Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat4 × 6
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press4 × 8
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift3 × 12
The Journey: Advanced Offseason
The Journey's advanced offseason block: 12 variation exercises across two 3-week volume waves (sets ascending → reset heavier), staying away from the competition lifts to build up technical weak points and volume.
- Weeks
- 6
- Days / week
- 4
- Exercises / day
- 3
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Download on the App StoreWeek structure
Week 1
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat5 × 4 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press4 × 6Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift4 × 3Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat8 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip3 × 10-12Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift4 × 5
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat3 × 8Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press4 × 6
- Barbell Bent Over Row3 × 12
Week 2
Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat6 × 6
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press6 × 8
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift4 × 12
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat5 × 5 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press4 × 8Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift6 × 3Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat10 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip4 × 10-12Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift5 × 5
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat4 × 8Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press5 × 5
- Barbell Bent Over Row4 × 12
Week 3
Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat8 × 6
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press8 × 8
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift5 × 12
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat5 × 6 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press4 × 10Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift8 × 3Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat12 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip5 × 10-12Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift6 × 5
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat5 × 8Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press6 × 5
- Barbell Bent Over Row5 × 12
Week 4
Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat4 × 4
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press4 × 6
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift3 × 8
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat6 × 3 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press5 × 5Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift4 × 2Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat6 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip3 × 8-10Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift4 × 4
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat3 × 6Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press4 × 4
- Barbell Bent Over Row3 × 10
Week 5
Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat6 × 4
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press6 × 6
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift4 × 8
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat6 × 4 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press5 × 7Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift6 × 2Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat8 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip4 × 8-10Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift5 × 4
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat4 × 6Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press5 × 4
- Barbell Bent Over Row4 × 10
Week 6
Day 1
- Barbell Front Squat8 × 4
- Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press8 × 6
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift5 × 8
Day 2
- Barbell High Bar Squat6 × 5 · tempo 0-2-0Paused squat: pause about 2 seconds at the bottom
- Barbell Incline Bench Press5 × 9Low-angle incline bench press (15-30°)
- Barbell Sumo Deadlift8 × 2Opposite-stance deadlift.
Day 3
- Barbell Pin Squat10 × 1Anderson squat: squat up from a dead stop at the bottom position on the pins.
- Triceps Dip5 × 8-10Can be weighted
- Barbell Deficit Deadlift6 × 4
Day 4
- Barbell High Bar Squat5 × 6Super-wide stance squat.
- Spoto Press6 × 4
- Barbell Bent Over Row5 × 10
Program guide
Overview
The Journey's advanced offseason program. 6 weeks = two 3-week waves: the same exercise gets more sets each week (e.g. front squat 4×6 → 6×6 → 8×6), then Week 4 resets to fewer reps at a heavier load and climbs another wave. All exercises are variations (front squat / paused squat / Anderson squat / extra-wide squat; close-grip / low-incline / dip / Spoto bench press; Romanian / reverse-stance / deficit deadlift / barbell row), staying away from the competition lifts and building up weak points.
Who it's for
- An offseason block for advanced lifters between two meets; follow it with "The Journey: Advanced Peak" to go back into competition.
Weekly structure
D1 front squat + close-grip bench + Romanian deadlift; D2 paused squat + low incline + reverse-stance deadlift; D3 Anderson squat + dips + deficit deadlift; D4 extra-wide squat + Spoto press + barbell row. Each day also has 1-2 targeted accessories (your choice, not included as placeholders).
Progression rules
Choose your own loads (start each variation at what you can handle): climb the set-count wave for 3 weeks at the same weight, then in Week 4 add weight and reduce reps to reset. After the 6 weeks you can run another round (heavier) or move to the peaking block.
Notes
- Anderson squats start from a dead stop on pins at the bottom (eliminating the stretch reflex); the extra-wide squat stance is clearly wider than your competition stance.
- Reverse-stance deadlift: conventional pullers do sumo, and sumo pullers do conventional.
Program by Greg Nuckols. TopSet is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program’s creator. Program names and trademarks belong to their owners. See the guide for original sources.