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General strength block (4-day)

v2

Four days a week, tiered by intensity — one heavy top set, two pyramided cluster sets, and accessory volume. Powerbuilding for intermediates who want strength up and size on at the same time.

Available
All levelstrainingpowerbuilding4-dayintermediatestrengthhypertrophy

Get an AI coach that uses this skill

FitnessGrid is an AI coach that plans your week and adapts as you go. Install General strength block (4-day) and your coach will follow this protocol every week, learn from what you actually do, and adjust on the fly.

  • Your coach builds the week from this skill
  • Adapts to your actual progress, not a static template
  • Free to start — no credit card, ~60 seconds to set up

Four sessions a week, each anchored on a different main lift. Every session is tiered:

  • T1: One heavy top set on the day's main lift (1-3 reps, RPE 9)
  • T2: Pyramided cluster work on a closely related variation (sets of 5-8, working up to a heavy double)
  • T3: Accessory volume (3-4 exercises, 8-15 reps, RPE 7-8)

The week:

  • Day 1: Squat (T1) → Front squat (T2) → quad / hamstring accessories
  • Day 2: Bench (T1) → Incline bench (T2) → chest / triceps / delt accessories
  • Day 3: Deadlift (T1) → Deficit deadlift (T2) → back / hamstring accessories
  • Day 4: OHP (T1) → Push press (T2) → shoulder / back / biceps accessories

This is a peak-strength template with hypertrophy support, not the other way around. T1 percentages run 85-95%; T3 runs at RPE 7-8 on intelligent isolation work — not random "extra volume".

Decision rules for the coach

  • Starting weights. Call analyze_training_history for squat, bench, deadlift, OHP. The T1 prescription is built off the user's current e1RM; use evaluate to compute e1RM × 0.90 as the starting top single. Confirm with the user before activating.
  • T1 top set is the read. If T1 hits the prescribed reps at RPE 9 or below, add load next week (2.5kg upper / 5kg lower). If it grinds at RPE 10, hold. If the user misses the rep, drop T1 to RPE 8 next session and rebuild the slope.
  • T2 is pyramided. Three to four ramping sets to one heavy double or triple, then a back-off set at 85% of the heavy double for 5 reps. Use evaluate for the back-off math.
  • Accessories are not negotiable but are interchangeable. The shape of T3 (rows for the back, triceps for the press, hamstrings for the squat day) is fixed; specific exercises can rotate. Don't trim T3 — that's where size comes from.
  • Deload. Every 5-6 weeks, run a full deload (40-60% loads, half volume on T3, skip T1). Call apply_deload_template.
  • Adherence. If the user can't commit to four sessions, swap to upper-lower-4day (less demanding T1) or full-body-3day.
  • Arithmetic. Use evaluate for every derived weight (per the evaluate-arithmetic skill).