Guide
Linear vs Undulating Periodization
Quick answer
Periodization is a plan for how the hard sets change over time. A linear plan might spend a few weeks at 8s, then 5s, then 3s, adding load as the reps fall. An undulating plan might do 8s on Monday, 5s on Wednesday, and 3s on Friday, and repeat.
Both are ways to organize progressive overload. The bar still has to get a little harder in a way you can recover from. A chart of percentages does not replace that. Use the percentage calculator to turn the plan into loads.
Estimates only. Testing a true max carries risk; use a spotter or safety arms. Not medical advice.
1RM percentage calculatorTurn a max into the loads a plan actually asks for.Open →On this page
- What does linear look like in the gym?
- What does undulating look like?
- Which one should you run?
- How do percentages fit?
- Key takeaways
- FAQ
What does linear look like in the gym?
You pick a rep range, hit it, add a little weight, and when the reps are no longer there you start a new block with more weight and fewer reps. The month has a direction you can explain in one sentence.
It fails when you ride one rep range until every set is ugly, or when you drop reps so fast you never practice the heavier loads. A block should end while the reps still look like the reps you wanted.
What does undulating look like?
The stress changes inside the week. A heavier day and a lighter day give you more practice without asking every session to be a max. Daily undulating plans do this on purpose. Doing random weights because you felt like it is not the same thing. Write the days down.
You still need an anchor. If Friday's triples never get heavier than last month's triples, nothing undulated except your mood. Progress at least one of the days.
Which one should you run?
Linear is easier to explain and easier to log if you are new to planning. Undulating is a better fit if you already squat or press several days a week and a single rep range bores you or beats you up.
Do not switch models every week. Run one long enough to see whether the loads moved. Four to eight weeks is a reasonable look. A deload can sit between blocks if the joints are complaining.
How do percentages fit?
They are optional. A plan can say 'sets of 5' and you add weight when you hit them. Or it can say '5 reps at 80 percent' and you need a max to compute 80 percent. If you use percents, use a current estimate, not a two-year-old test.
Round to plates. An 81.25 kg prescription that you load as 80 kg is fine. Log 80. The percentage chart guide covers how to read the table.
Key takeaways
- Linear means the load climbs and the reps fall across weeks.
- Undulating means the stress changes inside the week.
- Neither plan works if the sets are junk.
- Pick one pattern long enough to read the log.
FAQ
Is one model proven best?
No winner you can paste onto every lifter. Both organize overload. The one you will follow for two months beats the one you redraw every Sunday.
Do I need a spreadsheet?
You need last month's loads. A notebook is enough. A spreadsheet helps if you think in percents.
Where does 5/3/1 sit?
It is a monthly wave with set percentages of a training max, plus a small jump after the cycle. It is closer to linear progression of the training max than to a daily rep shuffle.
Can I mix them?
You can run a linear block and, inside the week, keep one day lighter. Name the days so you are not improvising the heavy set.
What if I miss the reps?
Hold the load or repeat the week. Adding weight on a miss is how a plan turns into a test you did not schedule.