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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70s Powerlifter on Boostcamp App
The 70s Powerlifter program is available for free on the Boostcamp app, where it’s been used by over 8,600 athletes and holds a 4.41-star rating from 445 reviews. The app handles all the percentage calculations and tracks your sets for you, so you don’t need a spreadsheet.
Boostcamp also has Bromley’s Bullmastiff program and dozens of other free programs, including ones from Greg Nuckols and Jeff Nippard.
70s Powerlifter spreadsheet
A free PDF of the 70s Powerlifter program is available directly from Empire Barbell’s website. You can also run the program for free through the Boostcamp app, which handles all the percentage calculations and set tracking automatically.
Spreadsheet via Empire Barbell’s free PDF (Alex Bromley)
Adapted from Empire Barbell’s free PDF. All credit goes to Alex Bromley.
Program overview
The 70s Powerlifter program runs 18 weeks, split into two 9-week phases: a Base Phase and a Peak Phase. Each phase contains three 3-week waves. You train 4 days per week on an upper/lower split.
Every training day follows the same template.
- Main lift (percentage-based)
- Variation 1 (step loading / RPE-based in Base, percentage-based in Peak)
- Variation 2 (same progression as Variation 1)
- Bodybuilding accessories (2-3 exercises per day)
The weekly split looks like this:
| Monday | Tuesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | Squat | Overhead Press | Deadlift |
| Wide Bench / Incline Bench | Wide Squat / Front Squat | Wide Grip Press / Behind the Neck Press | Romanian Deadlift / Good Morning |
| Lat Pulldown, T-Bar Row, Barbell Curl | Leg Ext., Lunges, Situps | Lateral Raise, Skull Crusher, Rope Pressdown | Bent Row, Hamstring Curl, Leg Raises |
One thing I like about this setup is how Bromley keeps the progression scheme identical across all lifts. If your bench is doing 5×10 that week, so is your squat, overhead press, and deadlift. He sees this as a feature, not a limitation – the old-school guys didn’t need unique progression schemes for every movement, and neither do you.
Base phase (weeks 1-9)
The Base Phase is all about volume accumulation. You’ll work in the 60-80% range on main lifts across three waves, with reps dropping from 10s to 8s to 5s as intensity climbs. Each wave adds a set per week, so you start at 3 sets in week 1 and build to 5 sets by week 3.
Main lift progression
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 3×10 @ 60% | 3×8 @ 65% | 3×5 @ 70% |
| Week 2 | 4×10 @ 60-65% | 4×8 @ 65-70% | 4×5 @ 70-75% |
| Week 3 | 5×10 @ 60-65-70% | 5×8 @ 65-70-75% | 5×5 @ 70-75-80% |
The percentage ranges give you flexibility. If you’re feeling good, work at the top end. If recovery is lagging, stick to the low end. Bromley’s rule: weight going up is a bonus, but it should never go down as you add sets each week.
Variation lift progression
The two variations each day (e.g., wide bench and incline bench on bench day) use step loading based on RPE rather than fixed percentages. You start each wave at RPE 6-7 and add sets each week.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 2×10 | 2×8 | 3×6 |
| Week 2 | 3×10 | 3×8 | 4×6 |
| Week 3 | 4×10 | 4×8 | 5×6 |
Bodybuilding accessories
Accessories follow the same step-loading pattern with higher rep ranges. Bromley says to swap these as needed based on your weak points.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 3×15 | 3×12 | 3×10 |
| Week 2 | 4×15 | 4×12 | 4×10 |
| Week 3 | 5×15 | 5×12 | 5×10 |
Peak phase (weeks 10-18)
The Peak Phase flips the script. Intensity goes up, volume comes down, and the variation exercises switch to more competition-specific movements like pause bench, pause squat, push press, and block deadlift. These replace the “disadvantaged” variations from the Base Phase because they better condition your nervous system for heavier loads.
Main lift progression
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 5×3 @ 80% | 5×2+ @ 85% | 5×1 @ 90% |
| Week 2 | 3×3+ @ 85% | 3×2+ @ 90% | 3×1 @ 95% |
| Week 3 | Max 3 | Max 2 | Max 1 |
Week 3 of each wave is a max-out session. After warming up, work up to one heavy top set for that wave’s rep target. That’s a 3-rep max in Wave 1, a 2-rep max in Wave 2, and a true 1-rep max in Wave 3 (week 18). Stop adding weight once your form breaks down or the bar slows to a grind, then log the load you hit. In the spreadsheet these weeks show as 1 / 3 / Max, 1 / 2 / Max, and 1 / 1 / Max. Each is one set worked up to your max for that wave’s rep target.
Variation lift progression
The Peak Phase variations are now percentage-based instead of RPE-based. They follow an inverse pattern – sets decrease as intensity increases within each wave.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 5×5 @ 70% | 5×4 @ 75% | 5×3 @ 80% |
| Week 2 | 4×5 @ 75% | 4×4 @ 80% | 4×3 @ 85% |
| Week 3 | 3×5 @ 80% | 3×4 @ 85% | 3×3 @ 90% |
Peak Phase variation exercises per day:
| Bench Day | Squat Day | OHP Day | Deadlift Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pause Bench | Pause Squat | Push Press | Block Deadlift |
| Floor Bench | High Box Squat | Standing Pin Press | Sumo Deadlift |
Bodybuilding accessories
Accessory volume drops during the Peak Phase as intensity on the main lifts rises. Sets start at 5 and taper down to 2 by week 3 of each wave.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 5×9 | 5×7 | 5×5 |
| Week 2 | 4×9 | 4×7 | 4×5 |
| Week 3 | 2×9 | 2×7 | 2×5 |
Weight selection tips
Bromley himself warns that this program involves “an abnormal amount of work.” The weight should start light. If any set in the Base Phase was within 3 reps of failure, it was too heavy. You’ll be increasingly fatigued by the time you get to your second and third compound movements each session, so be ready to drop the weight on those.
Boostcamp reviewers echo this. One user who ran it with aggressive loading said his workouts ballooned to 3 hours on the 5-set weeks. Start conservative and let the volume do the work.
There are no mandatory deload weeks prescribed in the program, but Bromley acknowledges you’ll probably need them. Listen to your body and throw one in when recovery starts tanking.
70s Powerlifter vs. Bullmastiff
Both programs come from Bromley’s Base Strength book and share the same 18-week, 6-wave structure. The main difference is in training philosophy and exercise selection.
Bullmastiff is a 3-day program focused on the big three (squat, bench, deadlift) with developmental lifts progressed by RPE. It’s a bit more straightforward and recovery-friendly.
70s Powerlifter runs 4 days with a dedicated overhead press day, more compound variations per session, and a lot more total volume. If Bullmastiff is a German Shepherd – efficient and focused – then 70s Powerlifter is the Saint Bernard. Bigger, heavier, slower to mature, but undeniably massive when it gets there.
If you haven’t run either one yet, I’d recommend starting with Bullmastiff first to get familiar with Bromley’s wave structure and RPE-based progression. Multiple Boostcamp reviewers said the same thing – running Bullmastiff first gave them the work capacity to actually survive 70s Powerlifter.
Results and reviews
The program has a 4.41-star rating on Boostcamp from 445 reviews. Here are some real results from users who completed the full 18 weeks.
- Lucas W. – Bench 275 to 315, squat 355 to 405, deadlift 425 to 505
- Dude L. – Squat 315 to 375, bench 245 to 275, deadlift 315 to 405, OHP 155 to 175 (gained 10 lbs bodyweight)
- Another user reported squat going from 315 to 420 and bench from 205 to 255
Not everyone had a perfect run. One reviewer said he lost 5-10 kg on his lifts after the Base Phase and couldn’t hit the prescribed numbers in the Peak Phase. Most of the negative feedback seems tied to starting too heavy or not eating enough to support the volume. This isn’t a program you can half-commit to.
70s Powerlifter FAQs
What is the 70s Powerlifter program?
The 70s Powerlifter is an 18-week, 4-day per week strength program written by Alex Bromley of Empire Barbell. It’s published in his book Base Strength and available for free on the Boostcamp app. It uses an upper/lower split with wave-based periodization. The main-lift work starts in the 60-80% range and climbs to max singles at 95%+ across 6 waves.
Who should run 70s Powerlifter?
This program is best for intermediate lifters who are comfortable with high training volumes and have at least a year of consistent barbell training. If you’ve never run a structured program with wave-based periodization before, start with something like Bullmastiff first. The sheer amount of compound work per session (up to 5 sets on each of your main lift and two variations) makes this a poor choice for beginners or people who can only train for 45-60 minutes.
How long are the workouts?
Expect around 60-75 minutes during the early weeks when set counts are lower (3 sets per exercise). By week 3 of each wave, when you’re doing 5 sets per exercise across 5-6 movements, sessions can stretch to 90 minutes or longer. One Boostcamp reviewer reported 3-hour sessions on the 5-set weeks, though that’s likely due to overly aggressive weight selection.
Can I substitute exercises?
The bodybuilding accessories are explicitly swappable – Bromley labels them “swap as needed.” For the variation lifts, you have some flexibility as long as the movement pattern matches. Bench day variations should be pressing movements, squat day variations should be squat patterns, and so on. During the Peak Phase, stick closer to the prescribed competition-specific variations (pause bench, pause squat, etc.) since those are chosen specifically for their carryover to heavy singles.
Do I need to deload?
There are no mandatory deloads built into the program. Bromley’s approach is to deload when you need it rather than on a fixed schedule. Most lifters will probably need at least one deload somewhere in the 18-week cycle – likely between the Base and Peak phases or after a particularly brutal week 3.
