Candito 6 Week Program guide and free spreadsheet

Intermediate · 5 days a week · 6 weeks · Six-week periodized block for squat, bench and deadlift

A six-week periodized block for intermediate lifters who want to peak squat, bench and deadlift and finish with a max test.

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How Candito 6 Week Program works

Jonnie Candito's 6 Week Program is a periodized strength block. Instead of adding a little weight every session, each week has a different job. Boostcamp lists them as muscular conditioning, hypertrophy, linear max OT, heavy weight and explosiveness, intense strength training, and a final deload with a max test.

Training splits into lower sessions (squat and deadlift) and upper sessions (bench press plus rows, overhead press and pull-ups). Week 1 shows the pattern: a squat and deadlift day at 80% for sets of 6, an upper day with a bench ladder from 50% up to 77.5%, a second identical upper day, a lower day at 70% for sets of 8, and a final upper day with one all-out set of bench at 80%. This page loads week 1 only. Weeks 2 to 6 follow Candito's own program, and we show no numbers for them.

The early weeks carry the volume and the later ones are heavier and shorter, so run the weeks in order. The aim is to reach week 6 recovered enough to test new maxes.

Candito 6 Week Program program guide visual

The schedule

Train on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or any other days with rest between. Percentages are of your training max, which is 100% of your one-rep max.

Week 1, day 1: Lower, squat and deadlift 6s

Lift	Sets and reps
Squat	4 x 6 @ 80%
Deadlift	2 x 6 @ 80%

Week 1, day 2: Upper, bench ladder

Lift	Sets and reps
Bench press	1 x 10 @ 50%, 1 x 10 @ 67.5%, 1 x 8 @ 75%, 1 x 6 @ 77.5%

Week 1, day 4: Upper, bench ladder again

Lift	Sets and reps
Bench press	1 x 10 @ 50%, 1 x 10 @ 67.5%, 1 x 8 @ 75%, 1 x 6 @ 77.5%

Week 1, day 5: Lower, squat and deadlift 8s

Lift	Sets and reps
Squat	4 x 8 @ 70%
Deadlift	2 x 8 @ 70%

Week 1, day 6: Upper, bench AMRAP

Lift	Sets and reps
Bench press	1 x 1+ @ 80%

A plus sign means AMRAP: do as many good reps as you can on that set.

Progression and stall rules

Maxes reset from the week 6 test

Boostcamp describes week 6 as a deload that ends with a one-rep max test on squat, bench and deadlift. The tested numbers become your maxes for the next run. This sheet keeps your starting maxes fixed, so type the new ones in yourself.

Each week changes the job

Volume is high early and falls as the weight climbs. Do not carry the loads of one phase into the next. The percentages change on purpose.

Accessories carry the volume

In week 1, rows, dumbbell overhead press and weighted pull-ups sit beside the bench work in the upper sessions. They are rep targets, not percentages, so the sheet leaves them out.

This sheet covers week 1 only

We checked the week 1 loads against the Boostcamp listing and show only those. Weeks 2 to 6 follow Candito's own program, and we state no numbers for them. Take those from his version.

Weekly volume

Work sets per lift, counted from the schedule above (warm-ups not included).

Lift	Sets per week
Squat	8
Deadlift	4
Bench press	9

Who it suits

A good fit

Lifters past the beginner stage who know their working weights. Boostcamp rates the program intermediate to advanced.
Lifters who want a defined end point and a max test instead of an open-ended program.
Lifters who like variety. Loads and rep ranges change every week.

Look elsewhere if

True beginners. A simple linear program will add weight faster and with less to track.
Lifters who cannot train five days a week for about an hour.
Anyone who dislikes high-volume work early or who hates testing a max.

Common mistakes

Starting with an inflated max

Every load is a percentage of your one-rep max. A guess that is too high makes the first heavy weeks feel brutal and wrecks the later phases.

Skipping the accessory work

The rows, presses and pull-ups on upper days are part of the plan, not optional extras. They also protect your shoulders under all the bench work.

Turning the AMRAP set into a grinder

The 80% bench set is for as many good reps as you can, not a form-breaking fight. Stop with a rep or two left.

Pushing early weeks too hard

The early weeks are conditioning. Hitting every set clean at the stated percentages is the goal, not testing yourself.

Skipping the deload

The easy week before the test exists so your max attempt happens fresh. Training hard through it just trades away the result you ran the block for.

Your sample week

For each lift, enter: Your one-rep max (a recent true max or a solid estimate). The weights below update as you type. Your numbers stay in your browser and are not saved. The numbers shown are an example lifter.

Week 1, day 1: Lower, squat and deadlift 6s

Squat
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	6	250
2	6	250
3	6	250
4	6	250

Deadlift
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	6	325
2	6	325

Week 1, day 2: Upper, bench ladder

Bench press
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	10	115
2	10	150
3	8	170
4	6	175

Week 1, day 4: Upper, bench ladder again

Bench press
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	10	115
2	10	150
3	8	170
4	6	175

Week 1, day 5: Lower, squat and deadlift 8s

Squat
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	8	220
2	8	220
3	8	220
4	8	220

Deadlift
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	8	285
2	8	285

Week 1, day 6: Upper, bench AMRAP

Bench press
Set	Reps	Weight (lb)
1	1+	180

The spreadsheet

The file has three sheets: your numbers, the full week with every weight as a formula, and a progress table that carries the weights forward. It opens in Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice. The weights in the link below use the numbers you typed above.

Download the .xlsx

Open it in Google Sheets

Download the .xlsx file above.
Go to Google Drive and choose New, then File upload, and pick the file.
Double-click the uploaded file and choose Open with Google Sheets.
Choose File, then Save as Google Sheets so you can edit it.

Want the weights to follow you into the gym? Create a free account and the program loads into Train for you.

How it compares

Candito 6 Week Program vs Powerlifting program

Our powerlifting program runs the same three-day layout week after week. Candito changes the goal of each week and ends in a max test, which suits a lifter who wants a defined push to new maxes. Read the Powerlifting program guide.

Candito 6 Week Program vs Sheiko

Sheiko trains the lifts often at moderate percentages, with no AMRAP sets. Candito changes more from week to week: volume early, heavier work later, and a max test at the end. Read the Sheiko guide.

Candito 6 Week Program vs 5/3/1

5/3/1 is open-ended and moves a training max up by small steps each cycle. Candito is a finite six-week block that finishes with a max, so it suits a push to a new number rather than slow steady growth. Read the 5/3/1 guide.

Load Candito 6 Week Program into Train and log each session against the plan.

Start it in Symmetric Strength

The workouts in Train carry one strength-phase and one hypertrophy-phase version of each upper and lower day, with a single set and rep scheme per lift. The week-by-week phase changes are not in the templates. Use the schedule above for week 1 and Candito's own program for weeks 2 to 6.

Common questions

Is the Candito 6 Week Program free?

Yes. Boostcamp lists it as free in its iOS and Android app, with Candito as the coach. This guide is a summary in our own words, so use Boostcamp or Candito's own materials for the full week-by-week program.

How do I pick my starting maxes?

Use a recent true one-rep max for squat, bench and deadlift if you have one. If not, take a set of three to five hard reps and run it through a one-rep max estimator, then trim a few percent. Starting slightly low beats starting too high.

What do I do after week 6?

Boostcamp describes the program as built to be repeated with the maxes you tested in week 6. If you want something longer, 5/3/1 is the open-ended option in our guides.

Why does this guide only list week 1?

We checked week 1 against the Boostcamp listing and could not confirm the numbers for weeks 2 to 6, so we do not state them. Weeks 2 to 6 follow Candito's own program. Use his version for those weeks.

Why does the in-app template look different?

The Symmetric Strength templates are simplified. They give you a strength-phase and a hypertrophy-phase version of the upper and lower days with one rep scheme each, not the full six-week change.

How many days a week do I train?

Week 1 has five training sessions: two lower days and three upper days. Boostcamp schedules them on days 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, which leaves two rest days.

Know where you stand

Before you start, check how your lifts compare on the strength standards, estimate a max with the one-rep max calculator, or score your total with the DOTS calculator.

Sources and credit

The Candito 6 Week Program was written by Jonnie Candito of Candito Training HQ. This guide describes it in our own words from the Boostcamp listing. The full week-by-week program is Candito's, free in the Boostcamp app.

Checked October 13, 2026. Symmetric Strength is not affiliated with Jonnie Candito or Candito Training HQ. Program names are used only to identify the programs.