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.
Table of Contents
Which Template to Run
Pick one of the first three and run it before you touch “Dive Straight In.” They are alternative routes to the same place, not a sequence to work through in order.
| Template | Role |
|---|---|
| The Fire Rises | On-ramp. Pick one of these three. |
| Frequency First, Then Intensity | On-ramp. Builds up how often you train before it builds up how heavy. |
| Intensity First, Then Frequency | On-ramp. The reverse order. |
| Dive Straight In | The full approach. Run it after one of the above. |
The choice between the two ordered on-ramps comes down to which variable you are less adapted to. If you currently train a lift once or twice a week, frequency is the bigger jump and it makes sense to raise that first while keeping the loads manageable. If you already squat four or five times a week but never near a max, intensity is the newer stress.
Bulgarian Method FAQs
Can I skip the on-ramp and go straight to “Dive Straight In”?
The templates are named the way they are for a reason. Going from a conventional program to near-daily maxes without a transition is the fastest way to stall out or get hurt, and the on-ramps exist because that is the common failure mode.
Do I really max every day?
You work up to a daily max, which is the most you can do well that day, not a competition max with a grinding last rep. Some days that number will be well below your best. Treating every session as a true 1RM attempt is the misreading that gives this method its reputation.
Is this for powerlifting or weightlifting?
The original came out of Bulgarian weightlifting, but Nuckols’ manual is aimed at powerlifters. Both groups have borrowed from it, which is part of why so many different things get called the Bulgarian Method.
How long do I run it?
Until it stops working, which is the only real answer for an autoregulated approach. There is no fixed end date built in. Most lifters find the daily max stops climbing after a couple of months and that is the signal to change something.
Bulgarian Method Program Spreadsheet
Spreadsheet source, slightly improved by Lift Vault to allow 1RM inputs and auto calculate parts of the program.
Updates
- Converted the post to the block editor and laid out the four templates and the order to run them in. Replaced the deprecated spreadsheet embed with the standard preview embed.
- The Bulgarian Manual link pointed at strengtheory.com, which no longer resolves. Greg Nuckols’ site is now Stronger By Science and the article lives there, so the link points at its current home.
