Why we program in six-week blocks

Four weeks is not long enough to adapt to anything. Twelve is long enough that most people quietly stop turning up somewhere around week eight.

What a block looks like

Weeks one and two are about learning the shape of the work. Three and four are where the weight goes up. Five is the hardest week of the block and six is deliberately easy, so that you test fresh rather than tired.

Why the easy week matters

Because you get stronger while you recover, not while you train. Everyone knows that and almost nobody programs for it, because an easy week feels like a wasted week to the person doing it.

What we changed after two years

We stopped testing maxes at the end of every block. It was taking a whole session, half the room was too tired to do it justice, and the number was not telling us anything the training had not already.

Now we test twice a year and spend the other four weeks training. Nobody has missed it.