Candito 6 Week Strength
By Jonnie Candito · From Original Source
Jonnie Candito's six-week strength block for squat, bench and deadlift, run off your one-rep max. Week 1 is muscular conditioning, week 2 adds hypertrophy and higher difficulty, week 3 is his linear max overload, week 4 heavy weight acclimation and week 5 high-intensity strength with sets of 1-4 that point to your new max. Week 6 is a deload. Upper days add his three accessories for back, shoulders and biceps.
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Candito 6 Week Strength?
Candito 6 Week Strength is Jonnie Candito's block for squat, bench press and deadlift, written up in his free guide with the sets on its spreadsheet. Every main-lift weight is a percentage of the one-rep max you enter at the start. Week 1 is muscular conditioning: squats 4×6 and deadlifts 2×6 at 80%, a lighter day of eights at 70%, and three bench days, the last a single set of max reps at 80%. Week 2 adds difficulty: a max-reps squat set at 80% (no more than 10) with five extra sets of three, a second max-reps squat set later in the week followed by back-off triples, and Romanian deadlifts.
Week 3 is his linear max overload, sets of 4–6 around 85%, with no accessories on the leg days. Week 4 is heavy weight acclimation: triples around 90% and singles or doubles at 95%. Week 5 is high-intensity strength, a single set of 1–4 reps at 97.5% on each lift, which gives you a projected new max. Week 6 is his deload, week 1 again without its last upper day. Every upper day adds his three accessories, for the upper back, shoulders and biceps: dumbbell rows, seated dumbbell presses and dumbbell curls.
Is Candito 6 Week Strength right for you?
This is for an intermediate lifter who wants six weeks focused on the three powerlifts and can handle sets at 85% and above with solid technique. It suits a planned max-out or the build-up to a meet. Beginners still adding weight every session will get more from a linear program first, as Candito himself says.
How progression works
The weights are set by the week, not earned session by session: every main-lift set is a fixed percentage of your entered max, and the climb from 70–80% to 97.5% is the progression. On some sets his sheet adds or takes a fixed 2.5 or 5 kg (5 lb in pounds) around the percentage, such as 85% plus 2.5 kg; Durata uses his exact numbers and says so on those lifts. Rest fully between heavy sets, three minutes or more on bench and longer on squats and deadlifts, as he advises. The accessories carry no percentages; add weight to them gradually over the weeks and keep them moderate. Durata follows his rule for a missed set: if any set falls short of its reps, that lift's max drops 5% from the next session, and you carry on rather than repeat the workout.
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed from your training maxes, and your logged AMRAP sets are what move those maxes.
Candito 6 Week Strength — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM). AMRAP = as many reps as possible on the final set.
Week 15 sessions
W1 — Squat/Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 4×6 @ 80% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×6 @ 80% | 5:00 |
W1 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 50% 1×10 @ 67.5% 1×8 @ 75% 1×6 @ 77.5% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
W1 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 50% 1×10 @ 67.5% 1×8 @ 75% 1×6 @ 77.5% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
W1 — Squat/Deadlift Light
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 4×8 @ 70% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×8 @ 70% | 5:00 |
W1 — Bench Max Reps
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×1++ @ 80% AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
Week 25 sessions
W2 — Squat/SLDL
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×8–10+ @ 80% AMRAP | 5:00 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 5×3 @ 80% | 1:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8 | 3:00 |
W2 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 72.5% 1×8 @ 77.5% 1×6–8 @ 80% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 1×10 2×8 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
W2 — Squat/SLDL
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×8–10+ @ 80% AMRAP | 5:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×8 | 3:00 |
W2 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 72.5% 1×8 @ 77.5% 1×6–8 @ 80% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 1×10 2×8 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
W2 — Bench Max Reps
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×1++ @ 80% AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 1×10 2×8 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
Week 34 sessions
W3 — Squat/Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×4–6 @ 85% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×3–6 @ 87.5% | 5:00 |
W3 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×4–6 @ 85% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×6 | 3:00 |
W3 — Squat/SLDL
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×4–6 @ 85% | 5:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×8 | 3:00 |
W3 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×4–6 @ 85% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×6 | 3:00 |
Week 44 sessions
W4 — Squat/SLDL
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×3 @ 90% | 5:00 |
| Romanian Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×6 | 3:00 |
W4 — Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 87.5% 2×3 @ 90% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
W4 — Heavy Squat/Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 90% 1×1–2 @ 95% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 90% 1×1–2 @ 95% | 5:00 |
W4 — Heavy Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×3 @ 87.5% 1×2–4 @ 90% 1×1–2 @ 95% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
Week 53 sessions
W5 — Squat / Light Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 1×1–4+ @ 97.5% AMRAP | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×4 @ 67.5% 1×4 @ 70% 1×2 @ 72.5% | 5:00 |
W5 — Bench / Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×1–4+ @ 97.5% AMRAP | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 1×8 2×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×8 2×6 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×8 2×6 | 3:00 |
W5 — Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 1×1–4+ @ 97.5% AMRAP | 5:00 |
Week 64 sessions
W6 — Deload: Squat/Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 4×6 @ 80% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×6 @ 80% | 5:00 |
W6 — Deload: Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 50% 1×10 @ 67.5% 1×8 @ 75% 1×6 @ 77.5% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
W6 — Deload: Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 1×10 @ 50% 1×10 @ 67.5% 1×8 @ 75% 1×6 @ 77.5% | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2×10 1×8 1×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 2×12 1×10 1×8 | 3:00 |
W6 — Deload: Squat/Deadlift Light
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 4×8 @ 70% | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×8 @ 70% | 5:00 |
Candito 6 Week Strength — common questions
What max should I enter?
Your real one-rep max for squat, bench and deadlift, from a recent test or a solid estimate. The block is built on true maxes, not a reduced training max, so an inflated number shows up quickly in weeks 4 and 5.
What do the max-reps sets mean?
Do as many clean reps as you can at that weight. The week 2 squat sets stop at 10. Fewer than 8 on a week 2 squat set counts as a missed set, so the squat max drops 5% from the next session.
Why is week 6 a deload?
It is Candito's default: week 1 again, minus its last upper day, so you recover before the next block. If you would rather test your maxes in week 6, do that and take the deload the week after.
How many days a week does it take?
Five in weeks 1 and 2, four in weeks 3, 4 and 6, and three in week 5.
Is there an app that runs Candito 6 Week Strength for you?
Yes. Durata runs Candito 6 Week Strength as written, free: the 5-day-a-week schedule, every set and rep, and the progression built in. Log your sets and the next session's weights are worked out for you, with the stalls and deloads the program calls for; a tap on any lift shows why the weight moved. It is on iPhone and Android, works offline, and your history from Hevy or Strong imports free.
Source: Based on Jonnie Candito's 6 Week Strength Program
Durata is not affiliated with or endorsed by the program's author. The program structure (sets, reps, exercise selection) is presented as published methodology.
Run Candito 6 Week Strength in Durata
Training-max calculation, AMRAP tracking, automatic progression, plate calculator, rest timers and PR tracking — the whole program, ready to log.
