Candito Linear Program: Power
By Jonnie Candito · From Original Source
Also known as: candito linear power · candito strength power · candito lp power
Jonnie Candito's linear program with a power day for jumping and sprinting. The same heavy Monday and Tuesday as his Control template: squat 3x6 and deadlift 2x6, then bench 3x6 with a row, a shoulder press and a curl. Thursday is explosive: barbell jump squats and box jumps, 6 sets of 4, every rep as high as you can. Friday is his control upper day: 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.
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
What is Candito Linear Program: Power?
This is the Strength/Power version of Jonnie Candito's linear program from his free PDF guide. It keeps the heavy Monday and Tuesday of his main Control template and changes one day: the lower-body variation day trains explosiveness instead of paused lifts. Candito notes it helps with athletic goals like a higher vertical jump or faster sprint starts, and that max strength and power feed each other.
Monday: squats 3x6 and deadlifts 2x6. Tuesday: bench press 3x6, dumbbell rows 3x6, and a single set of 6 on the seated dumbbell press and the dumbbell curl. Thursday: barbell jump squats and box jumps, 6 sets of 4 each, the first two picks from his list of weighted explosive exercises. Friday is his control upper day: Spoto presses 6x4, dumbbell rows 6x4 with a pause at the top, then one set of 10 on the shoulder press and curl.
There is no power day for the upper body on purpose. Candito explains that few explosive upper-body lifts allow steady overload without bands, chains or medicine balls, so the practical choice is a control day instead.
Is Candito Linear Program: Power right for you?
Athletes and lifters who want their squat, bench and deadlift to climb every week while keeping some speed and spring in their legs. It needs the same base as the Control template: you should already perform the main lifts safely. If strength is your only goal, Candito points you to Control, since the explosive work is a tool rather than a requirement.
How progression works
The heavy days run exactly as in the Control template. Start them with a weight you can do for 3 sets of 6 with no chance of failure, around 75 to 80% of your max, and add 5 lb (2.5 kg) every week you complete them. Miss a set on the heavy squat, deadlift or bench and that lift drops 15 lb (7.5 kg) the next week; after three drops it goes up every two weeks instead. The shoulder press and curl rise once every three weeks.
The jumps are not loaded for progression. Candito performs them for max power: jump as high or as far as you can on every rep rather than going through the motions. Friday's Spoto press and paused rows start around 70% of your normal max, add the same weekly step and hold on a miss.
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: Power — 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 | — |
Power Lower
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Jump Squat (Barbell) | 6×4 | — |
| Box Jump | 6×4 | — |
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: Power — common questions
Can I use different jumps?
Yes. His weighted list also has power cleans, speed squats, speed deadlifts at 50 to 70% of your max, trap bar jumps and dumbbell jump squats; his unweighted list has squat jumps, broad jumps and one-legged jumps. Durata's plan uses the first two on his weighted list.
What are the optional explosive exercises?
Candito allows two more explosive exercises on the power day, 5 sets of 4. They are not in the plan; add any jump variation if you have the energy.
How many days a week is it?
Four: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. His 3-day version keeps both heavy days on Monday and Wednesday and alternates the power day and the control upper day on Friday.
Is there an app that runs Candito Linear Program: Power for you?
Yes. Durata runs Candito Linear Program: Power 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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