Strength · Powerlifting
Candito 9 Week Squat
By Jonnie Candito · From Original Source
Also known as: candito squat · candito squat program · candito advanced squat · candito 9 week · candito squat specialization · candito 9 week squat program
Jonnie Candito's nine-week squat specialization for advanced lifters, run off two numbers: your current squat max and the goal max you are aiming for. Weeks 1-3 squat five days a week off your current max, with pin and pause squats in weeks 1 and 2. Weeks 4-5 drop to two high-volume days, week 6 tests a 5 rep max, and weeks 7-8 are heavy triples and singles, all off your goal max. Two checkpoints reset a max that is too high or too low. Week 9 ends with a max-out day.
Advanced
New
2–5 days/week
9-week plan
~20–30 min/session
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
Overview
What is Candito 9 Week Squat?
Jonnie Candito's 9 Week Squat Program is a squat specialization for advanced lifters, written as his own spreadsheet. It runs off two numbers you enter at the start: your current squat max (your one-rep max today) and a goal max, the squat you are aiming for. The first three weeks are percentages of your current max; from week 4 on, every squat is a percentage of your goal max.
Weeks 1 to 3 are the high frequency phase: you squat five days a week, Monday to Friday. Week 1 is 3 sets of 3 at 75% every day, with one heavy set of pin squats or pause squats after it. Week 2 opens with 3 singles at 90%, then 3x3 at 75% or 80% each day, with 5 singles of pin or pause squats, front squats, good mornings and an optional light deadlift. Week 3 starts with a triple at 90%, then 3x3 at 80% or 85%.
Weeks 4 and 5 drop to two high-volume days, Tuesday and Saturday. Week 4 is 10 sets of 3 at 80% of your goal max on Tuesday, then 5 to 10 sets of 3 a little heavier on Saturday, with beltless back-off sets. Week 5 adds a heavy single at 87.5% or 90% before its sets of 3. Every day of both weeks ends with one long set of pin squats, 20 reps on Tuesday and 15 on Saturday. Week 6 is the transition: work up to a 5 rep max on Wednesday, then 12 singles at 75% on Saturday. Weeks 7 and 8 are the max strength phase, Monday, Wednesday and Friday: a heavy triple at 90%, 12 singles at 75% and 3 heavy singles, a little heavier each week. Week 9 tapers with 6x3 and 9 singles, and Friday is max day.
Who it's for
Is Candito 9 Week Squat right for you?
Advanced lifters who want to bring up their squat and can recover from squatting five days a week for three weeks. Candito pairs his squat program with low-frequency off-season training for bench and deadlift: the deadlifts in it are light and mostly optional, and the open slots are accessory work you choose.
Progression
How progression works
Nothing goes up on its own: the weights come from your two maxes, and Candito's sheet only changes a max at its two checkpoints. Checkpoint 1 is the pause squat triple on Friday of week 1. If it is between 80% and 87.5% of your current max, nothing changes; if it is lighter, Durata resets your current max to the triple ÷ 0.825, and if it is heavier, to the triple ÷ 0.85. Weeks 2 and 3 then use the new number. Checkpoint 2 is the 5 rep max in week 6: between 85% and 90% of your goal max, nothing changes; outside that band, your goal max becomes the 5 rep max ÷ 0.875, and the rest of the program uses it.
Where Candito gives two weights (75% or 80%) or a range (90% to 92.5%), Durata shows the lighter one and the lift's note gives the other, so you can pick. Some sets add a fixed amount on top of a percentage, such as 75% plus 5 lb (2.5 kg); the weight shown already includes it. The pin squat sets of 20 and 15 go up 5 lb (2.5 kg) from week 4 to week 5, as his sheet says; a missed set keeps the weight. Accessory weights are yours to choose: his sheet only marks each one light, moderate or heavy.
Fixed % of Training Max for the block — the TM holds; retest and re-run to move it% of your goal max — a fixed number you set; it never moves on its ownLinear: +2.5 kg on success, the weight holds if you miss
Durata runs this progression for you — every session's weights are computed from your training maxes.
The program
Candito 9 Week Squat — every set, every session
Percentages are of your training max (TM).
Week 15 sessions
W1 — High Frequency Day 1
Monday~15–25 min
W1 — High Frequency Day 2
Tuesday~15–25 min
W1 — High Frequency Day 3
Wednesday~15–25 min
W1 — High Frequency Day 4
Thursday~15–25 min
W1 — High Frequency Day 5
Friday~15–25 min
Week 25 sessions
W2 — High Frequency Day 1
Monday~25–35 min
W2 — High Frequency Day 2
Tuesday~25–30 min
W2 — High Frequency Day 3
Wednesday~20–30 min
W2 — High Frequency Day 4
Thursday~20–30 min
W2 — High Frequency Day 5
Friday~20–25 min
Week 35 sessions
W3 — High Frequency Day 1
Monday~15–25 min
W3 — High Frequency Day 2
Tuesday~15–25 min
W3 — High Frequency Day 3
Wednesday~15–25 min
W3 — High Frequency Day 4
Thursday~15–25 min
W3 — High Frequency Day 5
Friday~15–25 min
Week 42 sessions
W4 — High Volume Day 1
Tuesday~35–45 min
W4 — High Volume Day 2
Saturday~30–40 min
Week 52 sessions
W5 — High Volume Day 1
Tuesday~35–50 min
W5 — High Volume Day 2
Saturday~35–50 min
Week 62 sessions
W6 — 5 Rep Max Day
Wednesday~15–25 min
W6 — Transition Day 2
Saturday~25–35 min
Week 73 sessions
W7 — Max Strength Day 1
Monday~15–25 min
W7 — Max Strength Day 2
Wednesday~25–35 min
W7 — Max Strength Day 3
Friday~15–25 min
Week 83 sessions
W8 — Max Strength Day 1
Monday~15–25 min
W8 — Max Strength Day 2
Wednesday~25–35 min
W8 — Max Strength Day 3
Friday~15–25 min
Week 93 sessions
W9 — Max Out Day 1
Monday~15–25 min
W9 — Max Out Day 2
Wednesday~20–25 min
W9 — Max Day
Friday~15–25 min
FAQ
Candito 9 Week Squat — common questions
What goal max should I enter?
The squat you are aiming for by the end of the nine weeks. His sheet's own example is a 440 lb goal for a 425 lb current max. Week 6's checkpoint fixes it if you guessed too high or too low: a 5 rep max outside 85% to 90% of your goal resets it to the 5 rep max ÷ 0.875.
What goes in the open accessory slots?
Candito leaves them to you and only marks how hard they should be. His guide favours isolations such as leg extensions, hamstring curls and seated hip abduction or adduction, or lifts that load the spine less, like Bulgarian split squats, dumbbell lunges, leg press and hip thrusts. Each day's note says how many slots there are and the sets and reps. Rotate them whenever you like.
Do I have to do the back-off and beltless sets?
Only if you hit both the top weight and the most sets that day. Candito says to skip them otherwise, and that you may need to warm up again before the beltless sets.
Can I use a box squat instead of the pin squat?
Yes. His sheet lets you pick pin squats or box squats for the first primary accessory. Durata builds the pin squat, his first choice; swap it for Box Squat (Barbell) in your plan if you prefer.
Is there an app that runs Candito 9 Week Squat for you?
Yes. Durata runs Candito 9 Week Squat as written, free: the 2–5-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 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 9 Week Squat 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.
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