

It came from Reddit user u/Metallicadpa and became the recommended PPL routine in the r/Fitness wiki. The idea is simple. You progress the main lifts the way a beginner program like GZCLP does, then wrap that in enough accessory volume to actually grow. If you’ve finished a basic linear progression and want more bodybuilding work without giving up strength gains, this is the natural next step.

It’s best for late beginners and early intermediate lifters who can train six days a week. If you can’t get to the gym that often, or you’re brand new to lifting, you’ll get more out of a 3 day full body program first. Run this when you have the time and a year or so of consistent training behind you.

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Starscream: 12 Week Hypertrophy Program (5 Day)

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Starscream is the brainchild of /u/benchpauper, who concocted such popular spreadsheets as the MEGAZORD hybrid strength program. [Read more…]

8 Week Hypertrophy Program Spreadsheet (BigCoachD)

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Edit 9/22/19: Fixed an issue with the inputs. Using a “.” (i.e. period, full stop) is now supported in the 1RM input fields.

This program is an 8 week hypertrophy training program inspired by Reddit user and strength coach /u/BigCoachD. Good for off-season powerlifting training, bodybuilding, or anyone looking to increase their work capacity and get bigger.

It is a 4 day program based on linear periodization. Week 1 starts at 5×12 @50% of 1RM and adds 5% each week, gradually working up to 5×8@67.5% in week 8. [Read more…]

10 Week Powerbuilding Program

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This 10 week powerbuilding program is modeled off of basic 5/3/1 with inspiration from GZCL and BBB for accessories. On this program you’ll hit a major compound movement (for powerlifters, likely your competition movement plus one additional) for one top set of an AMRAP before moving on to accessory exercises.

[Read more…]

Sheikburn Program Spreadsheet (Sheiko x Hepburn Method)

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Sheikburn combines Hepburn Method style sets and rep structure (progressively adding more reps to the same weight OR adding more sets to the same rep range) Sheiko style periodization (alternating heavy days and light days).

Fans of “frankenprograms” like Megazord or GZCL / MagOrt / Deathbench will probably find this program interesting. [Read more…]

Coolcicada 6 Day PPL Spreadsheet

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The CoolCicada PPL is a free 6-day Push/Pull/Legs program that started as a post on the BodyBuilding.com forums. You train each movement pattern twice a week: push days hit chest, shoulders, and triceps; pull days hit back and biceps (with an optional deadlift); leg days cover quads, hamstrings, and calves. Main compound lifts run at 3-5 sets of 5 reps, and accessory work fills in at 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. There are two spreadsheet versions below: one with deadlifts on pull day, and one without.

The program runs on simple linear progression. Add weight every session when you hit the prescribed reps. There’s no AMRAP, no RPE, no percentage-based loading. You just show up, hit your sets, and add a small plate next time. High frequency is the other piece of it: by running push, pull, and legs twice per week, you’re getting each muscle group in the gym every 3-4 days instead of once.

It’s a good fit for intermediate lifters who can get to the gym 6 days a week and want to build both size and strength at the same time. If you’re newer to lifting, I’d start with a 3-day linear program first, like Starting Strength or StrongLifts 5×5, before jumping into 6-day training. If you can only train 3-4 days, you’ll get more out of something like the PPL collection that has 3-4 day variants. For more PPL options, check out Lift Vault’s collection of PPL programs.

[Read more…]

Fierce 5 Workout Program

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Fierce 5 is a 3-day-per-week full body program built for beginners. You train 3 non-consecutive days a week, usually Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and you alternate two full body workouts called A and B. Each session runs six exercises: three compound lifts plus a few accessories. It was put together by davisj3537 and shared on the Bodybuilding.com forums.

Progression is simple linear weight gain. You start light, and every week you hit all your reps you add a little weight to the bar. Fierce 5 leans more toward building muscle than a bare-bones strength routine, with extra rowing, face pulls, and arm work in the mix. If you like the idea of a beginner program but want a different 3-day option, the All Pro Simple Beginner Routine is a close cousin.

It’s a good pick for a beginner whose main goal is building muscle and looking better, while still getting stronger along the way. If your focus is maxing out your squat, bench, and deadlift, you’ll get more out of a dedicated strength program or powerlifting program. For most people getting started in the gym, though, Fierce 5 gives you plenty to work with.

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Vince Anello 14 Week Deadlift Program Spreadsheet

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Updates:

  • February 23, 2020 – Fixed mix up between pin squats and partial deadlifts. Thanks to a reader for pointing out the misinterpretation via the contact form.
  • July 29, 2019 – Fixed permissions for the spreadsheet. You should be able to make a copy of it now. Apologies for any inconvenience.

This is a spreadsheet for Vince Anello’s 14 week deadlift program. [Read more…]

Armstrong Pull Up Workout Program Spreadsheet

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This is a spreadsheet for the Armstrong Pull Up Workout Program. It is a 5 day per week routine designed to improve an athlete’s pull up strength.

Armstrong Pull Up Workout Program Overview

  • Day 1: Complete 5 AMRAP sets
  • Day 2: Start with 1 pull up and rest 10 seconds. Then do 2 pull ups and rest 20 seconds, and so on, until failure. Then decrease reps by 1, reducing rest periods by 10 seconds per set along the way, until back down to 1 rep.
  • Day 3: Complete 3 sets of pull ups using three different grip variations (wide, neutral, supine). A supinated grip means the palms will be facing your body, similar to the grip used in a barbell curl.
  • Day 4: Select a training max (e.g. 5 reps) and complete as many sets as possible until failure.
  • Day 5: Complete 5 AMRAP sets

Related: Pull Up Muscles Worked

Armstrong Pull Up Workout Program Spreadsheet

via /r/fitness

Armstrong Pullup Program | LiftVault.com

Brendan Tietz Beginner Powerlifting Program Spreadsheet

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August 6, 2019 Update: The spreadsheet is now available for copying and sharing. Apologies for the mix up.

A beginner powerlifting program released by Brendan Tietz. A video overview and full program details are below. [Read more…]

Greg Nuckols High Frequency Powerlifting Program Spreadsheet (2 Versions)

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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.

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All Pro Simple Beginner Routine Program Spreadsheet

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The All Pro Simple Beginner Routine (ASBR) is a 3 day full body program built around seven barbell lifts, run in 5 week cycles. Every session hits every lift. What changes between sessions is only the load: 100% on the heavy day, 90% on the medium day, 80% on the light day.

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Brian Alsruhe Mass Building Powerlifting Program

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Another free strength program from Brian Alsruhe, this time focusing on mass building. A video overview is below.

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16 Week Strongman Wave Program Spreadsheet

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Known simply as “wave program” via Strongman Ontario. It is a 16 week program, run 4 days per week.

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Strength Power and Fortitude 4 Week Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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The Strength Power and Fortitude (SPF) 4 week powerbuilding program by Brogan Pratt is an off season program for powerlifters designed to help build base strength and work capacity. It can be run as a 3 day or 4 day program and resets every 4 weeks, using an AMRAP set on week 4 to gauge progress.

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GZCLP Program Spreadsheets, Progression Tips, and Accessories

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GZCLP is a linear progression strength program for beginners, available in 3 day and 4 day versions. Each session is built from three tiers: a T1 main lift (starting at 5 sets of 3), a T2 variation (3 sets of 10), and a T3 accessory (3 sets of 15), with the last set of each tier an AMRAP.

It’s a simpler, faster-progressing version of Cody Lefever’s GZCL method. You add weight every time a lift comes up, like Starting Strength, but the tier structure gets you a lot more volume per session.

It’s highly customizable too: you pick the lifts you want to run in each tier, and the spreadsheets below handle the progression math for you.

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3 Peaking Template Spreadsheets by Barbell Medicine

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Following up on the popular Bridge Program, the crew at Barbell Medicine introduced a free peaking program for athletes preparing for a powerlifting or strengthlifting meet. [Read more…]

Doug Hepburn Method Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet

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Doug Hepburn was a Canadian strongman who won the 1953 world weightlifting title and the 1954 Commonwealth Games, and he did it on training that looks almost too plain to work. Four days a week, two lifts per session, squat and bench on one day, deadlift and overhead press on the next. No percentages chart, no wave loading, no accessory list.

The method itself is one idea. You pick a weight you can handle, you keep it exactly the same, and you add a single rep each session until you hit the target. Only then does the weight go up, by five or ten pounds, and the whole climb starts again.

Everyone else in the 1950s was chasing heavier bar loads week to week. Hepburn added volume at a fixed load and let strength come from the accumulated work.

There are two programs here, A and B, and each has a power phase and a pump phase. I’d run this if you like simple, repeatable training and you’re happy to be patient. The catch is that it’s slow, it’s repetitive, and it programs almost no direct arm or back work, so if you want a varied session or you’re chasing a peak for a meet on a date, this is the wrong program.

[Read more…]