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Calgary Barbell

This program is designed to be run into a competition and features a high-frequency, high specificity approach that utilizes polarization - attempting to move work *away* from the moderate/middle intensities in order to have more work on the top end, and backoff/non-specific work that is quite low intensity.

Powerlifting

Strength

Competition Prep

High Frequency

Polarized

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CBB Polarization

Alright!  This block is meant to help lifters transition from any of our other programs into a higher frequency polarized template.  You'll definitely want to ensure you're using a conservative training max to populate the suggested loads, and *always* prioritize hitting RPE over hitting the suggested loads.  Adjust the weight up or down given your performance on the day and don't force it.  In this block especially, it's better for things to be a bit easier than too difficult.

Block 1 - Acclimation

Pivot Week

And this block is where things get turned up a bit.  The priority here is to increase our tolerance to the higher volume and higher workload.  Prioritize good clean quality work over pushing the intensities.  If E1RM is a bit down for this section of the program, that's 100% expected and acceptable.  We're going to dig a bit deep in terms of workload and try to accumulate a whole bunch of really solid reps and sets.  This block will spend more time than any other in the moderate intensity range, which can often be the toughest place to be for this style of approach.

Block 2 - Accumulation

And now we get into some really fun stuff.  The polarization begins!  You'll notice reps get pushed both up AND down, removing the majority of our moderate intensity work.  We're going to be spending most of our training stress this block in the high and low intensity zones, and through this block and the next we'll push those intensities (and specificities to some extent) to both extremes a bit.  If the low intensity higher rep work feels a bit too low, or if you're especially good at higher rep work, you can nudge that upwards a bit, but we want it to feel very crisp and very technically sound.  On the higher intensity days is where we push and have some fun!

Block 3 - Realization 1/2

And now our last block of the program! You'll notice last block and this block the higher intensity competition work is at the end of the week - I've found that makes tapering really clean and smooth in terms of dropping a bit of work away in the last few days and being very ready to compete/test maxes without disrupting training much at all.  Week 3 of this block is the intended taper, and Week 3 Day 4 is our competition day!

Block 4 - Realization 2/2 + Taper Week

Since PB2 was wildly successful and it seemed to get great results for folks, I wanted to take another adaptation of it in an attempt to continue along a similar vein of progression.  If you liked PB2 and it worked well for you, WELL STRAP ON YOUR GAINZ BOOTS AND LETS GOOOOOOOO

Powerbuilding

Hypertrophy

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Powerbuilding III

Week 5 is an optional deload/washout week - use it if you need it, or skip it if you don't!

Phase I

Phase II

This program is meant to be run as a post-meet or off-season program. There will be an emphasis on pushing squat volume and frequency in order to attempt to break through a squat plateau and drive the lifter to further progress.

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Squat Plateau Breaker

OK!  So we're assuming we're probably post-meet or in an off-season type phase.  We're going to be pushing some volume and a higher number of reps per set, as well as relying on a frequent exposure of our comp squat, 4x per week in this case.  USE A REASONABLE TRAINING MAX.  Your baseline exposures will be %-based and scale automatically off of your 1RM so don't be too aggressive.  This will be a demanding program, given that the movement we're pushing so hard is pretty demanding.  Eat and sleep accordingly!

Block 1 - Developmental Phase I

Alright, this week is meant to be a low-stress week to let us reduce some overall fatigue and training stress so that we can get into our next week well recovered!

Pivot Week 1/1

Aaand we're back!  Into our next block here, continuing to focus on pushing the squat.  Things will look relatively familiar to block one, just scaling our reps and RPE's as well as making a few small exercise selection swaps.

Block 2 - Developmental Phase II

This program is intended to be run post-meet or a little bit away from a competition.  The focus of this program is to push the bench press for a lifter who has perhaps previously been stuck, or has felt that their bench progress has been more stagnant than they would like.

powerlifting

off-season

bench focus

moderate volume

hypertrophy

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9-Week Off-Season Bench Plateau Breaker

This block is intended to be run post-meet, probably after a washout week or two.  This will be a moderate volume and moderate intensity phase, and will introduce the "daily dose" of bench in order to help us push the stimulus throughout the block.  You'll notice we have comp bench every day, as well as bench variations.  The comp bench that we're doing before other bench work on D2-3-4 is meant to be quite light, so I've included some %'s to help guide things.  I've tailored almost all accessory work to the upper body and pressing muscles, with some pulling on D4 to potentially give some relief if anyone's elbows are getting beat up.

This week is meant as a brief break/refresher in between developmental blocks.  We'll be pushing some tempo and long pause stuff to be able to put work in that is non-specific enough to allow for some good recovery

This block is intended to bridge the gap back into a peaking protocol or another meet prep - or perhaps even powerbuilding for an extended off-season.  You could always run this program a second time too if you found some solid gains on the bench!  You'll notice a lot of similarities between this block and the last, because the hope is that this block very intentionally builds on the previous block, and is a logical progression.

A new formulation of a "powerbuilding" approach that I've been cooking up, utilizing more regular singles to maintain sport form while pushing higher volume backoff sets and additional accessory work to drive hypertrohpy an ACHIEVE AESTHETICS

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Powerbuilding II

This program is built for those who have a limited amount of time to spend in the gym, but want to maximize the powerlifting training that they can do with that amount of time. 

It's meant to bridge the gap in a higher stress period, or a period in life where you've got more things going on and need to de-prioritize powerlifting without taking too many steps back.

In many ways, this program will likely be the equivalent of "playing defense" and ensuring that you don't lose gains in a time like that.

time saving

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CBB Max Efficiency Program (4x)

In this block we'll be utilizing fatigue singles *after* our main work to keep the edges sharp with comp specificity, but to de-prioritize the singles a bit.  We'll also be limiting to 2 main movements and some superset accessories each training session to ensure we're getting bang for our buck (read: time).

Dev Block 1 (Week 1-4)

Go ahead and do a decent load for your x3@8 on comp lifts, but the backoffs should be damn near warmups - very easy.

Low Stress Week

Alright, back to development work now - we're going to be slowly increasing the intensity of the singles, and moving to a rep drop protocol on the main volume for the comp lifts.  Bear in mind that the focus of this program is to somewhat play *defense* and that you shouldn't be reaching super far/hard with the singles unless you have VERY good indication that there's something big there.  In most cases, just chipping away, meeting yourself where you are and getting the work in is the play.

Dev Block 2 (Weeks 6-10)

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CBB Max Efficiency Program (3x)

This program is built to be a perfect introduction to someone who wants to dip their toes in powerlifting.  If you've messed around in the gym and have done some barbell training, this is the gateway!  Our goal with this program is to get lifters acclimated to training in a powerlifting style, and to make a bunch of gains and fall in love with the training.

Linear Progression

CBB Linear Beginner Program - 4 Days

Includes a 2-week introductory period, followed by the initial set-up of the program.  Weeks 3 and 4 begin the main portion of the program, setting the layout and basic progression the lifter will be focusing on for the bulk of the program.

Phase 1

These weeks follow a similar layout to the end of Phase 1, while continuing to slowly and gradually increase both intensity and volume throughout, while shifting slowly more and more specific in terms of exercise selection and rep ranges.

Phase 2

The final phase of this program will continue to build intensity, while dropping rep ranges to allow for the lifter to continue to scale the weight on the bar up into a final skills evaluation/test day in the final week, using some singles to assess how far the lifter has come throughout the program, and to establish some number/approximate maxes for moving forward.

Phase 3

This program is designed to be run as a hypertrophy-focused off-season type block with the goal of adding muscle mass to the prime movers of the big 3.  You should be eating in a surplus when you do this program to get the most out of it.  It will incorporate higher reps/volume loads across the comp lifts, as well as a larger range of accessory movements targeted at relevant muscle groups.

Off-season

CBB Powerbuilding Program

Designed to acclimate the user to higher rep ranges on the main lift, as well as begin to introduce special preparatory exercises targeted at hypertrophy

Developmental Phase I (Week 1-4)

Week 5 is a "Swing Phase" designed to allow for fatigue drop-off without derailing the momentum build in the previous phase. Week 6-10 are the crescendo of the volume and overload on hypertrophy-focused movements, while shifting the rep ranges on the big 3 back towards strength zones.

Developmental Phase II (Week 5-10)

This program is designed to be run as an off-season and/or hypertrophy program for a powerlifter.  It is slightly more specific than the Powerbuilding program because it is intended for those with a home gym and access to limited equipment.  The assumption is that the lifter doesn’t have access to a fully decked out gym, or prefers to keep the movements more specific to the Big 3.

Home Gym

CBB Minimal Equipment Powerbuilding - 3 Days

This block is designed to begin ramping workload up, while allowing enough room in the overall stress level to included a variety of preparatory exercises aimed at targeted hypertrophy. 

Developmental Phase I (Week 1-5)

This block is designed to begin increasing frequency and intensity, and changes some of the secondary lifts to tempo-focused variations to allow for more time under contraction, as well as better pattern-practice on the big 3.

Developmental Phase II (Week 6-10)

This block is built to provide a stimulus that’s more akin to what you would expect from more on-season powerlifting programming.  The idea is to transition from this into a more specific program.

Developmental Phase III (Week 11-12)

This program is meant to be run as a further variation for those who enjoy and have had success with the layout of the CBB 16 and 16-2.  The comp lifts early on are %-based and give the lifter a solid introductory period, allowing for fine tuning of any technique issues and good solid skills practice with moderate load.  The end of the program will peak and taper an athlete for a competition or gym test.

CBB 16-3

This block is intended to provide a sort of "base building" for the following workloads and to acclimate the lifter to the structure and general flow of training.  If this phase is a bit on the undershot/easy side, that is as intended. **NOTE** Always defer to RPE wherever it's listed.  Suggested loads will sometimes be taken from comp lifts and applied to variations.  If you're in doubt that something is doable, adjust the load to hit the target RPE.

Block 1

Week 1 is an intentional low stress week after the building of Block 1, so it will be intentionally a bit easy

Block 2

Block 3

This phase will keep the D3/4 SBD singles going, and scale the repwork on D1/2.  However, we'll also see an overall decrease in volume to allow for that bigger upwards shift in intensity.  The phase ends with a Taper/Peak week which you can skip if you choose not to compete or test maxes.

Block 4

CBB Minimal Equipment Powerbuilding - 4 Days

This block is designed to begin ramping workload up, while allowing enough room in the overall stress level to included a variety of preparatory exercises aimed at targeted hypertrophy.  

The CBB PPL is the body-part split for powerlifters.  Built with a Push-Pull-Accessory-Legs structure, the 'Accessory' day alternates between squat and deadlift variations light enough to not be disruptive to the whole split concept.  If you're a fan of the PPL structure, but want to focus on strength in the big 3, the CBB PPL is it.

Bodybuilding

Upper/Lower Split

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The CBB PPL (4x)

Alright!  This block will be the first of 3 and sort of set the tone for what to expect.  Ensure you come in with some conservative estimations and targets, there's plenty of room to scale up through the 4-week block.  Next week/block will be a small deload/washout/low stress week, followed by the next dev block!

Dev Block 1

So this week is meant to get you some recovery.  If you're unsure with loading this week, *undershoot*.  If you're feeling beat up, you can skip a set or two, cut a day out, listen to your body and do what needs to be done to recover.

Washout/Deload/Low Stress Week 1

OK.  Hopefully y'all are feeling well recovered after last week and are ready to go again!

Dev Block 2

Another quick dip into some lower stress training.  The tempos and such will allow us to make very light weight still challenging and engaging so hold yourself accountable to good quality movement and strict tempos!  Next week we're back at it!

Washout/Deload/Low Stress Week 2

And here we go!  The final block of the program, and we're going to be dropping into some slightly more specific training.  

Dev Block 3

Path of Powerlifting I is the first of the CBB Progressive programs.  This program structure covers the meat and potatoes of how I program for powerlifting, utilizing a fair decent number of ramping sets and moderate frequency of the comp lifts and more specific accessories.  This specific program ends in a 1-rep max test or meet, complete with a taper. 

progressive

3x per week

intensity focus

sport specific

low stress

Path of Powerlifting Low I (3x) 

Introductory block, the purpose here is to build technical proficiency with lower intensity work, and build the work capacity of the lifter.  Use the E1RM button after top sets to set the % for down-sets.

Acclimation

The second block is used to accumulate a relatively high level of volume/overall stress

Accumulation

This block focuses on honing the competition skills as well as specific adaptations to top-end strength, while allowing the fatigue of the previous 8 weeks to dissipate

Realization

4x per week

moderate stress

intensity-focused

Path of Powerlifting Low I (4x)

5x per week

Path of Powerlifting Low I (5x)

Path of Powerlifting Moderate I (3x)

Path of Powerlifting Moderate I (4x)

Path of Powerlifting Moderate I (5x)

high stress

Path of Powerlifting High I (3x)

Path of Powerlifting High I (4x)

Path of Powerlifting High I (5x)

The second in the Path of Powerlifting Series - this program will feature higher overall volume, a more moderate intensity, and more reps per set on average than PoP I.  The focus of this block will be to execute a high number of quality reps, driving sport practice through repetition, and will aim for less specific adaptations, including hypertrophy and work capacity.

volume-focused

moderate specificity

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Path of Powerlifting Low II (3x)

Introductory block, the purpose here is to build technical proficiency and work capacity by using higher rep sets at a lower RPE/intensity, and create the groundwork for sube

The second block's purpose is to accumulate work through a ramping up of the baseline created during the accumulation period.

As there is no peak in this program, Accumulation 2 will continue to accumulate volume while shifting to a layout more familiar to create a transition back into more sport specific training.

Accumulation 2

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Path of Powerlifting Low II (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting Low II (5x)

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Path of Powerlifting Moderate II (3x)

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Path of Powerlifting Moderate II (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting Moderate II (5x)

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Path of Powerlifting High II (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting High II (3x)

Path of Powerlifting High II (5x)

Path of Powerlifting III is built as a bridge from PoP II into more specific, sport form training.  PoP II was meant as a sort of off-season, post meet program for higher volume and some hypertrophy outcomes, where PoP III aims to bridge the gap between II back into more specific work.

ramping specificity

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Path of Powerlifting III Low (3x)

The first block utilizes some ramping sets to help you get an idea of where things are at with multiple rep sets.  When in doubt, take smaller jumps from set to set,  maybe undershoot a few weeks on RPE.

The final week is a deload/low stress week to prepare for the final block

This block doesn't taper, but it definitely does peak.  I'd recommend running a deload or washout before next block, or you can ask in #program-questions on the discord and I can help you put a taper in!

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Path of Powerlifting III Low (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting III Low (5x)

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Path of Powerlifting III Moderate (3x)

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Path of Powerlifting III Moderate (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting III Moderate (5x)

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Path of Powerlifting III High (3x)

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Path of Powerlifting III High (4x)

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Path of Powerlifting III High (5x)

Path of Powerlifting IV is a heavy program.  It's meant to be a relatively short, but intense block of training heading into a competition.  With the volume accumulation of PoP II and III, I think this is a fantastic capstone for the series, giving us close to an annual plan if you're wanting to stay quite specific.

high specificity

high intensity

peak + taper

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Path of Powerlifting IV Low (4x)

This block is meant to provide a slight ramp in the volume and intensity that will be commonly found throughout the program.  Ideally the first week or two will be fairly easy, and then slowly ramp up into the end of this block leading into Block 2.

This week is a low-stress week, in theory it could be optional if you're still feeling 100% recovered, but I'd recommend probably using it to get the benefits of some added recovery

Week 5 - Low Stress Week

Block 2 is our peak and taper.  If you're competing, the final day of week 3 should line up with your competition day.  If not, you can do a mock meet/gym test - or you can simply skip the test and either deload or transition into your next program.  Notes for taper week schedule are in W3D3!

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