A rotating linear progression is a very very simple method to structure your training that has been around for many many decades. I’m certainly not taking credit for inventing it, but I do use this strategy at times with certain clients.
The rotating linear progression is a method that tends to work best for later intermediate trainees who respond well to lower volume training. While I wouldn’t necessarily classify the method as “high intensity” it is certainly high in “intensiveness.”
In the lifting world we tend to classify “high intensity” training as something that occurs when lifters are handling loads in excess of 90% of their 1-rep max. This is mostly going to be heavy training in the 1-3 rep range. In certain bodybuilding circles (as well as with the general population) high-intensity training is generally assumed to be anything where the lifter is exerting very high levels of effort. However, high levels of effort can be demonstrated at just about any rep range provided load is sufficient and sets are taken to or near failure. But if we want to be just a little bit more technical – this is better defined as intensiveness – just so we don’t get our terminology confused.
The rotating linear progression is high in intensiveness, but not necessarily high intensity, although on occasion the lifter may enter into some higher intensity training (<90% of 1RM) whether it be purposeful or accidental.
But in general, the way I use the rotating linear progression (RLP) is with a single all out set that results in a new PR for either weight or reps.
If you stopped there (and some people do on occasion) this would be an exceedingly low volume program, but in general, volume will be accumulated during the remainder of the workout via back off sets and assistance exercises. How much volume is added to the rest of the workout will depend, by and large, on the goals and needs of each individual lifter.
So what does an RLP look like in practice?
Usually I try to select a load for the trainee that I know he can do for about 8 reps. Then after I warm him up, we get under the bar and try to squat that weight for 8 reps. If my load selection was right, then rep number 8 was a bit of a struggle, but there was no technical form breakdown. It was just a really hard set of 8.
When we come back the following week, I’ll have him add 5 lbs to the bar and attempt to squat it for 7-8 reps again.
If he gets 8, then the next week we go for 7-8 reps again. He may be able to add 5 lbs to the bar each week and hit a top set of 8 for say 3-4 weeks and eventually we’ll have to stop at 7.
The following week we’d add 5 lbs to the bar and aim for a top set of 6-7. If possible we keep hitting sets of 7 for a few weeks while adding load to the bar. We’ll eventually drop down to 6 reps, and then 5 reps, and then 4 reps. We may spend several weeks at each rep range before dropping down (this is ideal!!).
Once we cap out at a heavy set of 3 reps then we start the cycle over again at 8 reps. However, when we start over, we will renew the cycle with a top set of 8 that was equal to his last set of 7 from the previous cycle. Then we run the whole thing through again, trying to set rep PRs all along the way.
So weights we squatted for 7s, we try and get for 8. Weights we hit for 5 reps in the previous cycle, we try and get for 6-7 reps in this cycle.
Ultimately we want to end with our max effort triple heavier than where we ended the previous cycle.
If you are able to set rep PRs all along the way (in the 4-8 range) on each subsequent cycle, and each cycle culminates with a heavier and heavier triple then you can consider the program to be working for you. If you are not regularly setting rep-PRs week to week (most weeks, not necessarily every single week) and your max triple is not ending any higher than it did on the previous cycle, then I would suggest that this is not the best programming strategy for you.
Here is an example of multiple cycles of a RLP for you to get an idea of how this should work:
- Week 1: 300 x 8
- Week 2: 305 x 8
- Week 3: 310 x 8
- Week 4: 315 x 7
- Week 5: 320 x 7
- Week 6: 325 x 6
- Week 7: 330 x 6
- Week 8: 335 x 6
- Week 9: 340 x 5
- Week 10: 345 x 5
- Week 11: 350 x 4
- Week 12: 355 x 4
- Week 13: 360 x 4
- Week 14: 365 x 3 (Don’t do another week of triples. Stop here and restart the cycle
- Week 15: 315 x 8
- Week 16: 320 x 8
- Week 17: 325 x 8
- Week 18: 330 x 7
- Week 19: 335 x 7
- Week 20: 340 x 7
- Week 21: 345 x 6
- Week 22: 350 x 6
- Week 23: 355 x 5
- Week 24: 360 x 5
- Week 25: 365 x 5
- Week 26: 370 x 4
- Week 28: 375 x 4
- Week 29: 380 x 4
- Week 30: 385 x 3
- Restart at 330 x 8
There are a few keys to making a program like this work for you…….
- You must put forth high amount of effort on your main work set every week. You don’t need to crash into the pins every week, but you should be damn near limit each week. If you don’t have the mental fortitude to push week in and week out, you won’t have success on this program.
- This is not a high frequency program. Doing limit sets like this cannot be done on the same lift 2-3 days per week for an intermediate lifter. On squats for example I would recommend squatting on Monday for example with an RLP, and then later in the week (Thursday) you can apply this same approach with Deadlifts and then perhaps follow the deadlifts with some lighter squats or front squats.
- Always come into the gym with a predetermined load and rep goal for the day. This makes a difference mentally. Saying to yourself “I am going to Squat 315 x 8” is more powerful than saying “I’m going to Squat 315 until it gets hard.”
- Try and get at least 2-3 weeks at each rep range while increasing load before allowing yourself to drop a rep from the progression. In other words, try and hit 6s for 2-3 weeks before dropping to 5s. If you drop a rep every single week then you likely aren’t pushing hard enough each set to drive adaptation or you just aren’t responding to this approach
- There is no set timeline for the RLP. It simply starts at 8 reps and whittles it’s way down to 3 reps over many weeks. If you are kicking ass in the gym and with your recovery and you spend 5 weeks hitting new 6-rep maxes, so be it, and it will extend your cycle out pretty long. That is a good thing. In my observation, the longer your cycles are lasting the stronger you are getting. You may have some cycles last longer than others. In fact this is almost always the case.
Following your main work set you probably want to add some volume with 2-3 back off sets. The simplest way to do this is to simply strip about 10% off the bar (maybe up to 20% for deadlifts) and perform 2-3 sets of a rep range that is equal to or slightly higher than where your primary work set finished.
So if you hit 365 x 6 then drop down to about 325 and hit 3 sets of 6-8 reps. If you do multiple back off sets like this, they should not be limit sets. You are just drilling down on some volume with submaximal loads.
However, I have had a lot of past successes (personally and with clients) of performing just a single back off set, again taken to the limit. So instead of hitting 325 for 3 sets of 6-8, you’d just rep out with 325 and take it as far as you can, maybe even up to a set of 10-12.
This is brutally hard but very effective. You can do a mix of both approaches depending on your preference.
The 2 all out sets method was a favorite of my friend John Scheaffer of Greyskull Barbell. We talked several times about this approach and both had lots of professional and personal success with this approach.
So again, if you respond to (or simply enjoy) high intensive and lower volume training, this approach can work for you. If you want to add a simple strength protocol on top of a bodybuilding protocol, this can work for you. Or if you are simply in a time crunch right now and don’t have time for long drawn out workouts you might be surprised at what an ass kicking 2 all out sets of squats can be, and how quickly you can get it done.
