Science is a framework, not the rule – Part 2 Prilepins Chart for volume regulation

In part one I wrote about regulating overall volume for your OTS (Optimal Training Stimulus) in a general context, which applies largely to spacing out total workload across the week, how to created a balanced and sustainable program, and when to add volume or maintain your current volume.

This is a critical first step in learning how to find your OTS and what works best for you.

For those that want to focus solely on hypertrophy work, you can run with Part One for years and change very little about the layout, structure, or general principles of the plan.

Those who want to dive into strength work need to take a harder look at the bigger picture and what kind of targeted volume you need.

Enter Prilipen’s Chart for Powerlifting

Above is my representation of Prilepin’s Chart as it applies to strength applications using a squat, bench, and deadlift as the primary metric of strength.

Below is the original Prilepin’s Chart as it was designed to apply to Olympic Lifting.

The difference between PL and OL lie in the execution and technical proficiency of the competitive lifts. Snatch and Clean & Jerk require an intense focus on technical precision, explosive power, and are best trained in low rep ranges due to the movement, the lack of eccentric loading (stretch muscle under load), and technique involved. This isn’t to say the traditional powerlifts do not require good technique but they are a different type of lift.

They are called the “slow lifts” for a reason.
The differences between the two charts are easily seen but let me explain the details to you.

Quick Guide

PCPL (Prilepin’s for Powerlifting)
PCOL (Prilepin’s for Olympic Lifting)
RPS (Reps Per Set)
OTR (Optimal Total Reps)
RR (Rep Range)

The PCOL has a general reps per set range from 3-6 for all weights 80% and below. This is submax training for OL and it’s used for technique improvement, work capacity, and light days. You will not see higher reps training in a competitive OL (CrossFit please sit down), as they are not designed to be an exercise used for either hypertrophy work or “fitness” type endeavors.

To elicit an effective training response in PL with under 80% loading in PL, we will have to increase the volume and reps per set to be effective enough to give you the desired outcome.

70% and below has a RPS from 8-12 as this will fall under off-season hypertrophy work, a critical component of any strength program and one numerous lifters like to gloss over because reps are hard.

This type of work is a basic accumulation block.

The OTR is an average of 24 while the RR is from 18 to 30.

What does this mean?

Let’s go over a few examples of submax hypertrophy training for you.

65% of your 1RM for 3 x 12
67.5% of your 1RM for 4 x 10
70% of your 1RM for 3 x 10
72.5% of your 1RM For 4 x 8
75% of your 1RM for 5 x 6
77.5% of your 1RM for 4 x 6

Those reps ranges fall in between 24 and 40, which is exactly what the RR calls for with PCPL. All of these rep ranges are appropriate for an off-season plan or as you shift from accumulation into transmutation (link).

How to implement this in a basic plan is where a lot of questions arise.

You can add 5 pounds a week to a starting point, you can add reps per set as long as you are staying within the parameters of the RR, you can increase the percentage lifted week to week, or you can use wave periodization (link).

What choice you make it entirely up to you, the tools are given to you, find what works best for you.

As you approach the upper 70% range of weights, those can cross over into the next phase of your program as there is some overlap but for the purposes of the chart, this is how we lay it out.

In PCOL once you hit the 80 to 90% range the RPS drop to 2-4. Very rarely will you see someone in OL do 4 reps per set at 90% but they will do doubles. Using common sense you will assume that 4 reps per set is reserved for the 80% range.

The OTS and RR are 15, 10-20 respectively.

PCPL has its next range from 80% to 89%. This is considered submax strength training and would fall into line with a transmutation block.

The transmutation block is simply taking the general preparedness of the accumulation block and channeling it into a specific task.

Accumulation – lower percentage, lower weights, more reps, work capacity, building muscle
Transmutation – submax percentage (80-89%), moderate reps, more dedicated strength base building, honing in on pristine technique.

This means your RPS fall to 4 to 6, your OTR is averaged at 12 while your ORR varies from 8 to 16.

Let’s go over a few examples of how we implement this into a transmutation phase and some variables to consider.

80% of your 1RM for 4 x 4
82.5% of your 1RM for 4 x 4
85% of your 1RM for 4 x 3
87.5 % of your 1RM for 4 x 2

Much like the first example, the range falls from 12 to 16 reps with a lot of room for individualizing this program. You may be a person who can handle a higher volume of work at a higher percentage of your 1RM; therefore, you can theoretically modify this to read:

80% of your 1RM for 4 x 4
82.5% of your 1RM for 4 x 4
85% of your 1RM for 5 x 3
87.5 % of your 1RM for 6 x 2

I would use caution in overstepping the ORR value on the high end, just as I would avoid undershooting the ORR on the low end. On bad days you could undershoot the ORR to give yourself a break just as on great days you could overshoot it, but 95% of your training should fall within those parameters to allow for recoverability and progress.

Keep in mind you are using the template from Part 1 so you will be training your squat twice weekly, your bench twice weekly and your deadlift once weekly. If you think you need more work, wait for a while and assess your progress before foolishly adding more work to a day when you don’t need it.

To progress with this, the same rules apply. Add weight to each subsequent week, add reps (as long as they fall into the ORR), use wave periodization, or increase percentages from week to week.

Choose a method that works for you, line it up with the PCPL, and experiment on variables.

That is the fun of lifting weights, finding your OTS, which is the theme of this four part series.

The final phase

In the final phase of the PCPL your range is from 90% and up. This is generally known as the realization phase.

Accumulation – lower percentage, lower weights, more reps, work capacity, building muscle
Transmutation – submax percentage (80-89%), moderate reps, more dedicated strength base building, honing in on pristine technique.
Realization – max effort percentages (90-100%), lower reps, lower volume, peaking phase

In this phase your RPS are from 1-4, your OTR are from 4-5 and your ORR varies from 1-8 reps.

Since the percentages are high, you will want your volume lower.

This phase is where you take the base building hypertrophy of the accumulation phase (< 79%), the submax strength building of the transmutation phase (80% to 89%) and funnel it all into extreme specialization. Your extreme specialization is increasing your 1RM for the platform.

As you work with higher percentages, form is critical and recovery is vital, hence why you will need to keep total work done to a minimum and focus where it counts – the act of moving maximal weights with power and precision.

Some ranges to consider are:

90% of your 1RM for 4 x 2 | 2 x 3 | 6 x 1
92.5% of your 1RM for 2 x 3 | 2 x 2 | 4 x 1
95% of your 1RM for 2 x 2 | 1 x 2 | 1 x 1
97.5% of your 1RM for 1 x 2 | 2 x 1
100% of your 1RM for a single

Stay within the parameters of the RR when formulating your plan.

A simple way to determine if you have gotten stronger is how many reps you can do at a certain percentage above 90%

This chart is derived from the works of Cal Dietz

If you have 95% of your 1RM set for the week and you hit 2×2 rather easily, you have gotten stronger because this chart tells you you are capable of 2 reps at that weight.

The only way to determine how much stronger is when you have a testing week at the gym or on the platform.

How exactly you peak is up to you. I have a method which will be written about in my upcoming Behemoth book, but you can choose whatever method you like to peak and apply it to the parameters of what I have laid out here for you in this article.

Go back and look at Part 1 of this series. Remember the program layout?

On either day 1 or day 3 you will swap quads and hinge to place deadlift first since this is a strength program. On that day you will squat (or do quads) second.

Now you can behind to setup your squat, bench, and deadlift using the framework laid out in this article while the rest of the work being applied from Part 1.

How you lay this out is 100% up to you. Do you want to squat twice a week? Pause squat one day? Front squat? Leg Press? Hip Belt Squat? How about bench press? Close grip? Floor Press? Wide grip? Board work? The possibilities are countless but if you lay it out using the PCPL, your experimentation with variables will lead you to a conclusion that is uniquely yours.

It is worth nothing that female trainees can handle more work and volume because their glucose uptake is quicker than men, estrogen (link), and the fact women have a larger percentage of Type 1 muscle fibers.

How much more volume is wholly dependent on the individual.

The Art of Strength Training – take the science and create a masterpiece.

Part three coming soon.

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