Alex Bromley's whole framework is one rule: match the program model to the lifter's training age.
"Which program is best?" is the wrong question. Bromley's answer is that linear progression, undulating loading and block periodization aren't rivals - they're the right tool at different stages of a lifter's development. This breakdown covers his argument in our own words, adds our honest take for running it across a whole roster, and shows how to tag clients by training age and progress them block to block without spreadsheets.
By Markus Evers · September 2026 · a Coachway video breakdown
the short version
Bromley's video walks through every major programming model and lands on one organizing principle: the model has to fit the lifter's training age. Beginners run linear progression, intermediates move to undulating/wave loading when linear stalls, and advanced lifters need block periodization - dedicated volume and intensification phases. The one thing a coach should do about it: stop picking a program by name and instead diagnose each client's training age first, then assign the matching model and graduate them when the trend says the limiter has changed.
Alex Bromley - How to Run ALL THE PROGRAMS - Linear Progression, Periodization, Block
Source: Alexander Bromley on YouTube - "How to Run ALL THE PROGRAMS - Linear Progression, Periodization, Block". Watch on YouTube. We embed the public video and summarise it in our own words; the video, title and channel belong to Alex Bromley, and nothing here implies his endorsement of Coachway.
Who is Alex Bromley, and why coaches watch
Alex Bromley runs Empire Barbell and is the author of Base Strength and Peak Strength - two of the more widely used self-programming books in the strength world - and has competed in strongman and powerlifting since 2006. His YouTube channel is where he explains the logic behind his programs (Bullmastiff, Base/Peak Strength) rather than just handing out templates. For coaches he's one of the most-cited independent authorities on how to structure training cycles, which is exactly why he's worth breaking down: not "should I run his Bullmastiff program," but "what does his match-the-model-to-the-lifter framework mean for how I program a whole roster of clients at different levels."
What Bromley actually argues (our summary)
This is our summary of the ideas in the video, in our own words - not a transcript. Watch the original for his exact examples, program templates and numbers.
- 1
The model has to fit the training age. The whole framework hangs on one idea: there's no single best program. The right structure depends on how developed the lifter is, because the thing limiting their progress changes as they advance.
- 2
Beginners run linear progression. A newer lifter who can still add weight most sessions doesn't need anything clever - add a little load, keep one primary lift focus per day, progress weekly. Simplicity is a feature, not a compromise.
- 3
Intermediates move to undulating / wave loading. When linear progression stalls, you vary intensity across the week - heavy, medium, light - so the lifter keeps progressing without burning out on constant load increases.
- 4
Advanced lifters need block periodization. Long-range planning splits a cycle into blocks that each emphasize one quality - a volume/accumulation block with intensity capped and working sets climbing, then an intensification/peaking block that cuts volume and raises intensity toward the target lifts. His Bullmastiff and Base/Peak programs are this logic in practice.
- 5
Mismatching the model is the classic error. Don't give an advanced program to a beginner, or a beginner program to an advanced lifter. Each stage has a different limiter, so a program that's perfect for one lifter is wrong for another - the skill is diagnosing which stage you're programming for.
Coachway's take
We think this is the single most useful lens a strength coach can carry, and most coaches under-use it. The instinct - especially with an eager new client - is to reach for the most sophisticated program you know, because complexity feels like value. Bromley's framework says the opposite: the right program is the simplest one that's still producing results, and you only add structure when the lifter's development forces it. That's a discipline, not a limitation.
Where we'd add nuance for a coaching business: Bromley is largely teaching lifters to program for themselves, so "training age" is something they self-assess. On a roster, that's your job, and it's the part that actually takes skill. Diagnosing whether a client is a true beginner, a stalled intermediate or genuinely advanced - separate from how long they've lifted or how strong they think they are - is where good coaching lives. A client with three years in the gym and no progression to show for it is not automatically an "advanced" lifter who needs block periodization; often they need clean linear or undulating work first.
The other coaching-specific point: the moment to graduate a client between models isn't a date on the calendar, it's a trend in their logged performance. Linear progression hasn't stalled because eight weeks passed - it's stalled because the client is now missing reps at loads they used to hit. You can only make that call if you're actually reading each client's session data, not guessing from memory across twenty people. That's the difference between running Bromley's framework and just naming it.
So our version of his advice is: tag every client by training age, assign the matching model - linear, undulating, or block - keep it as simple as the client's stage allows, and let logged trends tell you when the limiter has changed and it's time to graduate them. Then build each model once as a template and reuse it, instead of hand-writing a fresh cycle for every client at every stage.
Tag by training age, assign the model, progress block to block
A match-the-model framework only works if you can deliver each model without rebuilding a program per client, and see the trend that tells you to graduate someone. That's what Coachway's workout builder is for: build your linear, undulating and block templates once - drag sessions into place, pull from a large exercise library, set per-set rep ranges and RPE, and lay out multi-week blocks with rising volume then a peaking phase - then assign the matching one to a client and adjust from there. When a client stalls on linear progression, you swap them onto the undulating template instead of starting blank. Their logged sessions flow into client progress tracking, so the trend - not the calendar - tells you when the limiter has changed and it's time to move them to the next model.
If you want the strategy layer first, our guide to periodization for online coaches covers how to plan phases across a client's year, and the companion breakdown on Mark Rippetoe on novice linear progression goes deep on the entry-level model this framework starts every lifter with.
Coach playbook: match the program to the lifter (Bromley model)
A quick-reference you can copy and keep next to your roster. Use it to diagnose each client's training age, assign the matching model, and know the signal that says it's time to graduate them. The block-periodization intensity guideline reflects the accumulation range Bromley describes; the rest is his framework in playbook form.
Match-the-model playbook
Diagnose, then assign
| Training age | Model | How it progresses | Graduate when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Linear progression | Add load most sessions; one primary lift focus per day | Client misses reps at loads they used to hit |
| Intermediate | Undulating / wave loading | Vary intensity across the week (heavy / medium / light) | Weekly variation no longer drives progress; needs long-range planning |
| Advanced | Block periodization | Sequenced blocks, each emphasizing one quality | Re-cycle blocks around the next goal / peak |
Block periodization structure (advanced clients)
| Block | Goal | Intensity | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volume / accumulation | Build work capacity | Capped (~70-75% 1RM) | Working sets climb week to week |
| Intensification / peak | Express strength on target lifts | Rises toward the goal | Cut back as intensity climbs |
The rule that matters most: don't give an advanced program to a beginner or a beginner program to an advanced lifter - the limiter is different at each stage. In Coachway: tag each client by training age, assign the matching template, and let check-in trends tell you when to graduate them to the next model.
COACH PLAYBOOK - Match the program to the lifter (Bromley model) DIAGNOSE, THEN ASSIGN Training age Model How it progresses Graduate when Beginner Linear progression Add load most sessions; one primary lift focus per day Client misses reps at loads they used to hit Intermediate Undulating / wave loading Vary intensity across the week (heavy / medium / light) Weekly variation no longer drives progress; needs long-range planning Advanced Block periodization Sequenced blocks, each emphasizing one quality Re-cycle blocks around the next goal / peak BLOCK PERIODIZATION STRUCTURE (advanced clients) Block Goal Intensity Volume Volume / accumulation Build work capacity Capped (~70-75% 1RM) Working sets climb week to week Intensification / peak Express strength on target lifts Rises toward the goal Cut back as intensity climbs RULE THAT MATTERS MOST: Don't give an advanced program to a beginner or a beginner program to an advanced lifter - the limiter is different at each stage. In Coachway: tag each client by training age, assign the matching template, and let check-in trends tell you when to graduate them.
Periodization for clients - FAQ
What is block periodization, and who is it for?
Block periodization splits a training cycle into distinct blocks that each emphasize a different quality - for example a volume/accumulation block that keeps intensity capped (Bromley describes working around 70-75% of 1RM) while working-set counts climb week to week, followed by an intensification or peaking block that cuts volume and drives intensity toward the target lifts. In Bromley's framework it is the tool for advanced lifters who need long-range planning, not a starting point. His widely-run Bullmastiff and Base/Peak Strength programs are concrete expressions of this block-based logic. For a coach, the practical read is that block periodization earns its complexity only once a client has outgrown simpler models.
How do you know when a lifter should switch from linear progression?
The signal is stalling: a beginner who can still add weight to the bar most sessions has no reason to leave linear progression, because the simplest model that keeps producing results is the right one. Once linear progression stops working - the client can no longer add load session to session without missing reps - that is Bromley's cue to move to a wave or undulating structure that varies intensity across the week rather than pushing load every session. The limiter has changed, so the model has to change with it. A coach's job is to read the trend and graduate the client at the right moment, not on a fixed calendar.
Linear progression vs undulating vs block periodization - what is the difference?
They are three answers to one question: how do you keep making a lifter progress as they advance. Linear progression adds load in small steps most sessions and suits beginners. Undulating or wave loading varies intensity across the week - heavy, medium, light - so an intermediate keeps progressing without burning out on constant load increases. Block periodization plans in longer phases, dedicating whole blocks to accumulating volume and then to intensifying toward a peak, which is what advanced lifters need. Bromley's core point is that none is universally best; the right one depends on the lifter's training age.
Does a beginner really need periodization?
No, and forcing it on them is Bromley's cautionary example: giving an advanced program to a beginner is as much a mistake as giving a beginner program to an advanced lifter, because the limiter is different at each stage. A beginner progresses fastest on plain linear progression - add a little weight, keep the movements simple, repeat - and elaborate periodization just adds complexity without adding stimulus they can yet use. Periodization becomes valuable when simpler progression runs out. For a coach, that means resisting the urge to make a beginner's program look sophisticated.
More training-science breakdowns
- · Mark Rippetoe on novice linear progression - the entry-level model this framework starts every lifter with.
- · Jeremy Ethier on designing a training program - the fundamentals that decide whether a program works.
- · The full roundup: fitness YouTubers coaches should study.
Keep dialing in programming
all guidesPeriodization for online coaches (2026 guide)
How to run periodization across a remote client list you never see train - the three models in plain words, autoregulation by RPE and RIR, deload timing, and templating one mesocycle you reuse.
Read the guideHow to Set Up Training Phases for Online Coaching Clients (2026)
The setup, not the theory: 4-week blocks (three weeks of overload, one deload), the 12-week arc of movement quality, accumulation and intensification, one variable per phase, two or three anchor lifts, phases that end on a check-in, the phase-1 results review as the retention lever, and a copyable 4-week block template.
Read the guidePersonal Trainer Programming: A Coach's Framework (2026)
Personal trainer programming is the deliberate arrangement of six variables - specificity, overload, volume, intensity, frequency and progression - into a plan that drives one chosen adaptation. The framework behind good program design, run for clients you coach remotely.
Read the guideFree tools for this: Overhead Press Calculator · IPF GL Points Calculator · How to Create a Workout Plan
Build every model once, reuse it across the roster
Bromley's framework only pays off if you can deliver linear, undulating and block programs without rebuilding a cycle per client - and see the trend that tells you to graduate someone. Coachway lets you template each model, tag clients by training age, assign the right one in seconds, and read logged sessions so you know when the limiter has changed. Start your 14-day free trial and program your first client roster from one screen.
