Ed Coan’s peaking program is a straight percentage ladder that walks a lift from a 10-rep starting point up to a new single over 12 or 14 weeks. You train the lift once a week for two work sets, the reps drop as the weeks go by, and the percentage climbs every week without exception. There is no autoregulation and nothing to decide week to week.
The percentages run past 100% on purpose. Week 11 of the 12 week version calls for two doubles at 103.7%, and the last week is a single at 111.1%. That means the number you enter is your current max, and the program is built to walk you up to a number about 11% above it. Both versions finish at that same 111.1% single.
It’s a peaking block, so it suits a lifter with an established max and a meet or a max attempt on the calendar. You can run it for one lift or all three. If you’re still adding weight to the bar every week, a linear progression will get you more than this will, and if you specifically want a deadlift peak, Coan’s Coan Phillipi Deadlift Routine is the better known option.
Table of Contents
Program Overview
- Length: 12 weeks or 14 weeks
- Frequency: The peaked lift is trained once per week
- Work sets: 2 sets per week for most of the program, dropping to 1 set in the final week
- Rep range: Starts at 10 reps and steps down to a single
- Loading: Fixed percentages of your entered max, climbing every week
- Lifts: Run it for the squat, bench press, deadlift, or all three
The two versions cover the same ground at different speeds. The 14 week version starts lighter (66.7% versus 70.4%) and spends an extra week at both the 5-rep and 3-rep stages, so the jump between any two weeks is smaller. Everything above 100% is spread across three weeks instead of two.
The percentages are the whole program. Accessory and assistance work isn’t prescribed, so you’re expected to build the rest of the session around the top sets.
Ed Coan 12 Week Peaking Program Rep Scheme
| Week | Sets | Reps | % of 1RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 10 | 70.4% |
| 2 | 2 | 10 | 70.4% |
| 3 | 2 | 8 | 74.1% |
| 4 | 2 | 8 | 77.7% |
| 5 | 2 | 5 | 81.5% |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | 85.2% |
| 7 | 2 | 5 | 88.9% |
| 8 | 2 | 3 | 92.6% |
| 9 | 2 | 3 | 96.3% |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 103.7% |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 111.1% |
Ed Coan 14 Week Peaking Program Rep Scheme
| Week | Sets | Reps | % of 1RM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 10 | 66.7% |
| 2 | 2 | 10 | 66.7% |
| 3 | 2 | 8 | 70.4% |
| 4 | 2 | 8 | 74.1% |
| 5 | 2 | 5 | 77.8% |
| 6 | 2 | 5 | 81.5% |
| 7 | 2 | 5 | 85.2% |
| 8 | 2 | 5 | 88.9% |
| 9 | 2 | 3 | 92.6% |
| 10 | 2 | 3 | 96.3% |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
| 12 | 2 | 2 | 103.7% |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | 107.4% |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 111.1% |
Which Version Should You Run?
Count backward from the date you want to be strong. If you have 12 weeks, run the 12 week version. If you have 14, run the 14.
When you have a choice, the 14 week version is the gentler ramp. It opens almost 4% lighter, adds a fourth week of 5s, and gives you three weeks at or above 100% instead of two. The 12 week version gets you to the same finishing single with bigger weekly jumps, which is harder to recover from but takes two fewer weeks.
Ed Coan Peaking Program Spreadsheets
Enter your current max and the sheet fills in every week’s working weight. These can be run for one lift or all three.
Ed Coan 12 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheet
Ed Coan 14 Week Peaking Program Spreadsheet
Ed Coan Program FAQs
What max do I enter, my current one or my goal?
Your current max. The percentages above 100% are the point of the program, so entering a goal max on top of that stacks two projections and gives you a final single you have little chance of hitting.
Can I run all three lifts at once?
Yes, and that’s the common way to use it before a meet. Each lift gets its own once-a-week slot and its own percentage ladder off its own max. Spread them across the week so the heavy squat and heavy deadlift aren’t back to back.
What about accessory work?
The program doesn’t prescribe any, so it’s on you. Keep it to what supports the peaked lift and cut it back as the percentages climb. By the last three weeks most of your energy should be going to the top sets.
What if I miss a prescribed weight?
The ladder has no built-in adjustment, so a miss usually means the max you entered was too high. Recalculate from a max you’re confident in and pick the program back up at the matching week rather than repeating the one you missed.
Is this the same as the Coan Phillipi deadlift routine?
No. The Coan Phillipi routine is a deadlift-specific 10 week program with prescribed assistance work. This one is a bare percentage ladder you can point at any lift.
Updates
- Converted the post to the block editor, added both rep schemes as readable tables alongside the original charts, and documented how the above-100% percentages are meant to be used. Corrected the 12 week spreadsheet’s embed title, which had been showing a stale .xls filename.
