Calgary Barbell 16-Week Workout Program

Origin & Philosophy

Created by Bryce Krawczyk, owner and head coach of Calgary Barbell, founded in 2015. Bryce is an IPF Classic World Silver Medalist, 3-time CPU National Champion, and former IPF Open World Record holder (315kg squat, 357.5kg deadlift). The program reflects his RTS-influenced coaching philosophy - using RPE alongside percentages to blend structured progression with daily autoregulation.

The core idea: start with moderate percentages and higher volume, progressively increase intensity while reducing volume, and finish with RPE-based singles that peak you for competition day. It's one of the most popular free powerlifting programs available, used by thousands of lifters worldwide.

Who It's For

• Experience level: Intermediate to advanced (1-3+ years of consistent barbell training)
• Prerequisites: Known 1RMs for Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. Comfortable with RPE-based training and paused competition lifts.
• Primary goal: Peaking strength for a powerlifting meet, or testing new 1RMs
• Best suited for: Maintenance or slight surplus. The early phases have enough volume to support muscle growth, but the primary goal is strength peaking.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Very high bench frequency (4x/week) builds pressing strength and technique fast - bench is trained more than in almost any other free program
• The hybrid %1RM + RPE system gives structure in early weeks and autoregulation when it matters most during the peak
• Free and battle-tested - thousands of lifters have run it with strong results, especially on deadlift and squat
• Exercise selection gradually shifts from varied (pin squats, tempo bench, front squats) to competition-specific, which builds a broad base before sharpening it
• Double-wave daily structure in Phase 2 (heavy top sets + lighter backoff) gets you used to handling heavy loads while still accumulating volume

Cons

• Sessions run 60-90 minutes due to the number of exercises per day and heavy compound work requiring longer rest
• No direct arm or lateral delt isolation - if those are priorities, you'll need to add your own
• The 16-week commitment is long. If you need to cut the program short, results suffer - at least one reviewer who ran only 13 weeks reported weaker outcomes
• RPE-based accessories require honest self-assessment. Less experienced lifters tend to either sandbag or overshoot RPE targets.
• No built-in deload week - the taper in weeks 14-16 serves this purpose, but lifters who accumulate fatigue early may need to insert one around week 8

Program Structure

• Split: Full body with emphasis rotation - each day prioritizes different movement patterns (squat-focused, deadlift-focused, variation day, accessory-heavy day)
• Periodization: Linear periodization across 4 phases (accumulation -> intensity -> competition prep -> taper), with undulating daily loading within each phase
• Schedule: Fixed 4-day weekly split
• Phase overview:
  • Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Accumulation - moderate intensity (64-71%), higher reps (5-7), building work capacity
  • Phase 2 (Weeks 5-8): Intensity - heavy top sets (76-82%) with lighter backoff sets, exercise variations shift
  • Phase 3 (Weeks 9-11): Competition prep - maintaining high intensity (78-81%), increasing specificity
  • Phase 4 (Weeks 12-16): Taper - RPE-based top singles progressing from triples to singles, decreasing backoff volume, peaking for meet day

Exercise Selection & Rationale

Competition lifts - Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift - are the foundation. Bench is always paused (competition standard). These appear on nearly every training day across all 16 weeks.

Box Squat (used here for pin squats) builds strength out of the hole by forcing a dead stop at the bottom. You squat down until the barbell rests on the safety pins set at or just below parallel, pause briefly to eliminate the stretch reflex, then drive up. This removes the bounce out of the hole and forces you to generate force from a dead stop — a common weak point in the competition squat. In Phase 1 it's percentage-based; in later phases it shifts to RPE. Paused squats (also programmed as Squat with a pause cue) serve a similar purpose with more competition-specific positioning.

Bench Press Close Grip targets tricep lockout strength - the most common bench press sticking point for intermediate lifters. Legs Up Bench Press isolates upper body pressing by removing leg drive, exposing weaknesses in chest and shoulder strength.

Front Squat in Phase 1 builds quad strength and an upright torso. In Phase 4, this shifts to high bar squats (programmed as Squat on Day 2) for a less fatiguing squat variation that still reinforces the movement pattern.

Stiff Leg Deadlift at low percentages (38-46%) in Phase 1 builds posterior chain endurance without taxing recovery. In Phase 2, it shifts to Day 1 alongside the heavy squat/bench work.

Rowing variations - Bent Over Row, Bent Over One Arm Row, Seated Wide Grip Row, Lat Pulldown - balance out the high pressing volume. Pulling work is distributed across all 4 days to support shoulder health and back strength.

Accessories - Overhead Press for general pressing strength, Skullcrusher for tricep hypertrophy (Phase 1), Back Extension and Plank for core stability. These rotate in and out across phases based on training emphasis.

Set & Rep Scheme

Phase 1 (Weeks 1-4): Main lifts use straight sets at moderate percentages - 4x7 at 64% progressing to 5x5 at 71%. Accessories are prescribed at RPE 8 (about 2 reps in reserve) for 8-12 reps.

Phase 2 (Weeks 5-8): Main lifts switch to a double-wave structure - heavy top sets (3x3 at 76% up to 5x2 at 82%) followed by lighter backoff sets (2x5 at 65-71%). This gets you used to handling heavy weights while maintaining volume through backoffs.

Phase 3 (Weeks 9-11): Similar double-wave structure but with higher total volume on Day 1 (up to 7x4 at 81% on bench). Accessories are trimmed.

Phase 4 (Weeks 12-16): Top sets transition from RPE-based triples (1x3 @8) to doubles (1x2 @8) to singles (1x1 @8), with percentage-based backoff volume that decreases each week. Week 16 is competition/test week with max singles.

Main lift progression week over week (Squat, Day 1)

The four phases are visible: straight sets climbing from 64-71% (Phase 1), double-wave heavy + backoff structure at 76-82% (Phase 2), similar structure at 78-81% with more volume (Phase 3), then RPE-based top sets with decreasing backoff volume into the peak (Phase 4).

Box Squat (pin squat) transitions from percentage to RPE (Day 3)

Paused deadlift RPE progression with tapering volume (Day 4)

Sets and reps shift each week (4x4→5x3→4x5→4x2→3x4→2x3→...) while RPE stays @8-@9. The volume taper into Phase 4 is clearly visible.

Progressive Overload

There's no session-to-session or week-to-week weight adding in this program. Instead, progression is built into the 16-week structure:

• Weeks 1-8: Percentages increase linearly each week (64% -> 67% -> 69% -> 71% in Phase 1, then 76% -> 79% -> 82% in Phase 2) while reps decrease
• Weeks 9-16: Main lifts use percentage-based backoff work combined with RPE-based top sets that get heavier and lower-rep each week
• Accessories: All RPE-based work stays at RPE 8-9 throughout. Autoregulate by adjusting weight to match the target RPE each session.

If you run the program again, use your new 1RMs from Week 16 testing as the basis.

How Long to Run It / What Next

Run the full 16 weeks. Don't cut it short - the taper in the final weeks is essential for realizing the strength you built in earlier phases.

Signs you're ready to move on: You've tested new 1RMs in Week 16. Take a deload week after, then either run it again with updated maxes or switch programs.

Transition to: The Calgary Barbell 8-Week version for a shorter peaking cycle next time. For off-season hypertrophy work, consider GZCL: Jacked & Tan 2.0 or Bullmastiff. For continued strength work without a peaking focus, The Rippler is a solid 12-week option.

Equipment Needed

Barbell, squat rack with safety pins (for pin squats), flat bench, weight plates, dumbbells (for rows), and a cable machine or lat pulldown station.

Home gym substitutions:

• Lat Pulldown -> Chin Up or Pull Up
• Seated Wide Grip Row -> Bent Over Row or Pendlay Row
• Skullcrusher -> Bench Press Close Grip or Triceps Dip
• Back Extension -> Good Morning or Romanian Deadlift, Barbell
• Pin squats (programmed as Box Squat) -> paused squats if no pins available

Rest Times

• Main compound lifts (squat, bench, deadlift): 3-5 minutes between heavy sets
• Backoff sets: 2-3 minutes
• Accessories and RPE-based work: 2-3 minutes for compounds, 60-90 seconds for isolation

How to Pick Starting Weights

Enter your current 1RM for Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift. The original program uses a Training Max (95% of 1RM) - the percentages in this implementation already account for that, so enter your true 1RM and the weights will match the original spreadsheet.

Common mistake: Using inflated 1RMs. Week 1 starts at 64% for sets of 7 - this should feel moderate and controlled. If you're grinding reps in Week 1, your 1RM is too high. Drop it by 5-10%.

For RPE-based exercises, start conservatively. RPE 8 means you could do 2 more reps with good form. When in doubt, go lighter - the program has 16 weeks to build intensity.

If you don't know your 1RM, do a set of 3-5 reps to near failure and use a rep-max calculator (the app has one built in).

Common Modifications

• Pin squat substitution: Paused squats or box squats if you don't have safety pins at the right height
• Spoto press substitution: Floor press or board press. In this program, the bench variation on Day 3 in Phase 1 serves the same overload purpose.
• Front squat mobility issues: Replace with high bar squats or safety squat bar squats
• Running without a meet: Use Week 16 as a testing week - work up to max singles on squat, bench, and deadlift across the 4 days
• Adding arm work: Bicep curls and face pulls can be added to any day without interfering with recovery. Keep it to 2-3 sets at RPE 8.
• 3-day variant: Not recommended. The high bench frequency is a core feature. If you can only train 3 days, combine Days 3 and 4 but expect longer sessions.