Programming · October 16, 2026
Let Your Program Do the Math
Guessing your weights is costing you progress. Here's how a good program takes the thinking off your plate.
Ask most guys what they're squatting next Tuesday and you'll get a shrug. "Whatever feels good." That's how people spin their wheels for years. Good training isn't complicated, but it is specific.
Train off percentages, not feelings
If you know your max, your working weights should come from it. Week one might sit around 65-75% of your max. As the weeks go on the percentages climb, the reps drop, and you peak. Then you deload and build again. That's linear periodization, and it works because every week has a job.
Track the trend, not the day
One bad session means nothing. A month of slipping sleep, missed meals and flat lifts means something. When you log your training and nutrition, you can see the trend and adjust before it turns into a stall or an injury.
Know when to push and when to recover
I have my clients score a few things every week: sleep, stress, soreness, energy and how well they stuck to the plan. Put those together and you get a simple readiness score: push, hold steady, or recover. It keeps you from grinding through weeks you should back off, and from coasting through weeks you should attack.
Make it automatic
This is exactly why I built my Training Vault workbooks. Enter your start date and your maxes once, and every date, working weight and weekly summary fills in for you. All you have to do is show up and do the work.