4-Day Strength: how it works
Four days a week, each built around one main lift (squat, bench, deadlift, press), with a four-week cycle that adds weight every month.
Who it suits
Intermediate lifters who have outgrown adding weight every session and want steady strength gains on the big four lifts.
How the month runs
Work from a training max of about 90% of your best single. The main lift changes each week of the month:
- Week 1: sets of 5.
- Week 2: sets of 3.
- Week 3: a set of 5, a set of 3, then as many reps as you can with good form.
- Week 4: light, to recover.
Then add 2.5 kg to the bench and press training max and 5 kg to squat and deadlift, and start the next month. Accessories are 5 sets of 10 unless shown.
Tips
- Keep the training max honest: if the last set of week 3 gets fewer than 3 reps, lower it.
- The as-many-reps set is your progress check. MaxLift’s estimated 1RM on the Progress tab shows the trend.