This is a 12 week powerlifting peaking program written by Matt Mignone of Mignone Strength. You train 4 days a week, and each session has two of the three competition lifts (or a variation of them) followed by 3 to 6 accessory lifts.
Loads are based on RPE (rate of perceived exertion) instead of percentages. On the main lifts you work up to a top set at the target RPE, then do back-off sets a fixed percentage lighter. The 12 weeks are split into training blocks: sets of 5, then sets of 3, one overreaching week, a taper, and a 1RM test in week 12.
It’s a good fit for intermediate and advanced lifters with a meet or a max-out day about 12 weeks away who can already rate their sets accurately. If you’d rather work off a percentage of your 1RM, the Fred Hatfield 12 Week Peaking Program covers the same 12 weeks with fixed percentages.
Program credit: this program was written by Matt Mignone of Mignone Strength (@mignonestrength). The exercises, sets, reps, and RPE targets are his. The spreadsheet below is Lift Vault’s copy of the program.
Table of Contents
Mignone Strength 12 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheet
All 12 weeks are in one workbook, with one tab per block. Enter your squat, bench press, and deadlift 1RMs and your rounding (5 for lb, 2.5 for kg) on the Setup tab, and every top set gets a suggested load based on its RPE target. Log the weight you actually use for each top set, and the back-off sets under it fill in from that weight. Each set has its own cell to log your reps.
You can also enter a recent 5RM and 3RM. Block 1 is built around sets of 5, so it takes its loads from your 5RM, and block 2 is built around sets of 3, so it uses your 3RM. Leave them blank and the sheet uses your 1RM for everything. Maxes for the paused squat, paused deadlift, Larsen press, and tempo bench are optional too.
Program Overview
The competition lifts are typically trained this often each week:
- 3x squat (2x competition, 1x variation)
- 3x bench press (1x competition, 2x variation)
- 2x deadlift (1x competition, 1x variation)
The variations are paused squats, paused deadlifts, 3:2:1 tempo paused bench press, and Larsen press (feet-up bench press). There’s no barbell overhead press, but seated dumbbell shoulder presses show up once a week.
Training Blocks
The idea is to finish week 4 with a new 5-rep PR, week 8 with a new 3-rep PR, and week 12 with a new 1RM.
| Block | Weeks | Main lift work |
|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | 1-4 | Top sets of 5 (8 on the day 3 squat), climbing from RPE 6 in week 1 to RPE 9 in week 4 |
| Block 2 | 5-8 | Top sets of 3 (5 on the day 3 squat), climbing from RPE 6 in week 5 to RPE 9 in week 8 |
| Overreaching | 9 | Singles at RPE 7 (about 87-89%), then up to 6 back-off sets at a 10% drop |
| Taper | 10-11 | Week 10: singles at RPE 8 (about 92-94%) with fewer back-off sets. Week 11: 3 light sessions of RPE 6 singles and light sets at 45-60% of your 1RM |
| Test | 12 | A single at RPE 9.5 on the squat, bench press, and deadlift, or a mock meet on day 1 |
In blocks 1 and 2, the back-off sets start at the same weight as your top set in the first week of the block, then drop 5% to 25% below it as the top set gets heavier. Accessory reps come down a little in block 2.
Weekly Layout
The sheet lists 7 days a week, with rest on days 2, 5, and 7.
| Day | Main lifts | Accessories |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Competition squat, competition deadlift | Barbell row, V-bar lat pulldown, lateral raise/rear fly superset |
| Day 3 | Competition squat (higher reps), competition bench press | DB Bulgarian split squat, weighted dip, barbell curl, straight bar tricep pushdown, seated DB curl |
| Day 4 | Paused deadlift, Larsen press | DB RDL, T-bar row, wide grip lat pulldown, incline DB press, DB fly, seated DB shoulder press |
| Day 6 | Paused squat, 3:2:1 tempo paused bench press | Barbell lunge, tricep rope pushdown, hammer curl, floor DB skullcrusher, weighted chin-up |
The paused squat and paused deadlift are done beltless in block 1. In weeks 9 and 10, the Larsen press on day 4 becomes a competition bench press.
How to Use RPE
RPE is used for almost every set in this program, so it helps to know exactly what the scale means. This is the scale the program uses. It’s the same one most RPE programs use.
| RPE Value | Definition |
|---|---|
| 10 | Could not have done more reps or weight |
| 9.5 | Could not have done more reps, but could have done slightly more weight |
| 9 | Could have done 1 more rep |
| 8.5 | Could have done 1 more rep and slightly more weight |
| 8 | Could have done 2 more reps |
| 7.5 | Could have done 2 more reps and slightly more weight |
| 7 | Could have done 3 more reps |
| 6.5 | Could have done 3 more reps and slightly more weight |
| 6 | Could have done 4 more reps |
Used correctly, RPE lets the weight move with how you feel on a given day, while the program still builds toward your max. If you want to turn a set at a given RPE into an estimated max, use the RPE calculator.
If you’re more comfortable with a peaking program built on a % of 1RM, you can find those programs here. The Cast Iron Strength 12 Week Peaking Program is another 12 week option that uses percentages.
For another RPE-based peak, see the 10 Week Powerlifting Program (RPE, Meet Prep) or the full list of RPE-based programs.
12 Week RPE Peaking Program FAQs
Matt Mignone of Mignone Strength wrote the program. Lift Vault’s spreadsheet is a copy of it.
4 training days a week for weeks 1 to 10. Week 11 drops to 3 light sessions, and week 12 has 3 test days, one each for the squat, bench press, and deadlift.
The back-off sets use a weight 10% lighter than the top set you just did. "Same as top set" means the back-off sets use the same weight as the top set. The sheet does this math for you once you log your top set.
Mostly RPE. Top sets and accessories are based on RPE, and back-off sets are a percentage drop from your top set. The light sets in week 11 are the only ones written as a percentage of your 1RM. The spreadsheet still suggests a starting weight for every top set by converting its RPE target with an RPE chart.
Yes. Week 12 is a max-out week with a single at RPE 9.5 on each lift. The sheet also gives you the option of doing a mock meet on day 1 instead.
There’s no barbell overhead press. You do 2 sets of seated dumbbell shoulder press once a week on day 4.
Updates
- September 2026: rebuilt the spreadsheet. Top sets now get suggested loads from your maxes, the week 4 back-off sets fill in, your 5RM and 3RM feed blocks 1 and 2, and every set has a log cell. The programming is unchanged. Also added program credit, a block-by-block and day-by-day breakdown, FAQs, and links to similar peaking programs.
