Program Guide

This page provides detailed instructions for running the nbry lifting program, including suggestions for structuring your week, setting initial weights, and rules for progressing over time. For visual aid, observe the spreadsheet program template found in the Getting Started section, which includes all calculations and configurations.

Choosing a Program

All programs use the same 5-week block structure (Accumulation → Intensification → Deload), the same progression rules, and the same garage-gym equipment assumptions. What differs is the strength/hypertrophy balance and the number of training days.

How Programs are Named

Programs are named with a 3-digit code:

1. First digit: days per week
2. Second digit: powerlifting focus (×10%)
3. Third digit: bodybuilding/hypertrophy focus (×10%)

Example: "355 program" => 3 days/week, 50% powerlifting, 50% bodybuilding.

The Programs

346 — 3-Day, 40/60 Powerbuilding

Hypertrophy-first. Sustainable during cuts. Upper-body dominant.

• Deadlift removed — replaced with RDL. Lower systemic fatigue.
• Incline press prioritized — trained on two of the three days.
• Squat on two days — Day 1 for hypertrophy volume, Day 3 for strength expression.

355 — 3-Day, 50/50 Powerbuilding

Balanced strength and hypertrophy. Time-efficient.

• Full compound catalog — squat, bench, deadlift all trained.
• Balanced pressing — equal emphasis on incline and flat bench.
• 3 days/week — superior recovery compared to 455.

455 — 4-Day, 50/50 Powerbuilding

Highest volume program. Challenging but rewarding.

• Compound movement heavy — Heavy emphasis on the "big six" movements.
• Relatively lighter deadlift work — treated as a secondary movement, not a program driver.
• 4 days/week — more volume and frequency, but less recovery than 355.

473 — 4-Day, 70/30 Powerbuilding

Strength-first. Highest frequency on the big three.

• SBD focus — 2 squat days, 2 bench days, 2 hinge days.
• OHP as a primary driver — trained across multiple days with dedicated volume.
• Less accessory volume — more recovery for strength expression, less hypertrophy stimulus.

Suggestions

Weekly Structure

For 4-day programs (455, 473): Day 1 and Day 2 should be consecutive days. Rest between Day 2 and 3. Day 3 and 4 should be consecutive days.

Example: Mon (D1), Tue (D2), Wed (REST), Thu (D3), Fri (D4), Sat & Sun (REST)

For 3-day programs (346, 355), I would recommend spacing the days out more (e.g. Mon, Wed, Fri) to allow for more recovery between sessions.

Setting an initial Training Max

Training maxes are used for the primary lifts of this program: Squat, Bench and Deadlift. All set weights are calculated as a percentage of their respective training maxes.

A Training Max is a conservative reference weight—not your true 1RM. It's intentionally set lower so your percentages stay consistent and sustainable across cycles, rather than being based on a fluctuating or overestimated max.

If you know what your 1 rep max (1RM) is, enter your 1RM * 0.9 as your training max.

This program is designed for intermediate lifters who have at least some exposure to these lifts. If you cannot provide an estimate, I would recommend trying a beginner's powerlifting program for a couple weeks to learn more about your level with these exercises (e.g. Stronglifts 5x5, Starting Strength etc.).

Setting Target Weights and Reps for Secondary and Tertiary Exercises

Most secondary and tertiary exercises use a fixed weight and rep target system.

Choose a weight that allows you to complete the target reps with good form, while still being challenging.

As you get stronger, you will follow the progression rules (detailed below) to increase reps and weights over time.

If you have never done the exercise before, I would google "Suggested starting weight for <exercise> for a beginner" and put those in. It might help to enter your gender, age, and weight for a better estimate. Use that value as a baseline, and you can adjust as necessary after you try the exercises out.

If you have done the exercises before, use your best judgment based on the suggested rep range.

• Read more about Target Weights and Rep Ranges on the program philosophy page.
• See how these target weight/rep exercises progress over time in the progression guide.

Progression Rules

After completing a 5-week cycle, use the rules below to decide how to progress:

1. Primary Lifts (Training Max–Based)

Primary lifts (e.g., Squat, Bench, Deadlift, OHP) use a Training Max (TM).

Rule:

"If you successfully complete all prescribed reps for the cycle, increase your TM by the set increment for the next cycle."

All future working weights will automatically adjust based on this new TM.

2. Secondary & Tertiary Lifts (Fixed Weight + Rep Targets)

These lifts (e.g., rows, curls, lateral raises) use a double progression system: reps first, then weight.

Rules:

"If you complete all (or most) prescribed reps, increase reps by 1 next cycle. Continue increasing until you reach the top of the target range."

"Once you hit the top of the range, increase weight and reset reps to the bottom of the range."

3. Percentage-Based Secondary Lifts (Linked to Primary Lifts)

Some lifts (e.g., DB Bench, RDL) are calculated as a percentage of a primary lift (e.g., Bench, Deadlift). As you make progress on those the primary lifts, your secondary lifts will automatically adjust accordingly.

What if you fail a set or miss reps?

Failure is expected at times and is part of the progression process.

To keep things simple for tertiary (and some secondary hypertrophy) lifts, all sets share the same target reps.

For example, if your target is 3×10, and you only manage 10, 9, and 8 reps across the three sets, you would still consider that a (technical) failure for the cycle since you did not hit the target of 3×10.

Now keep in mind, by "failure", I mean in context of program progression, not personal shortcomings. If on the next cycle you hit 10, 9, and 9, you made progress from an improvement standpoint, even though you missed the target again. You will keep working to hit the target reps, and when you do, you will progress according to the rules outlined

Rule:

"If you miss reps, repeat the same weight and target reps next cycle."

When should you decrease weight?

While most failures should simply be retried, there are cases where reducing weight is appropriate:

1. Initial setup is too aggressive: If you're missing reps by a wide margin (e.g., target 10, but hitting 6–7), your starting weight is likely too high.
2. Repeated failure across multiple cycles: If you fail the same lift for 2–3 consecutive cycles without improvement, it may indicate the load is unsustainably high.
3. Form breakdown or excessive fatigue: If reps are being completed with poor form or recovery is clearly compromised, lowering the weight is the better long-term decision.

Rule:

"If you fail a lift for 2–3 consecutive cycles without improvement, or if form breaks down significantly, reduce the weight by one increment"