Got bored and decided to write a more in-depth explanation of my current program.

This is a 3x/week, full body, DUP strength focused base program. DUP stands for daily
(=workout days) undulating (=waving) periodization (=training variable management). DUP
usually follows a minimalist setup with varying intensities over the week and usually a wave
like progression scheme. Quoting Alexander Bromley’s Base Strength:

“Daily undulating periodization involves running through multiple training thresholds within a

single week… [It] can be seen as 3 individual progressions that are all ran side by side”

So, basically you do your main lifts three times a week in varying rep-ranges (intensities) over a
three-week wave that repeats, increasing weight with every new wave. Since this is rather
taxing, recovery is the main concern here and accessories are usually kept to the minimum.

I modified this basic set-up in two ways. First, instead of running only my main lifts three times
a week, I introduced variations to be able to not only work in different rep-ranges, but also to
get a different stimulus. This is great for recovery and further helps to shift focus slightly more
towards a more wholistic hypertrophy approach. (It’s still pretty minimalist though)

The second change is that I introduced an optional week (“Max Week”) that borrows from
Wendler’s 5/3/1, and a deload week. There is not much theory behind this, it’s just a way to
add an extra week of further increased intensity but lower volume before a deload. It gives me
a chance to go (somewhat) all out in times where I know that I will have to take a week off
anyway. Best example would be right now. I knew that I would not be able to train hard during
the holidays but that I also wouldn’t be able to fit another full three-week wave before
Christmas, so I decided to do a max week and deload instead. This is not something you should
be programming regularly, maybe a few times a year. It’s a lot of fatigue that doesn’t really
translate much to strength or hypertrophy gains overall. But it’s fun.

In theory, you don’t need deloads in this setup in the first place since volume and intensity are
always waving up and down and lift variations counteract overuse really well. In practice
though, life is busy and stressful and having that option is always nice. Anyway, this is what the
setup looks like at the moment.

Some things to point out here:

All the lifts have prescribed reps and sets and are calculated using a (theoretical) 1RM that gets
increased by 2.5kg for upper and 5kg for lower body movements every new wave. The only
exception for now are Leg Curls/Extensions. This is because they are machine isolations that
have a great SFR so it’s better to go closer to failure in a higher rep range and just increase
weight weekly by the smallest possible increment. It also doesn’t make much sense to
calculate isolations from a 1RM anyway. It has been working well so far but might become
subject to change in the future.

All variations are also subject to change/rotation as needed. For instance, I switched my CG
Bench to Incline and my OHP to a machine shoulder press for the next few cycles.

Lastly, I added in some accessory work.

The logic behind the accessories is pretty simple: Get in some easy to recover back volume,
some work for shoulder health, a bit of arm work and something to get those skinny calves up
to size.

All the accessories follow a basic double progression and are done close to failure or even
beyond failure. The whole program could be run without any of the accessories so it’s also not
a big issue to do less sets or skip some exercises occasionally if time is limited or fatigue too
high.

So overall, main work and accessories add up to a decent overall weekly volume that is not too
high for a smooth strength progression, but high enough for decent physique gains.

I know that not many here are interested in strength training but this kind of program is an
easy and time effective way for any intermediate recreational lifter and will develop your
physique well enough. You can also add in extra isolation work or a fourth day for bodybuilding
purposes with only a little tweaking of the main lift volume. I hope this helps some people
understand at least full body programming which has been asked about quite often the last
few weeks.