When To Break The Rules: How To Bend The KILO System Without Breaking Your Results

At KILO, we live by systems. Clear rules, defined structures, progression models that actually hold up over months and years.

But here is the part that does not always get said loudly enough: every great system includes room to break the rules.

Not randomly. Not because you are bored. Not because a client “doesn’t like” something.

You break the rules with motive, after you understand what you are breaking and why.

In this article, we will cover:

• When it is appropriate to deviate from the KILO system
  

• How to adjust macrocycles, mesocycles and periodization models
  

• When to change A series exercises away from the PRIMEIGHT lifts
  

• How to modify loading rules without wrecking progression
  

• A simple checklist for knowing whether you should bend or hold the line

And one caveat upfront:

You earn the right to break the rules by first following them.

If you have not run the system as designed, you are not “breaking rules”
You are just skipping steps.

First Principle: Learn The System Before You Bend It

One of the best pieces of advice we give KILO students is simple:

Follow the rules until you know the system. Once you truly understand it, then you can put your own spin on it.

That means:

• Run full 12-Week Macrocycles
  

• Use phase undulating periodization as your default
  

• Use the PRIMEIGHT lifts in the A series whenever the trainee can perform them
  

• Respect the 3-week mesocycle structure before you start shortening or stretching it

Only after you have seen how this behaves in real life, with real clients, do the exceptions start to make sense.

If you cannot explain what the “rule” is, you are not ready to break it.

Timeframes: When Shorter (Or Different) Macros Make Sense

Our default macrocycle is 12 weeks. That gives us:

• Two 6 week blocks
  

• Four 3 week mesocycles
  

• Enough time to build, intensify, and express a quality

But real life does not care about your template.

When You Only Have 8 Weeks

Common examples:

• A field sport athlete that has a short offseason window
  

• A client that has a known hard stop with travel, holidays etc.,

In those cases, forcing a 12-week structure into an 8 week reality is unrealistic coaching.

Options that make sense:

• Use two week mesocycles for more advanced trainees who can adapt to the stimulus quickly
  

• Use four week mesocycle for more novice trainees who benefit from greater exposure
  

• Accept that this macrocycle needs to be altered to fit time constraints
  

Shorter mesocycles can work well for advanced trainees who:

• Have a high training age
  

• Already know the movements
  

• Tolerate variation well

When Athletes Detrain Fast Or Are Always Cooked By Week 10

Some lifters consistently feel:

• Flat, achy and drained by week 9 to 10
  

• Noticeable performance drops if they fully unload for a week

For these athletes, shorter macros with more frequent active recovery can outperform the classic 12 week plan.

An 8 week macrocycle may:

• Keep them fresher
  

• Reduce joint irritation
  

• Let them express strength more often

You are not abandoning the system. You are scaling it to their recovery reality.

The “Super Accumulation” Two Week 

Occasionally you get a perfect setup:

• The trainee has exactly two weeks before a holiday or enforced break
  

• They are advanced, healthy, and ready to work
  

• You know a real recovery window is coming right after
  

This is the perfect place for a short, brutal super accumulation phase.

You overload hard for two weeks, fully aware that you are trading short term fatigue for medium term supercompensation.

Is that the norm? No.
Is it within the rules of physiology? Yes.

The key is that the life schedule, not your boredom, dictates the rule break.

A Series Primary Exercises: When You Move Away From The PRIMEIGHT Lifts

By default, the A series belongs to the PRIMEIGHT lifts:

• Squat, front squat, deadlift, overhead press, incline press, bench press, dip and chin up

These are your primary drivers of strength. They get the best real estate in the session.

So when can you justify “breaking the rules” and using non-PRIMEIGHT exercises in the A series?

Movement Limitations: MAP Says They Are Not Ready

If the MAP assessment shows the trainee cannot:

• Squat to depth safely
  

• Press overhead without compensation
  

• Hold position without joint pain

You do not force a PRIMEIGHT pattern because “the system says so”.

Rule break options that still respect the goal:

• Back squat quality negated by mobility or structure
  

• Use goblet squats, front squats or quad squats while you build capacity
  

• Overhead press limited by shoulder structure
  

• Use high inclines, landmine presses or low pulley presses as A series
  

• Chin-ups impossible for now
  

• Use pulldown variations  as the primary pulling exercise

You are still training the pattern and the quality, just with a tool they can actually own.

Advanced Trainees Needing Variation And Specificity

On the other side, advanced lifters may benefit from moving beyond the standard PRIMEIGHT pattern while keeping the same category.

Examples:

• Using a single leg squat as the main squat pattern to unload the spine while still hammering legs
  

• Using a log press or football bar to overload the front delts and challenge pressing mechanics
  

• Using specialty bars or front rack positions to expose weak links and avoid pattern overload

Here you are “breaking the rule” of strict barbell PRIMEIGHT lifts, but:

• The pattern stays the same
  

• The role of the A series stays the same
  

• The reason for the change is specific, not random

When PAAB Rewrites The Whole Session

Sometimes the MAP Assessment reveals so many structural or pain related limitations that the standard program design system is not the right tool.

That is when PAAB becomes the primary system, with its own rules and hierarchy.

You are not breaking the system at that point. You are switching to the correct system for the problem in front of you, then returning to standard programming once the foundation is rebuilt.

Loading Rules: When To Bend Them In The A Series

Our default A series loading principles:

• Use step loading
  

• Gradually ramp load set to set
  

• Aim for about a 10 to 12 percent intensity spread between the first and last set
  

• Keep rep targets consistent across the mesocycle
  

Breaking those rules can be smart in specific contexts.

Beginners: Constant Loading Beats "Cute" Schemes

Novices:

• Do not know their true strength
  

• Have no idea how they will respond to fatigue across sets
  

• Need skill more than complexity

For them, constant loading in the A series is often the better play:

• Coach selects a submaximal load they are confident the lifter can manage for all sets
  

• The trainee focuses on repetition quality and pattern rehearsal
  

• Once all sets hit the top of the rep range cleanly, you increase load by a small increment

You are breaking the “step loading is the rule” guideline to respect training age. That is good coaching.

Very High Set Counts: Widening The Intensity Spread

Our 10-12%t intensity spread guideline assumes four to six work sets.

In high set scenarios, it is reasonable to:

• Slightly widen the intensity range
  

• Start a bit further below the top set
  

• Still finish at a productive peak load
  

You maintain the spirit of step loading, but you break the letter of the rule to keep the structure practical.

Periodization: When To Change The Model

Our default periodization “rule” is phase undulating within a 12 week macrocycle:

• Alternating accumulation and intensification phases
  

• Each phase lasting 3 weeks
  

• Qualities revisited frequently enough to avoid detraining

That is the backbone of our system for the general population and long term clients.

There are, however, several scenarios where other models make more sense.

Standard Periodization: Same Reps, Gradual Load

Standard periodization:

• Reps stay the same across a long block
  

• Load increases gradually over time

Where it fits:

• Absolute beginners who need repetition, not variety
  

• Highly inconsistent clients who miss so many sessions that “fancy” periodization is wasted

These lifters need:

• Skill acquisition
  

• Basic volume tolerance
  

• Rehearsal of the same movements week after week

If they only train sporadically, undulating the stressors just confuses their body and muddies your data.

Linear Periodization: Short, Specific Timeframes

Linear periodization:

• Reps trend down across phases
  

• Intensity trends up
  

• One main quality is emphasized at a time

Where it shines:

• Short, specific timeframes like a brief offseason or specific prep
  

• When you want sequential potentiation with minimal distraction
  

• Novice trainees will respond better to the slight increases in intensity from phase to phase associated with linear periodization

Over the long term, pure linear models can lead to detraining of previously trained qualities. The longer the duration between training exposures, the greater the potential detraining effect

But for a 6 to 8 week specific push, linear can be the right “rule break”.

Weekly Undulating: For The Strong And Experienced

Weekly undulating periodization:

• Alternates stressors week to week
  

• Example: week 1 accumulation, week 2 intensification, week 3 back to accumulation

Who it suits:

• Intermediate to advanced trainees
  

• Lifters who tolerate heavier loading well
  

• Athletes who benefit from changing stressors to dissipate fatigue

Because each quality only dominates for one week at a time:

• You can push that week harder
  

• You know relief from that specific stressor is coming the next week
  

• Adaptation is coaxed more aggressively

For novices, this is usually too much variation and too little saturation.

Daily Undulating: Coupled And Uncoupled For Advanced Lifters

Daily undulating periodization:

• Changes the primary stressor session to session within the week
  

• Can be coupled or uncoupled
  

Coupled example:

• Upper 1 and lower 1 both accumulation
  

• Upper 2 and lower 2 both intensification

Uncoupled example:

• Upper 1 accumulation, lower 1 intensification
  

• Upper 2 intensification, lower 2 accumulation

Benefits for very advanced lifters:

• Multiple qualities are touched every week
  

• Work capacity and strength qualities are maintained
  

• Fatigue is spread more evenly throughout the microcycle
  

• Great for lifters who detrain quickly or get worn down by longer phases

This is not your starting point. It is something you earn after:

• Running phase undulating successfully
  

• Experimenting with weekly undulating
  

• Learning how you or your athlete actually responds

Wave Periodization: Saturation With Structure

Wave periodization is our way of applying a mini linear progression repeatedly inside a block or macrocycle.

Simple example rep schemes:

• 8, 6, 4, 8, 6, 4 across a block (double wave)
  

• Or 8, 6, 4 across a block (single wave)

Key ideas:

• You gradually increase intensity and drop reps over a few steps
  

• Then you back off slightly and build again
  

• You spend a lot of time in a relatively narrow intensity range
  

• Saturation for a specific quality (for example, functional hypertrophy or absolute strength) is very high

Wave periodization is powerful when:

• You want to maximize one quality in a block
  
  The trainee has enough training age to tolerate grinding through a focused intensity range
  

• You pair it with a sensible block structure

Block Structures: Fixed, Variable, Integrated

Block structure is another place coaches can intelligently “break” the default.

Three simple versions:

Fixed Block

• Same microcycle repeated for all 6 weeks
  

• Same A series exercises across the entire block

Best for:

• Beginners who need maximum rehearsal
  

• Trainees with a weak primary pattern who need extra exposures

They may get bored. That is okay. The nervous system needs repetition before it needs variety.

Variable Block

• First 3 weeks use one microcycle layout
  

• Second 3 weeks use another
  

• This is our standard in the Program Design course

Good for:

• Most general population lifters
  

• Balanced exposure to all Primeight lifts
  
  Keeping things interesting without sacrificing structure

Integrated Block

• Uses a 14 day microcycle
  

• Alternates microcycle 1 and microcycle 2 week by week
  

• Works very well with wave models

Benefits:

• Dispersed pattern stress, because you only hit each heavy pattern every 2 weeks
  

• Great for advanced lifters who want to load hard without beating one pattern into the ground

Here you are playing with time and distribution, not throwing the system out.

When You Should Not Break The Rules

There are clear times to hold the line.

Do not try to be clever with:

• Brand new trainees
  

• Clients who train inconsistently
  

• Coaches who have not run multiple cycles of the base system
  

• Athletes for whom you have no clear assessment data

If you have not:

• Assessed
  

• Built a base
  

• Observed how they respond

You have not earned the right to improvise.

In these cases, the “boring” default KILO model is almost always the best option.

Systems First, Creativity Second

The point of a system is not to trap you. It is to give you a stable base from which to think.

When you understand:

• Why the default exists

• What it is designed to accomplish
  

• How periodization, loading, and exercise selection interact

Then breaking the rules becomes a strategic choice, not a random reaction.

Use the system. Master it. Then, when reality demands it, bend it with purpose.

Train with systems. Coach with clarity. Progress with purpose.