Sheiko Monthly Plan #37

Sheiko Monthly Plan #37, from the numbered series of Boris Sheiko (Honored Russian powerlifting coach), is a 4-week, 3-sessions-per-week intermediate large-load training block, from the same lineage as the library's "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)." The whole plan revolves around the barbell bench press, barbell high-bar squat, and barbell conventional deadlift, stacking massive numbers of sets and reps with 50-85% submaximal loads: 12 sessions and 456 working sets laid out cell by cell, with top-set intensity on the three lifts advancing week by week from 75% to 85% in Week 4. It suits intermediate lifters who can already handle high volume and want to polish technique and strength intensively in one month.

Origin and positioning

Boris Sheiko is a legendary coach of the Russian national powerlifting team, with dozens of world champions coming out of his training. His numbered plans (#29, #30, #37, #39...) were originally sample templates written for athletes of different levels in his training collections, and were later adopted wholesale by powerlifters worldwide as ready-made programs because they genuinely work. The core idea runs against intuition: accumulate strength through large numbers of technically perfect submaximal reps, not by struggling with heavy singles.

Sheiko #37 is a single-block "monthly plan" within this system. It is not a complete cycle with a pre-meet taper, but a 4-week intensification block that can be run on its own or serve as groundwork for a longer cycle. This is exactly its biggest difference from "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)": the latter is a complete pre-meet sequence spliced from four segments, #29 to #32, ending with a 100% max test and a 3-week deload; #37 wraps up with the 85% top sets in Week 4, with no test day and no pre-meet deload.

Who it's for

• Intermediate lifters who have finished linear progression and hold reliable maxes in the squat / bench press / deadlift.
• People with the fitness reserves to handle sessions of 5-6 exercises and 20+ working sets each.
• People who have run or know the #29 / #30 tiers of "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)" and want a shorter, slightly higher-intensity volume block from the same family.
• Those whose goal is to consolidate technique and strength in one concentrated month at maintenance or a slight calorie surplus, not to lose fat.

Plan structure

• Duration: 4 weeks, a fixed 3 sessions per week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday), for 12 sessions and 456 working sets.
• Session makeup: each session has 5-6 exercises, and the main lift starts at 50% and ramps up through 3-6 warm-up sets into the top-set zone.
• Intensity wave (top sets): squat and bench go 75 → 80 → 80 → 85% by week (Week 1 mostly tops out at 70-75%, Weeks 2-3 at 80%, and Week 4 reaches 85%); the conventional deadlift is slightly slower at 75 → 75 → 75 → 85%, with 80% appearing in between only on the block pull variation. Working-set volume is basically constant each week (about 110-118 sets), and progression comes from intensity moving up week by week rather than piling on more sets.
• Exercise frequency: bench or a variation appears in all three sessions each week, the highest-volume lift in the plan (about 30-40 sets per week); high-bar squat is scheduled on Monday and Friday; the conventional deadlift is trained only once a week, on Wednesday.
• "Double main-lift days" and "two blocks of the same lift" are Sheiko hallmarks: Monday puts squat and bench into the same session; many days also schedule a heavier main-lift block followed by a lighter back-off block on the same day (such as a 55 → 75% block after the squat top set).

Exercise selection and rationale

The three lifts are the barbell high-bar squat, barbell bench press, and barbell conventional deadlift. Sheiko holds that the best way to improve the competition lifts is to practice them themselves frequently and with proper form.

• Bench press: the highest in both frequency and volume. Besides the flat bench press, Wednesday of Week 1 uses the barbell incline bench press (6 sets × 4, with only reps given within the sets, no percentage), and Friday is the signature bench pyramid.
• Squat: high-bar position throughout; on Monday / Friday a lighter back-off squat block often follows the main squat (such as 55 / 65 / 75% × 3).
• Deadlift: the lowest frequency, only Wednesday each week. In Weeks 1 and 3, Wednesday adds barbell block pulls as a second pull after the conventional deadlift (topping out at 80%); in Weeks 2 and 3, the first conventional deadlift block on Wednesday is marked "stop at knee height," covering only part of the range up to knee level to train the off-the-floor starting phase. Percentages for block pulls and incline bench are based on the corresponding main lift max (marked in the set notes).
• Accessories: dumbbell fly in almost every session (5 × 10); barbell good mornings (mostly 5 × 5) alternate between standing and seated (bar on the back, sitting on a bench); there are also barbell lunges (5 × 5), weighted dips, push-ups, EZ bar skullcrushers (French press, 5 × 10), cable triceps pushdowns, and sit-ups (abs of your choice). Accessories are common defaults and can be replaced according to your weak points.

Intensity trend by week

• Week 1 (introduction, 111 sets): top sets on the three lifts are mostly at 70-75%: Monday bench is 10 sets topping out at 75% × 3, squat is 8 sets of 70% × 5; the only thing to touch 80% is Wednesday's block pull.
• Week 2 (80%, 118 sets): squat and bench day one tops out at 80% × 2; Wednesday's first deadlift block is a partial range to knee height (top 70%), followed by a block of full conventional deadlifts (top 75%).
• Week 3 (80% + biggest pyramid, 117 sets): bench volume rises to 40 sets, and Wednesday's bench pyramid runs 15 sets (the longest block in the plan); squat and block pull top out at 80%.
• Week 4 (peak, 110 sets): squat, bench, and deadlift each peak with 3 sets of 85% × 2 on Monday / Wednesday, the intensity high point of the whole block; Friday falls back (squat 80% × 3 for six sets, bench 70% × 5 for five sets) as the finish.

Sets, reps, and warm-ups

• Every main-lift exercise starts at 50% and ramps up through 3-6 warm-up sets (50 / 60 / 70%...) before entering the top-set zone. These warm-up sets are part of the prescription, so don't skip them.
• Top-set reps narrow with intensity: 70-75% is mostly 3-5 reps per set, 80% is 2-3 reps per set, and 85% in Week 4 is 2 reps per set. This matches the submaximal ranges of Prilepin's table: the heavier the load, the fewer reps per set, but the number of sets doesn't shrink, so sets maintain the volume.
• Accessories follow fixed sets and reps: dumbbell fly, EZ bar skullcrushers (French press), push-ups, and the like are mostly 5 sets × 10; barbell good mornings and barbell lunges are mostly 5 sets × 5, weighted dips 5 sets × 5-8 (rising to 8 reps in the later weeks); sit-ups 3 sets × 10. These are done at moderate intensity, not to failure.

Bench pyramid

The pyramid is this plan's signature bench block: weight climbs step by step while reps fall to the peak, then steps back down to light weight along the same path.

• Friday of Week 1: 14 sets, starting at 50% × 7, climbing to a peak of 75% × 2, then all the way back down to 50% × 10.
• Friday of Week 2: 12 sets, peak 80% × 2.
• Wednesday of Week 3: 15 sets, peak also 80% × 2, the block with the most sets in the plan.

The pyramid builds pressing endurance through a large span of volume stacked within a single block, with the peak only reaching 75-80%, not chasing a max.

Progression rules

• Anchor: enter your real max for each of the three lifts (the Russian convention calls it the "training max"; use a competition max you're confident of); incline bench and block pull are based on the corresponding main lift max.
• No training to failure: complete each set as prescribed with 1-2 reps in reserve; if the weight is too heavy on a given day, lower everything by 2.5-5%, but don't change the set and rep structure.
• Pre-set top sets: this is a single-block 4-week plan, and the top sets on the three lifts are already laid out by week (squat and bench 75 → 80 → 80 → 85%, conventional deadlift 75 → 75 → 75 → 85%), so there is no need to add weight every session.
• Follow-up: after finishing this block, update your numbers with a new test or meet max, then rerun this block or move on to a longer cycle such as "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)."

Starting weights and flagged exercises

• The three lifts are each set from your own best competition or gym max. Sheiko recommends erring conservative (about 97% of your true max), so 50-75% in Week 1 should feel controlled and smooth; if Week 1 is already hard, your max is set too high, so lower it by 5-10%.
• Variations are anchored separately: incline bench is based on the bench max and block pull on the deadlift max (noted in the set notes). Week 1 incline bench gives only sets and reps (6 sets × 4); go by feel and stay close to the corresponding intensity.
• Accessory slots (chest / triceps / abs, etc.) are free-choice exercises; for your first session pick a moderate weight for your level, then fine-tune session by session. It should feel moderate, not hard.

Notes and rest

• Many exercises and many sets in a single session (the bench block alone is 15 sets on pyramid day) is the design itself, not redundancy; rest 2-5 minutes between sets, and about 90-120 minutes per session.
• Accessory slots (chest / triceps / abs, etc.) are free-choice exercises, entered in the library with common defaults and freely replaceable, with intensity guidance in the set notes.
• Deadlift frequency is low (only 1 day a week, on Wednesday). If the deadlift is a weak point, switch to a plan with higher deadlift frequency for the next block; the original has no pulling work for the back, so if you want to add back work, add 3-4 sets of rows or pull-ups, which won't noticeably affect recovery.
• Volume is high, so it's best done at maintenance or a slight surplus, not during a cut.

FAQ

How is Sheiko #37 different from "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)"?

Sheiko #37 is a single-block 4-week monthly plan, with top sets on the three lifts climbing from 75% to 85% by week, wrapping up in Week 4 with no max test day and no pre-meet taper; "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)" is a complete 16-week pre-meet sequence spliced from four segments, #29 to #32, ending with a 100% test and a 3-week deload. Choose #37 for a month of intensive volume work, and the 16-week sequence if you are preparing for a meet.

How many days a week? How often is each lift trained?

3 sessions per week (Monday / Wednesday / Friday). Bench or a variation is trained every session (about 30-40 sets per week), high-bar squat 2 days a week (Monday, Friday), and conventional deadlift 1 day a week (Wednesday). Monday often puts squat and bench into the same session.

Why do most of the weights look light?

The vast majority of sets in this plan fall at 50-80%, and only in Week 4 do the three lifts touch 85% × 2. This is deliberate in the Sheiko system: accumulate strength with huge numbers of technically clean submaximal reps rather than charging toward failure every time. Only with light loads can you repeat the competition lifts at high frequency and high quality within a month.

How exactly do I do the bench pyramid?

Within one block, raise the weight step by step and lower the reps step by step to the peak, then step back down to light weight along the same path. Friday of Week 1 is 14 sets (50% × 7 → peak 75% × 2 → back down to 50% × 10); Friday of Week 2 is 12 sets peaking at 80%; Wednesday of Week 3 is 15 sets peaking at 80%, the longest block in the plan. The peak only reaches 75-80%, with the emphasis on volume rather than a max.

What are the percentages for incline bench and block pull based on?

They are based on the corresponding main lift max: incline bench uses the bench max and block pull uses the deadlift max (marked in the set notes). Wednesday of Week 1's incline bench gives only sets and reps (6 sets × 4); go by feel and stay close to the corresponding intensity.

How long does a session take?

Each session has 5-6 exercises, and the three lifts alone often have twenty-plus working sets in a session (the pyramid block alone reaches 15 sets); with 2-5 minutes of rest between sets, 90-120 minutes per session is normal. The time goes mainly to the number of working sets, not to struggling with heavy weights.

What comes after the 4 weeks?

Update the three lifts' numbers with a new test or meet max, then rerun this block or move on to a longer cycle such as "Sheiko #29-32 (16 weeks)." Since the deadlift is trained only 1 day a week, if it is a weak point, prefer a plan with higher deadlift frequency for the next block.

Can I run it during a cut?

Not recommended. With about 110-118 working sets per week and heavy repetition volume in each session, it is hard to recover from in a calorie deficit, and you will likely struggle in Weeks 3-4. Do it at maintenance or a slight calorie surplus.

Why does the good morning have both standing and seated versions?

That is how the plan itself is arranged: barbell good mornings alternate between standing and seated (bar on the back, sitting on a bench) across sessions, mostly 5 sets × 5 (5 sets × 6 in one block), as posterior-chain accessory work. Just follow the set notes; no need to change anything yourself.