Us bros are always looking for ways to get bigger and stronger. I mean, what else is there to life right? And while there are a lot of programs out there designed to do this exact thing, the best ones are built around periodization.
What the hell is periodization again? A quick refresher…
Periodization is simply built-in progression within your program. It means that each session, or week, you are increasing the volume of your workout by adding weight, adding reps, or adding sets.
That’s it. Pretty simple right?
And a great way to incorporate this into your program is with Daily Undulating Periodization
What is Daily Undulating Periodization
Daily Undulating Periodization, or DUP, has you performing a core set of movements 3 or more times per week, with each session having you work each movement in different rep ranges.
The basic idea behind DUP is that the more you perform a certain movement, without going to failure, the more proficient you become at it, thus increasing muscle size and strength.
With DUP you pick a few basic movements, such as the deadlift, squat, and bench press; although you can pick the variation that suites you best. Then each day you’ll work those movements in different, specific set and rep ranges.
Programming DUP
To make things simple, our sample DUP training program is going to have you performing squats, deadlifts, and bench presses 3x per week. However, like I said, each workout you’ll be performing each exercise in different rep ranges. These are usually classified as power, strength, and hypertrophy.
Your power sets, you’ll be using a moderately heavy weight (65-70% of your 1RM) with low reps focusing on speed. For strength, you be using a heavy weight (80-85% of 1RM) for low reps focusing on strength. And for hypertrophy, you’ll again be using a moderately heavy weight but this time for higher reps.
Here’s an example:
Power days – 5 sets of 3 reps at 70% of one-rep max
Strength days – 4 sets of 4 reps at 85% of one-rep max
Hypertrophy days – 3 sets of 10 reps at 65-70% of one-rep max
Here’s how the program might set up:
Monday – Power deadlift, strength bench, hypertrophy squat
Tuesday – Off
Wednesday – Power bench, strength squat, hypertrophy deadlift
Thursday – Off
Friday – Power squat, strength deadlift, hypertrophy bench
Saturday – Off/Accessory
Sunday – Off
Note that you can include accessory work if you wish to hit areas that your main lifts don’t. Just be sure not to overdo it or burn yourself out. Your main focus is hitting your big lifts hard each session. Accessory work should be tough but not take away from your main training sessions. That’s why it’s called accessory work.
Progression
The best way to progress with DUP is either adding weight each week, or adding sets/reps. My favorite form of progression is simply just adding five pounds each week, but sets/reps have their advantages as well.
When it comes to this, it would probably work best to just add one additional rep to your strength exercises, and save adding sets for your power and hypertrophy work.
Because of the intense nature of DUP, unless you’re a beginner trainee, you don’t want to run the program longer than 4-6 week cycles without taking a deload week or two. This will help you to recover as the volume and intensity associated with DUP can be high. It would also be beneficial to switch your exercises up each cycle to help work other movement patterns and muscles.
Want to learn more about DUP or other programs? Check this out.