Candito Linear Program: Control
By Jonnie Candito · From Original Source
Also known as: candito linear · candito lp · candito linear program · candito strength control · candito beginner program
Jonnie Candito's linear program, the template he recommends for general strength and for anyone new to serious training. Upper/lower, four days a week. Monday and Tuesday are heavy: squat 3x6 and deadlift 2x6, then bench 3x6 with a row, a shoulder press and a curl. Thursday and Friday are control days of paused lifts: pause squats, deadlifts paused off the floor, Spoto presses and paused rows. Add 5 lb (2.5 kg) a week. Miss a heavy set and that lift drops 15 lb (7.5 kg) the next week; after three drops on a lift, add weight every two weeks instead.
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Candito Linear Program: Control?
The Candito Linear Program is Jonnie Candito's simple upper/lower strength program, written up in his free PDF guide. The layout never changes from week to week; you just keep adding weight. He offers three templates that share the same two heavy days, and Control is the one he recommends for general strength and for anyone new to serious training.
Monday is heavy lower: squats for 3 sets of 6 and deadlifts for 2 sets of 6. Tuesday is heavy upper: bench press 3x6 with a dumbbell row 3x6, then one set of 6 on a seated dumbbell press and a dumbbell curl. Thursday and Friday are the control days that give the template its name. Pause squats 6x4 and deadlifts paused just after the bar leaves the floor 3x4, then Spoto presses 6x4 (the bar stops an inch above your chest), dumbbell rows 6x4 held at the top, and one set of 10 on the shoulder press and curl.
The upper back, shoulder and biceps lifts are his first picks from his own lists. He leaves them open, so swap in another from his list if you prefer, but stay with each choice for at least four weeks.
Is Candito Linear Program: Control right for you?
Lifters who can already squat, bench and deadlift safely with good form and want steady weekly progress without percentage tables. Candito wrote it as a novice program that also works as a mental break for experienced lifters. The paused lifts build strength in the positions where form usually breaks down, which is why he says even elite lifters use them. If you have never lifted at all, he suggests a few months of lighter training first.
How progression works
Start the heavy days with a weight you can do for 3 straight sets of 6 with no chance of failure, around 75 to 80% of your one-rep max. Control lifts start around 70% of your normal max, because the pauses and extra sets make them harder. Each week Durata adds 5 lb (2.5 kg) to every lift you complete. The shoulder press and curl go up once every three weeks instead.
If you miss a set on the heavy squat, deadlift or bench, that lift drops 15 lb (7.5 kg) the next week; the other lifts carry on. Once a lift has been dropped three times, it goes up every two weeks instead of every week. A miss on a control day or an accessory holds the weight, since those days should never put a rep at serious risk. Rest about five minutes between heavy leg sets and three on the upper and control days.
Durata runs this progression for you — there are no percentages to work out, so each session's target carries over from what you logged last time and the weight moves when you hit or miss the prescribed reps.
Candito Linear Program: Control — every set, every session
Heavy Lower
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×6 | 5:00 |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 2×6 | 5:00 |
Heavy Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 3×6 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×6 | — |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×6 | — |
Control Lower
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Pause Squat (Barbell) | 6×4 | 3:00 |
| Pause Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×4 | 3:00 |
Control Upper
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Spoto Press (Barbell) | 6×4 | 3:00 |
| Dumbbell Row | 6×4 | 3:00 |
| Seated Overhead Press (Dumbbell) | 1×10 | — |
| Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 1×10 | — |
Candito Linear Program: Control — common questions
Can I run the Candito Linear Program three days a week?
Yes, Candito added a 3-day version: keep both heavy days and alternate the control day, so one week has heavy lower, heavy upper and control lower, and the next week heavy lower, heavy upper and control upper, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Durata's plan is the four-day version.
What about the optional exercises?
Candito allows two optional exercises per day, 3 sets of 8 to 12 with one to two minutes rest, and you can change them every workout. They are not in the plan; add whatever you like, such as triceps pushdowns, lateral raises, face pulls, leg curls or calf raises.
What should I do when progress stalls for good?
Candito's rule is that if a lift keeps failing even on the every-two-weeks pace, it is time for a break from the program. He suggests his 6 Week Strength Program, then coming back or alternating between the two.
How is Control different from the Power and Hypertrophy templates?
The heavy Monday and Tuesday are identical in all three. Power swaps the control lower day for jumps, and Hypertrophy turns Thursday and Friday into higher-rep days for size.
Is there an app that runs Candito Linear Program: Control for you?
Yes. Durata runs Candito Linear Program: Control as written, free: the 4-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 Linear 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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