Calgary Barbell 16-Week Peak

A sixteen-week meet prep in four blocks — accumulation, intensity, competition prep, peak — ending in a meet-week taper. Volume contracts and intensity climbs the whole way, and the exercise list changes with each block rather than staying fixed.

Intermediate competitive powerlifters with a full runway to a meet, and lifters who want the adaptation base the 8-week version skips.

Four sessions a week: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Bench four times a week, squat and deadlift three, always paired with their competition variations — pin squats, paused squats, paused deadlifts, board presses, feet-up and touch-and-go bench. Block 1 is straight sets, Block 2 pairs heavy clusters with back-offs, Block 3 moves the variations onto RPE-anchored top sets, and Block 4 strips the accessories and peaks the mains off a single top set.

Percentage work is referenced off a training max of 95% of your 1RM. RPE-anchored sets are chosen on the day. The programme ends two days out from the platform — the meet is the test, and there is no max-out week.

The longer of the two standard Calgary Barbell peaking templates, written by Bryce Krawczyk — founder of Calgary Barbell and a Canadian record holder in the deadlift and total. He distributes both free, which is the only reason you can browse this one here: the programme is his, and VALDA just carries it. His coaching, his own app and the rest of his work are at calgarybarbell.com.