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Squat 3 Days per Week Powerlifting & Strength Programs

These are squat programs that call for the athlete to squat 3 days per week.

To search through all programs based on lots of different criteria, check out the Lift Vault Program Library.

GZCL Method Spreadsheets: General Gainz, UHF, Jacked and Tan 2.0, The Rippler & More [Complete]

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The GZCL Method is Cody Lefever’s powerlifting training framework, named after his Reddit username, /u/gzcl. This page collects free spreadsheets for every major GZCL program: General Gainz, Jacked & Tan 2.0, UHF, The Rippler, VDIP, and more.

Everything GZCL is built on a tier system. T1 is the day’s main lift (heavy, low reps), T2 is a variation of it (moderate weight and reps), and T3 is higher-rep accessory work. How each tier progresses is what separates the different programs.

If you’re a newer lifter, start with GZCLP, the linear progression version – it has its own page with dedicated spreadsheets. For the theory behind all of it, read Cody’s blog and the r/gzcl subreddit.

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3 Day, 7 Week Raw Powerlifting Program

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Originally hosted by Mass-Lift, the 3 Day Raw Powerlifting Program is a no frills powerlifting program that has the athlete squatting 3 days per week, benching 3 days per week, and deadlifting 2 days per week (counting Romanian deadlifts).

After the competition lifts, a rotating set of assistance exercises are prescribed to develop strength in key movements and introduce hypertrophy. [Read more…]

Korte 3×3 Spreadsheet

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Developed by Stephan Korte, the 3×3 program is a two-phased powerlifting program: one high volume, one heavy weight. While only calling for three workouts per week, each session includes the squat, bench, and deadlift.

The program can be run as a 4 week or 8 week program, depending upon whether one or two phases are run.

[Read more…]

Russian Squat Program + Routine Spreadsheet (Original and Masters Versions)

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The Russian Squat Program (aka the Russian Squat Routine, or RSR) is a squat-focused peaking program that comes in two versions attached here. The original runs 6 weeks with 3 training sessions per week; the masters version runs 8 weeks with 2 sessions per week to bring the intensity down for older lifters. Every session is built around one main lift for lots of sets of low reps at 80% or more of your 1RM, and the loads climb toward a new max in the final week. Finish the 6-week cycle and you can typically expect a 5-10% bump on your 1RM.

It’s a classic Soviet-style squat cycle, run to peak your strength right before a meet. It comes out of the same tradition as the USSR 1974 and 1976 Yearbook Squat Routines and the Soviet 6 Week Peaking Program. You can run it for the squat, deadlift, bench, or all three at once. That combined version is the Extended Russian Power Routine.

This one is aimed at experienced lifters with a solid squat base who are peaking for a meet. The original version keeps you at or above 80% the whole way, so it’s demanding on recovery. Older lifters, or anyone who can’t recover from three heavy squat days a week, should run the masters version, which mixes in lighter 60% to 70% work to soften the average intensity. If you’re still building your base, start with a linear program first.

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PHUL Workout Routine Tips + Program Spreadsheet (Updated 2023)

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PHUL stands for Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower. It’s a 4-day program that splits training into two upper body days and two lower body days. Two of those days are power-focused (3-5 reps, heavy compounds) and two are hypertrophy-focused (8-15 reps, higher volume with isolation work). There’s no fixed end date; you run it until progress stalls. PHUL was created by Brandon Campbell, a YouTube fitness coach who published the original program write-up at Muscle & Strength.

The idea behind PHUL is that you can train for strength and size at the same time if you structure your week correctly. Power days anchor the week with low-rep compound work, then the hypertrophy days pile on volume and isolation exercises for muscle growth. It’s a powerbuilding approach, similar in concept to PHAT, but PHAT is a 5-day split and programs roughly 90% more weekly volume. PHUL keeps it at 4 days.

PHUL is best for intermediate lifters who have 6+ months of consistent training and want to develop both strength and size simultaneously. If you’re newer to lifting, you’d get more out of a simpler linear progression program like Starting Strength first. The 4-day schedule is also manageable for most people, though the hypertrophy days include supersets and a decent amount of accessory work, so expect sessions to run 60-75 minutes.

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Ice Cream Fitness 2.0 (ICF) Spreadsheet

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Popularized by Jason Blaha, Ice Cream Fitness is a novice strength program with more accessory work than similar programs like Starting Strength and Strong Lifts, so you add size while you add strength.

In 2019, Blaha released Ice Cream Fitness 2.0. It reduces working sets to 3 sets of 5 instead of 5 sets of 5 and reduces some of the exercise variety. The core goal of the program, helping novices rapidly gain strength and size, remains the same.

[Read more…]

Starting Strength Routine Program Spreadsheet

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Starting Strength is Mark Rippetoe’s beginner barbell program, and it’s about as proven as a novice routine gets. You train 3 days a week on non-consecutive days, alternating two full-body workouts (A and B) built around five lifts: the squat, deadlift, overhead press, bench press, and power clean. Every session is a handful of heavy sets on the big compounds. You squat every time you train, and you add weight every session you make all your reps.

The idea is dead simple: a brand-new lifter can add weight to the bar every single workout for months, so the program never wastes that window on fancy periodization. It’s a straight linear progression, the same family as GreySkull LP and StrongLifts. What sets Starting Strength apart is the coaching. Rippetoe’s book breaks down each lift in more detail than just about any other source, so you learn to move well while you get strong.

This one is for true beginners, or for anyone coming back after a long layoff who can still add weight session to session. If you’re already an intermediate lifter and the weights stopped jumping every workout a while ago, you’ll get more out of an intermediate routine like Madcow or the Texas Method. If you’re brand new and not sure where to start, this or one of the other beginner programs is a great first step.

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Smolov Program and Smolov Jr Bench and Squat Program Spreadsheets

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Smolov is a Russian squat specialization and peaking cycle created by Sergey Smolov, a Soviet-era weightlifting coach. The full program runs 13 weeks and is built around four phases: a 2-week Introductory Microcycle, a 4-week Base Mesocycle (4 days per week of squatting), a 2-week Switching phase, and a 5-week Intense Mesocycle that ends with a 1RM test. There’s also a separate 3-week version called Smolov Jr that you can run for squat or bench press.

The idea behind Smolov is extreme squat frequency and volume at high percentages. The Base Mesocycle alone has you squatting 4 days per week with loads between 70% and 85% of your 1RM. Your body adapts to a level of squat volume most programs don’t approach. You need to eat, sleep, and recover around the program, not alongside it.

Smolov is for intermediate to advanced lifters with a solid squat base and a specific reason to peak, like a meet or a record attempt. If you’re a beginner, running a caloric deficit, or short on recovery time, skip it. For a less aggressive squat-focused peaking option, check out the Russian Squat Routine or the Hatch Squat Program.

[Read more…]

Texas Method Program Tips and Spreadsheet Template

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Texas Method Routine Overview

The Texas Method is a strength program that focuses on training 3 days a week and hitting a new PR each week, making it ideal for intermediate lifters that can still progress on a weekly basis. Each training week represents one cycle: Monday is volume day, Wednesday is an active recovery day, and Friday is an intensity day where a new PR is set.

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Madcow 5×5 Program Spreadsheet (Intermediate + Advanced)

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Madcow 5×5 is a free 3-day-per-week, full-body strength program built as a derivative of Bill Starr’s original 5×5 work. Each session ramps through progressively heavier sets of 5 on the squat, bench press, and row, finishing on a top set. Monday is your volume day, Wednesday is a lighter recovery day, and Friday is your heaviest day. Two versions are on this page: the Intermediate, which runs indefinitely with weekly linear jumps, and the Advanced, a fixed 9-week program with two distinct blocks.

The idea behind the program is simple: you ramp up to a top set, try to beat it the following week, and let Wednesday’s lighter session keep you fresh for Friday. Weekly progression keeps each jump small enough to sustain for months without burning out the way daily jumps eventually do. It’s closer in feel to Texas Method than to a straight beginner LP, but the bar math is less involved.

Madcow is the right move once you’ve stalled on session-to-session jumps from something like StrongLifts 5×5 or Starting Strength and you’re ready to move to weekly progress. Beginners still adding weight every workout should finish a beginner LP first. Lifters already managing training blocks or running percentage-based programs will likely find Madcow too conservative.

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Bill Starr 5×5 Workout Routine Spreadsheet

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The Bill Starr 5×5 is a three-day-a-week barbell program built on weekly linear progression. You train Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the days run heavy, light and medium in that order, and each session is squats plus one press plus one pull. Every 5×5 is a ramp, not five sets across, so only the last set is a genuinely hard set.

The progression is the whole program. You work up to your current five-rep maxes over three or four weeks, hit them, then keep adding the same small increment every week and set a personal record each Monday until you stall.

There’s no percentage chart and no deload schedule. You go up until you can’t, then you reset a few weeks back and climb again.

This suits an intermediate lifter who has run out of road on a beginner program that adds weight every session. It’s a poor fit if you want variety, if you can only train twice a week, or if you need to peak for a meet on a fixed date. The version on this page is the linear one, and the spreadsheet below does the weekly maths for you.

[Read more…]

StrongLifts 5×5 Workout Program Spreadsheet

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StrongLifts 5×5 is a 3-day-per-week beginner strength program built around two alternating workouts. Workout A is squat, bench press, and barbell row. Workout B is squat, overhead press, and deadlift. You train each one 3 times every two weeks, always squatting, adding 5 lb to the bar each session. Mehdi at stronglifts.com based it on Bill Starr’s 5×5 from the 1970s.

The idea is pure linear progression: no percentages, no wave loading, no periodization. You just add weight every single session until you can’t anymore. That simplicity is the whole point. Every session you squat, which is what drives the strength base. It’s the easiest possible novice program to follow, by design.

StrongLifts is for true beginners or people coming back after a long layoff. If you’ve been lifting consistently for more than 6 months, you’ll probably stall faster than the program expects, and something like Starting Strength or GZCLP may serve you better. Both the lb and kg versions of the spreadsheet are below.

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