Guides · Programming

Powerlifting Program Comparison

Three legendary powerlifting programs — 5/3/1, Starting Strength, and Sheiko — dominate the strength world for good reason. Pick the wrong one for your training age and you stall; pick the right one and the plates keep going up. Here's how to choose, and how Altis's Elo system makes progress on any of them visible week by week.

Quick verdict by experience level

Novice (0–6 months): Starting Strength. Linear progression, three lifts, add weight every session.
Intermediate (6–24 months): 5/3/1. Weekly waves, submaximal work, sustainable for years.
Advanced (2+ years, competing): Sheiko. High-frequency Russian volume tuned for meet peaking.

Starting Strength — the linear novice program

Three sessions per week. Squat every session; alternate bench/press and deadlift/power clean. Add 2.5–5 kg per lift, per session, until you stall — then reset 10% and ramp back. It works because untrained lifters recover between sessions and skill gains compound. Expect 30–60 kg on your squat in the first three months if you eat and sleep.

5/3/1 — the intermediate default

Four-week waves per lift, using 85–95% of a training max (90% of your true 1RM). Each week: 3×5, 3×3, 5/3/1, deload. Simple, forgiving, and it fits assistance work like Boring But Big or Building The Monolith around it. Add 2.5 kg (upper) / 5 kg (lower) to the training max each cycle.

Sheiko — high-frequency Russian volume

3–4 sessions per week with squat, bench and deadlift hit multiple times each. Volume is prescribed in NL (number of lifts) at percentages of 1RM, not RPE. Best used in 8–12 week meet preps for lifters who already own solid technique and can recover from 70+ working reps of squat per week.

How Altis tracks any of these

Each session you log feeds an Elo score per lift based on estimated 1RM, bodyweight (via DOTS) and equipment. That means 5/3/1's submaximal top set and Sheiko's percentage work both convert to a comparable Elo — you can switch programs mid-year and still see whether you're actually getting stronger, not just doing more reps.