Layout 1
Session 1- High-bar back squat72.5 kg7 × 3
- Close-grip bench press45 kg4 × 9
- Barbell row5 × 10
- Incline dumbbell bench press5 × 10
- Barbell biceps curl4 × 20
- Cable face pull4 × 20
Nineteen weeks of four-day powerlifting combine percentage waves with paused lifts, ending with two loaded workouts.
Not sure it’s for you? See programs like it, ranked for you →Worked out for an example lifter who squats 100 kg × 5, benches 75 kg × 5, deadlifts 130 kg × 5 and presses 50 kg × 5. Change any number to see your own.
The program’s usual settings
Every workout, as Catalyst would give it to you from the example numbers.
Each lift’s heaviest set, workout by workout, over the first 12 weeks, if every set is done as written.
A forecast, not a promise: it assumes every set is done as written. In the app, what you actually lift decides what comes next, by the program’s own rules.
Working sets in the first week for each muscle, counted once for each muscle an exercise trains.
| Muscle | Main mover | Helping |
|---|---|---|
| Latissimus dorsi | 33 | 0 |
| Gluteals | 27 | 0 |
| Scapular retractors | 25 | 8 |
| Hamstrings | 17 | 5 |
| Quadriceps | 15 | 0 |
| Pectorals | 12 | 0 |
| Biceps | 9 | 33 |
| Brachialis | 9 | 0 |
| Abdominals | 7 | 0 |
| Triceps | 5 | 12 |
| Upper trapezius | 5 | 5 |
| Deltoids | 5 | 0 |
| Spinal erectors | 0 | 34 |
| Posterior deltoids | 0 | 25 |
| Forearms | 0 | 22 |
| Serratus anterior | 0 | 17 |
| Adductors | 0 | 15 |
| Anterior deltoids | 0 | 12 |
| Brachioradialis | 0 | 9 |
| Hip flexors | 0 | 7 |
| Obliques | 0 | 7 |
| Calf muscles | 0 | 5 |
| Gastrocnemius | 0 | 5 |
| Gluteus maximus | 0 | 5 |
| Levator scapulae | 0 | 5 |
4 workouts a week, on whichever days suit you.
| Week | Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Layout 1 | Layout 2 | Layout 3 | Layout 4 |
| 2 | Layout 1 | Layout 5 | Layout 3 | Layout 4 |
| 3 | Layout 1 | Layout 2 | Layout 3 | Layout 6 |
| 4 | Layout 7 | Layout 8 | Layout 3 | Layout 4 |
| 5 | Layout 1 | Layout 5 | Layout 3 | Layout 6 |
| 6 | Layout 1 | Layout 5 | Layout 3 | Layout 6 |
| 7 | Layout 9 | Layout 10 | Layout 11 | Layout 12 |
| 8 | Layout 13 | Layout 14 | Layout 15 | Layout 16 |
| 9 | Layout 17 | Layout 18 | Layout 19 | Layout 20 |
| 10 | Layout 21 | Layout 22 | Layout 23 | Layout 20 |
| 11 | Layout 24 | Layout 25 | Layout 26 | Layout 20 |
| 12 | Layout 27 | Layout 28 | Layout 29 | Layout 20 |
| 13 | Layout 24 | Layout 30 | Layout 31 | Layout 16 |
| 14 | Layout 27 | Layout 32 | Layout 29 | Layout 33 |
| 15 | Layout 34 | Layout 35 | Layout 36 | |
| 16 | Layout 34 | Layout 37 | Layout 38 | |
| 17 | Layout 34 | Layout 39 | Layout 36 | |
| 18 | Layout 40 | Layout 41 | Layout 40 | |
| 19 | Layout 41 | Layout 42 |
The program’s own rules, as Catalyst runs them.
Train on days one, three, five and six when they have workouts; the final week has two loaded sessions. Plan any test or competition after the block yourself. Use a competition pause on all barbell bench variations and choose its length. Choose the pause length for paused deadlifts. Rest thirty to ninety seconds during assistance, alternating paired exercises without rest inside the pair. Choose assistance weights and how to divide weights or reps between sides. You may remove day six to train three days, or split workouts while keeping all weekly work. If overload equipment is unavailable, double the preceding raw-bench volume, choosing how to divide its sets and reps. Belt guidance begins at seventy percent for main squats and deadlifts and sixty-five percent for variations. Add chain weight to the bar weight: with a bench maximum below 140 kg, use 5–10 kg per side; from 140–200 kg, use 10–15 kg per side; above 200 kg, use 15–20 kg per side. Optional cardio follows days three and six in the first six weeks; choose any HIIT work yourself. Optional morning walks last twenty to forty minutes. Decide future maxima and any later cycle afterward.
Everything its exercises call for. Missing something? The app suggests swaps that train the same thing.
See every program like it ranked for what you want, how often you train and what you have, each with why it fits and what doesn’t. Compare any three side by side.
Run Drop Bear Senior nineteen-week cycle in Catalyst
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