SAM'S GYM FOR MUSCLES
12-Week Undulating Block Periodisation — Squat · Bench · Deadlift, three sessions per week. Weeks 1–6 loaded below.
Every %1RM intensity in the program converts to a working weight, rounded to the nearest 5 lb. Start date picks today's session. Checkoffs, lifted weights, substitutions and notes are saved on this device and kept in the History tab — Export backs everything up.
Session history
All secondary lifts drop from 3 to 2 sets. Accessories drop from 3 to 2 sets. All intensities reduced by ~10%. Focus on recovery, technique, and blood flow. This is when your CNS recovers before ramping into the transmutation phase — do not skip or rush it.
The Split
| Session | Secondary (varies) | Accessories |
|---|---|---|
| Squat Day | Squat variation | Bulgarian Split Squat or Leg Press, leg curl (seated/lying), calf raise (standing/seated) — rotate by phase |
| Bench Day | Bench variation | Incline Dumbbell Press, Cable Fly, Overhead Tricep Extension or Close-Grip Dip — rotate by phase |
| Deadlift Day | Deadlift variation | Pendlay Row, Lat Pulldown / Cable or Chest-Supported Row, rear delt work — rotate by phase |
Secondary Rotation — Full 12 Weeks
| 2-Week Block | Squat Day | Bench Day | Deadlift Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | Pause Squat | Close-Grip Bench | Romanian Deadlift |
| Weeks 3–4 | Box Squat | Spoto Press | Deficit Deadlift |
| Weeks 5–6 | Tempo Squat | Floor Press | Block Pull |
| Weeks 7–8 | Front Squat | Close-Grip Bench | Romanian Deadlift |
| Week 9 | Front Squat (deload) | Close-Grip Bench (deload) | Romanian Deadlift (deload) |
| Weeks 10–12 | Pause Squat | Spoto Press | Deficit Deadlift |
Programming Notes
Accessory progression: double progression. Pick a rep range (e.g. 10–12), start at the low end, add reps each session until you hit the top end on all sets, then increase load by 2.5–5 lb (upper body) or 5–10 lb (lower body) and drop back to the low end.
Secondary lift loading: calculate intensity from your 1RM for that specific lift. If you don't have separate 1RMs for each variation, use the primary lift's 1RM and apply the percentage shown. Squat-day secondaries run 10% lighter than the equivalent bench/deadlift percentages.
Accessories rotate by phase: hypertrophy weeks (1–3, 7–8) use higher reps and machines; strength weeks (5–6) use heavier compounds; peak weeks (10–12) are maintenance only. Deload weeks (4, 9) keep the previous phase's lifts at reduced volume and weight.
Deloads (Weeks 4 and 9): non-negotiable. This is when your central nervous system recovers before ramping into the next phase. Do not skip or rush them.
New secondary exercises: Weeks 3, 5, 7 and 10 introduce new movements. Use lighter loads the first session to groove technique, then ramp up within the 2-week window.
Rest periods: scale with intensity. Accumulation (Weeks 1–3): 2–3 min on primaries. Deload (Weeks 4, 9): 2 min. Transmutation (Weeks 5–6): 3–4 min. Intensification (Weeks 7–8): 4–5 min. Peak (Weeks 10–12): 5 min.
Week 12 is test week: work up to a smooth opener single at 95% on each primary lift — no grinding, no max attempts. Use the week to confirm strength, then enter your new numbers for the next block.
How This Page Works
Working weights: type your three 1RMs into the header and every primary/secondary lift shows its load for the day. Percentages are applied to that day's primary 1RM and rounded to the nearest 5 lb.
Set checkoff: tap a square for each set you finish. Progress is saved per week and day on this device. "Reset day" clears them.
Today button: set your program start date in the header and the Today button in the week bar lights up with the session you should be running — Mon/Tue Squat, Wed/Thu Bench, Fri/Sat Deadlift, Sunday rest. Tap it (or press T) to jump there.
Rest timer: click any rest period to start a countdown — it beeps when time's up. Click the pill to cancel.
Print: "Print week" produces a clean paper sheet of all three days for the selected week, with your working weights on it.
History tab: every session you log is saved with the weights as they were that day — even if you update a 1RM later, the past doesn't change. Tap a session to replay it read-only. Your 1RM history is listed below the sessions.
Substitutions: the ⇄ button on an accessory row swaps in an alternative exercise for that day. The swap is marked "sub" and remembered in history.
Actual weight: the ⚖ button records what you actually lifted. It shows in green as "lifted — target X lb".
Export / Import: Export downloads everything (sessions, weights, 1RM history, substitutions) as a JSON file. Import restores it — use it to move to a new phone or keep a backup. Hand the file to Sam for a coach review.
What the "Progressive" badge means
Every accessory exercise shows a Progressive badge in the weight column instead of a percentage. That's because accessories aren't tied to your big-lift 1RMs — you pick the load, and the badge tells you how to advance it.
Progressive = double progression. Work through a rep range, then raise the weight:
- Pick a starting load where your first set lands at the bottom of the rep range (e.g. 10 reps on a 10–12 exercise) with 1–2 reps in reserve.
- Add reps each session until you hit the top of the range on every set (12, 12, 12).
- Then add load — 2.5–5 lb upper body, 5–10 lb lower body — and drop back to the bottom of the range.
- Repeat for the rest of the block. The weight only moves up when you've earned it.
Week 4 flips the badge to Reduced weight for the deload — pick something light, move through it, recover. No chasing progression that week.
Dips: the rep target is the prescription — bodyweight, band-assisted, or weighted, whichever gets you the reps with clean form.
