Understanding Load Progressions for Maximal Strength Development

For a long time, a maximal strength program meant one thing to most lifters: put more weight on the bar and lower the reps. That can work for someone new to structured training. With an experienced trainee, you need to make programming decisions that can directly solve limiting factors. You don't necessarily need more complexity, but you need to understand how specific training modalities can be added to the long-term plan in order to maximize strength outcomes.

In the KILO system, I use submaximal work to build the foundation for maximal loading. The accumulation phases provide more repetitions at average intensities generally within 70-80% of 1RM. This intensity bracket is slightly below the maximal strength training threshold of 80-100% that is proposed in the strength training literature. It's important to note that during a maximal strength macrocycle, we are training maximal strength and not necessarily expressing maximal strength. The intensification phases move the average into a heavier 80-90% range that is regarded as maximal work. As the load increases, reps decrease and volume is reduced, the quality of each repetition becomes highly important as we are attempting to drive neuromuscular efficiency at high loads to push the limits of force production. For an experienced lifter, I prefer to visit both demands (submaximal and maximal work) twice within a 12-week macrocycle.

Here is how I would organize a maximal strength macrocycle using phase undulating periodization. Each mesocycle lasts three weeks. Two mesocycles form a six-week block, and each block progresses from an accumulation phase to an intensification phase.

Block 1 is progressive: volume provides the entry point with 35 total reps on the primary lifts, then reps decrease as load rises and volume is reduced by about 40% to 20 total repetitions. Block 2 repeats the relationship at a higher average intensity. Accumulation 2 adds a set and removes one rep per set compared with Accumulation 1. The intensifications follow the same progression. The lifter builds work capacity and displays maximal strength twice across twelve weeks.

Where the Estimated 1RM Comes From

When I use a 1RM number to plan loads, I use an estimated 1RM (E1RM) derived from training sessions. A fresh single on a testing day takes place under different conditions than the final set of an exercise after several working sets. I want the number guiding the next phase to reflect what the lifter has demonstrated within the structure of training.

I calculate it by working backward from the KILO 1RM continuum. Suppose that during the last week of Intensification 2, a lifter completes 3 reps at 405 pounds on the sixth and final set of squats. Three reps correspond to approximately 90% of 1RM. Divide 405 by 0.90 and the result is a 450 lb E1RM. I can use 450 as the reference for planning the next macrocycle. It represents an estimate from the lifter's actual training performance as a fresh tested maximum may significantly differ.

How Step Loading Works

The rep scheme tells only part of the story. On primary compound multi-joint movements in the A-series, I generally use step loading. The reps stay the same across the sets while the load rises toward a planned peak. The first few sets contribute useful work with room to spare to build the skill and coordination needed to facilitate strength development. The last set shows what the lifter can truly handle after completing that work.

There are only two decisions to make. First, choose the load for the final set from the prescribed reps and the lifter's current capacity. Second, work backward, taking steps equal to 2.5% of that final-set load. The same amount is added to the bar at each step. I calculate the steps from the final load so that the scheme remains consistent as the set target changes.

For the first comparison, let's scale the E1RM to 100 units so the percentages are easy to follow. On the KILO 1RM continuum, seven reps represent approximately 80% of 1RM, and four reps represent approximately 88%. The final set in Accumulation 1 is therefore 7 reps at 80 units. The final set in Intensification 1 is 4 reps at 88. Here are both five-set progressions:

In the seven-rep phase, 2.5% of the final load of 80 is two units. Each set adds two, bringing the lifter from 72 to 80. In the four-rep phase, 2.5% of 88 is 2.2 units, bringing the lifter from 79.2 to 88. These numbers also represent percentages of our estimated 1RM of 100. In an actual session, I would round the loads to what the available plates allow.

Now return to the squat lifter with a 450 lb E1RM derived from the previous macrocycle. For Accumulation 1, the planned final set of seven reps is 80% of 450, or 360 pounds. One step equals 2.5% of 360, which is nine pounds. The five sets would be 324, 333, 342, 351, and 360 pounds for seven reps each. In practice, I would round those loads while keeping the climb as even as possible. The average is 342 pounds, or 76% of the E1RM. The lifter reaches a demanding final set while the session as a whole remains in the submaximal loading zone.

The average tells a different story than the heaviest set. In Accumulation 1, the lifter finishes at 80% of 1RM while averaging 76% across all five sets. In Intensification 1, the peak reaches 88% while the average is 83.6%. A five-set progression therefore averages 95% of its planned final load. I refer to the remaining 5% as the average load buffer. It describes the difference between the average and the peak, while the earlier sets also give the lifter some room in terms of reps in reserve.

This is why I track both numbers. The peak shows the most demanding attempt of the day. The average shows the intensity carried through the entire A-series. A lifter who completes one heavy set after four much lighter sets has experienced a different session from a lifter whose earlier sets are close to the peak. Step loading lets me prescribe the volume needed for rehearsal and skill work, while helping with fatigue management as only one set is taken to technical failure.

A Second Pass Through the Loading Zones

Block 2 keeps the same 2.5% step but adds a sixth set. Working backward from the final load gives a sequence of 87.5%, 90%, 92.5%, 95%, 97.5%, and 100% of that load. The first set starts farther below the peak, and the six sets average 93.75% of the final load. For comparison, the five-set sequence starts at 90% and averages 95%.

Accumulation 2 uses 6 × 6. Six reps correspond to approximately 83% of 1RM, so the final set is planned at 83 on our 100-unit scale. The first set starts at about 72.6, and the average of the six loads is 77.8% of 1RM. The lifter performs 36 prescribed reps, compared with 35 in Accumulation 1, while the average intensity increases from 76% to 77.8%.

Intensification 2 uses 6 × 3. Three reps correspond to approximately 90% of 1RM. The final set is therefore planned at 90, the first starts at 78.75, and the six sets average 84.4% of 1RM. The low rep count allows repeated practice with heavy loads while preserving a strong force output. Across the four mesocycles, the approximate average intensities are 76%, 83.6%, 77.8%, and 84.4% of 1RM.

The drop in average intensity at the start of Block 2 is intentional. Accumulation 2 raises the rep count and adds another set. Intensification 2 then raises the peak and average load while reducing reps per set as well as total volume. The second block starts from a slightly higher training demand.

Choosing the Peak Load

The training-derived E1RM gives me a starting point. I still have to decide whether the planned final set is appropriate for the lifter on that day. The seven-rep target at 80% is a guide from the 1RM continuum. The E1RM may have come from a different rep scheme in the previous macrocycle, and the lifter's capacity can change with recovery and the work completed before the final set. I check the planned peak against actual performance.

For the first session of a three-week mesocycle, I would select a peak the lifter can reach with consistent technique. From there, I calculate every earlier set as a percentage of that peak. If the final set is strong and all prescribed reps are completed, I can consider a 2.5% higher peak load on the next exposure and recalculate the entire sequence. If the technique changes or the lifter cannot complete the reps, I review the peak before adding load. The 2.5% set-to-set relationship can stay the same even when the peak changes from week to week.

I record the planned and completed loads, total quality reps, and the best set. Completing the whole sequence with the same movement standard gives me a clearer picture of progress, especially with advanced trainees whose strength rarely increases in a straight line.

I apply this calculation separately to each A-series lift. The squat, bench press, and chin-up each have their own estimated maximum and their own final-set target. A lifter may be ready to increase the bench press peak while holding the squat at its current load for another week. The step pattern remains consistent, while the loading decisions follow the trainee's performance of each primary exercise within the microcycle.

Step loading gives the lifter repeated practice, a controlled rise in intensity, and a meaningful final attempt. Phase undulating periodization places that loading sequence inside two progressive blocks from accumulation to intensification. By the end of twelve weeks, I can use the last completed set of every exercise performed in the block to calculate a new E1RM and let those numbers guide the next macrocycle.

Continue Learning with KILO

Build on the programming and periodization principles covered in this article with related reading, a podcast discussion, and KILO online courses:

• Read: Concentric-Dominant Methods for Maximal Strength
  Explore how paused reps, heavy Inertia, and heavy Deadstop methods change the demands of a lift and where KILO places them within maximal strength training.

• Listen: Max Strength Conversation: The Mother of All Strength Qualities
  Join the KILO Crew on Between 2 Racks to explore how maximal strength supports other training qualities, when to prioritize it, and how exercise selection and periodization guide its development.

• Study: Maximal Strength Specialization Course
  Study KILO’s approach to maximal strength development, including exercise selection, training methods, and the organization of strength-focused training cycles.

• Study: Periodization Course
  Learn how to sequence training phases, apply undulating periodization, and manage volume and intensity across a long-term plan.

• Study: Program Design Course
  Build your understanding of loading parameters, exercise sequencing, and session structure to make more informed programming decisions.