Beyond the Chart: How Prilepin’s Principles Still Shape Strength Training Today
Josh Hezza- Mar 27
- 16 min read
Beyond the Chart: How Prilepin’s Principles Still Shape Strength Training Today
From Soviet Systems to Westside Waves — Applying Volume and Intensity with Purpose
Prilepin’s Chart: What It Gets Wrong — and What It Still Gets Right
In the world of strength training, intensity gets all the attention. Big numbers, maximal efforts, chasing failure like it’s a badge of honour.
But ask anyone who’s built real, long-term strength — and they’ll tell you: It’s not the intensity that breaks you through. It’s the volume that gets you there.
One man tried to codify that volume. Not with guesswork. Not with Instagram science. But with actual data — collected across over a decade of Soviet Olympic weightlifting dominance.
That man was Alexander Sergeyevitch Prilepin, a Merited Coach of the USSR. From 1975 to 1985, he tracked the best of the best — athletes lifting at the highest level under one of the most intense, state-backed systems in history. The goal? Figure out how much work actually builds elite performance without tipping the athlete into injury or stagnation.
The result was what’s now known as Prilepin’s Chart — a simple table of rep and intensity ranges, broken down by percentage of 1RM. It outlined not just how hard to lift, but how much.
Over time, this little chart became a mainstay in weightlifting and powerlifting circles. It shaped wave loading, autoregulation, and eventually the Conjugate Method itself. Louie Simmons adapted it to suit max effort work, speed work, repetition method programming, and more — and it became a key lens for understanding the why behind Westside’s systems.
But before we get carried away, let’s be clear about something: Prilepin’s Chart isn’t perfect.
It was based on Olympic lifters. Performing the snatch and clean & jerk. In the 1970s. In a tightly controlled system with… let’s just say a unique pharmacological backdrop.
As Greg Everett rightly points out in his breakdown for Catalyst Athletics, applying this chart blindly to modern Olympic lifters is problematic enough — let alone to powerlifters, strongman competitors, and general strength athletes. The exercises are different. The adaptation demands are different. And the sport has evolved.
But here’s the nuance most people miss:
There’s still a ton of value here — if you know how to interpret it.
If you understand the principles behind the chart… If you apply them alongside what we know now about fatigue management, hypertrophy needs, movement selection, and Conjugate training structure… Then Prilepin’s Chart becomes something better than a set of arbitrary numbers.
It becomes a coaching tool. A lens for checking whether your programming actually aligns with what you’re trying to adapt to. Not a rulebook — but a reference point.
So in this series, we’re going to break it all down:
What the chart says, and why it was created
How it was adapted at Westside Barbell
Where it applies today (and where it absolutely doesn’t)
How to use it intelligently, no matter what training style you follow
This isn’t about lifting like it’s 1975. It’s about taking what worked, and building on it. Because if you care about smart training — not just hard training — you can’t afford to ignore volume.
What Is Prilepin’s Chart — and Where Did It Come From?
Before Westside. Before spreadsheets. Before every coach on Instagram was prescribing percentages…
There was Prilepin’s Chart.
Born out of one of the most systematised eras in strength sport, the chart was the work of Alexander Sergeyevitch Prilepin, a Soviet coach who spent the better part of a decade tracking the training patterns of elite Olympic weightlifters between 1975 and 1985. This wasn’t a guess. It wasn’t theory. It was real-world data — collected from athletes who were snatching and clean & jerking world-record loads, week after week, in the state-backed Soviet system.
Prilepin’s goal was simple: To figure out what actually worked.
More specifically, he wanted to know how many reps athletes should be doing in each intensity zone (measured as a percentage of their 1-rep max) to drive performance. Too few reps? No adaptation. Too many? Fatigue outweighs benefit, and injury risk shoots up. There had to be a sweet spot — and his research set out to find it.
What he discovered became the foundation for decades of programming to come. Here’s the chart itself:
📊 Prilepin’s Chart (Original Format)
Intensity (% of 1RM) | Reps per Set | Total Reps (Optimal) | Rep Range |
55–65% | 3–6 | ~24 | 18–30 |
70–80% | 3–6 | ~18 | 12–24 |
80–90% | 2–4 | ~15 | 10–20 |
90%+ | 1–2 | ~7 | 4–10 |
This table gave coaches a way to dose volume and intensity for maximum return. It wasn’t about chasing reps for the sake of it. It was about doing the right amount of work in the right zone, based on what the athlete was trying to achieve.
For example:
If you’re lifting at 70–80%, Prilepin found that most elite lifters got the best results when they stayed around 18 total reps, usually broken into sets of 3–6.
Once you get above 90%, the volume drops drastically — just 4 to 10 reps total, ideally in singles or doubles. Not because you're slacking, but because that’s where intensity does the job and volume becomes a liability.
He didn’t just record results — he saw patterns, and distilled them into this table that still underpins much of today’s intelligent programming.
Now, there are two critical things to remember before you start applying this like gospel:
1. It was based entirely on Olympic lifts.
The snatch and clean & jerk are highly technical, full-body, explosive lifts. They’re not the same as a low-bar squat, a competition bench press, or a max-effort trap bar pull. So while the chart gives us broad guidelines, it’s not a one-size-fits-all answer — especially for the slower, more grinding lifts seen in powerlifting and strongman.
2. The chart is a snapshot of a very specific system.
This data was taken from lifters who trained in tightly controlled environments, with volume and intensity monitored to the gram — and yes, with chemical assistance. That doesn’t invalidate the chart, but it does mean we have to interpret it wisely, not copy-paste it blindly.
That said…
The brilliance of Prilepin’s Chart isn’t that it’s perfect. It’s that it offers a starting point for understanding how training volume and intensity interact. It gives lifters and coaches a map. Not the terrain — but a damn good place to start.
In the next section, we’ll look at how Louie Simmons took this framework and built something more adaptable, more aggressive, and better suited to raw strength development and Conjugate training.
Because it turns out, Prilepin gave us (one of) the “what.”(s) But Louie figured out the “how.”
How Louie Simmons and Westside Used Prilepin’s Chart
When most people talk about Prilepin’s Chart, they treat it like a relic of the past — a table built for Olympic lifters in the 1970s and not much else.
But Louie Simmons saw something more.
He saw a tool. A framework. A way to regulate volume and intensity across the chaotic, ever-shifting landscape of the Conjugate Method.
Where others saw strict percentage-based programming, Louie saw freedom through structure. And that’s what made Westside Barbell so effective — not just the exercises, but the strategy underneath them.
Here’s how Louie took Prilepin’s principles and wove them into the DNA of Conjugate training:
1. Dynamic Effort Method: Volume Meets Velocity
This is where Prilepin’s Chart shows up most clearly in the Conjugate system.
Dynamic effort work — often written as “DE Lower” or “DE Upper” — involves moving submaximal weights as fast and explosively as possible. And what weight range do we usually see?
50–75% of 1RM, typically band- or chain-accommodated.
Louie structured these sessions directly around Prilepin’s rep ranges:
Squats: 8×2 @ ~70% (16 total reps)
Bench Press: 9–10×3 @ ~60% (27–30 total reps)
These totals fall perfectly within Prilepin’s optimal volume for their respective intensity brackets. The goal? Maximise force output and technical consistency without accumulating unnecessary fatigue.
Louie also used 3-week wave progressions — bumping percentages slightly each week (e.g. 60%, 65%, 70%) — another clear nod to Prilepin’s balance of volume and intensity. It wasn’t just speed for speed’s sake. It was planned, purposeful speed, grounded in data.
2. Max Effort Method: Respecting the Redline
On max effort days, the chart served as a ceiling, not a prescription.
Louie wasn’t running lifters through high-volume sets at 90%+. That would be suicide for the CNS. Instead, he used Prilepin’s framework to guide when to pull the plug.
“If you’re hitting singles at 90% or above, don’t take more than 4–7 total reps above that range.”
That’s straight from Prilepin’s original table — and Louie’s programming reflected it. One top set at a true max. Maybe a couple heavy back-offs if it moved well. But no marathon sessions grinding triples at 95%.
This allowed lifters to train at maximal intensity without blowing out their nervous system. It gave them clarity — not just on how hard to push, but when to stop.
3. Repetition Method: Recovery Informed by Structure
Even in assistance work, Prilepin’s ghost lingered.
Now, Louie didn’t follow the chart blindly when programming accessories — that’s where Conjugate diverges from Soviet weightlifting. But he did apply the principle of volume management for recovery.
If your main work pushed you close to your max recoverable volume, your accessories were adjusted to stay within systemic fatigue limits. Prilepin’s ranges gave Louie an internal compass — especially for secondary barbell movements or high-fatigue accessories.
What mattered most was the principle: Match the reps to the intensity. Don’t train like a maniac when you’re supposed to be recovering.
4. Referenced Again and Again
Louie didn’t just use the chart — he talked about it, wrote about it, and built off it in several key texts:
Special Strength Development for All Sports He warned against undertraining and overtraining by citing Prilepin’s findings. The goal was repeatable performance — not destruction. → “Too few lifts cause detraining. Too many cause fatigue.”
Olympic Weightlifting Manual Here, Louie tied dynamic effort work at 50–70% directly to Prilepin’s findings, especially when applying Conjugate to Olympic lifts — a hugely under-explored topic.
Westside Barbell Book of Methods Louie used the chart to guide DE wave cycling and accommodate variation. He essentially used Prilepin’s table to anchor his speed-strength logic.
The Rule of Three While more subtle, this book builds on Prilepin’s volume management — using three-week microcycles to rotate intensity and volume without breaking down the lifter.
Louie’s Genius Was in the Adaptation
He didn’t worship the chart. He didn’t follow it dogmatically.
He used it as a lens — a way to check that the work being done actually matched the adaptation being chased.
Too many people throw volume at a problem, hoping it will fix bad programming. But Louie knew better.
He looked at Prilepin’s work and said:
“There’s a difference between doing more, and doing what’s optimal.”
That’s why Conjugate works. That’s why Westside produced monsters. And that’s why volume — properly managed — will always be king.
Beyond the Chart: Adapting Prilepin’s Table for Strength Training Today
Prilepin’s Chart is one of the most enduring legacies of Soviet sports science — but if you’ve ever felt like it doesn’t fully translate to your training, you’re not alone.
That’s because it wasn’t designed for you.
It was designed to guide the training of elite-level Olympic weightlifters during the Soviet golden era, based on thousands of analysed sessions across athletes performing the snatch and clean & jerk — explosive lifts with specific speed-strength demands.
But here’s the thing: the data was sound. And when interpreted intelligently, the insights are still incredibly valuable — even for powerlifters, strongman competitors, and athletes using a Conjugate-style system.
Why Adapting Matters
Most lifters today aren’t Olympic weightlifters. They’re strength athletes, recreational powerlifters, tactical athletes, or somewhere in between.
They’re not training 10–14 times per week, under national sport oversight. They’re working jobs, recovering from real life, and trying to balance training with long-term health and performance.
Which means that blindly applying Prilepin’s Chart without interpretation is a mistake — but ignoring it entirely is just as bad.
What Westside and Louie Taught Us About Volume
Louie Simmons always said that volume is the key to strength. Prilepin’s Chart, interpreted wisely, gives us a roadmap for that volume — particularly in:
Dynamic Effort Work: e.g. 8x2 Squat @ 70%
Max Effort Backoff Work: e.g. 3x3-4 @ 80%
Accessory Programming: staying within adaptive total volume without going past fatigue thresholds
Charts Don’t Coach, But They Do Guide
No chart replaces critical thinking. But charts — especially ones built from thousands of top-level athletes — are there for a reason. They’re a blueprint, not a prison.
If you're using Conjugate, or programming for performance outside of Oly lifting, this interpretation helps bridge the gap between Soviet data and modern strength realities.
Why It Still Matters: Prilepin’s Chart in 2025
Training is about more than working hard. It’s about knowing when to stop.
Ask any experienced lifter or coach why progress stalls, and you’ll often hear one of two things:
“They’re not doing enough.” “They’re doing way too much.”
That’s not a contradiction — it’s a consequence of volume mismanagement. And in 2025, it remains one of the biggest issues in strength programming across the board.
So how do you find the sweet spot?
You go back to one of the oldest tools in the game — Prilepin’s Chart.
The Real Value of Prilepin’s Chart
Originally built from analysing elite Soviet Olympic weightlifters, the chart breaks down:
How many reps per set are productive at a given intensity
How many total reps to hit in a session
And when you’re likely doing too much or too little for meaningful progress
The purpose wasn’t guesswork — it was precision.
And decades later, the reason it still matters is simple:
It gives lifters a roadmap to progress without burnout.
Volume: The Most Abused Variable in Strength
In the age of “grind culture” and “one more rep” mindsets, volume gets misused more than any other training variable.
Lifters chase failure thinking it’s the key to gains. Coaches throw more sets at stalled lifts without understanding adaptation thresholds. Entire programs are built on vibes and fatigue, instead of strategy and recovery.
But volume has a dose–response relationship — just like medication:
Too little = no adaptation
Just right = strength, size, power
Too much = regression, injury, breakdown
Prilepin’s Chart shows you how much is enough, and when more becomes less.
It’s Not Just for Conjugate
You don’t need to follow Conjugate or train Westside-style to benefit from these principles.
If you’re training with percentages, waves, blocks, or any form of structured progression, understanding Prilepin’s rep thresholds is a game-changer.
It teaches you to:
Cap your sets before technical breakdown
Plan weekly tonnage that won’t kill your joints or CNS
Know when to add more load — and when to back off
Why It Matters More Now Than Ever
In 2025, lifters are training harder than ever — but not always smarter. With better access to knowledge, data, and tools… volume mismanagement still kills more progress than any other variable.
Prilepin’s Chart keeps your training purposeful:
You know when to stop
You know when to progress
You know when to pull back
It’s not gospel. But it’s a damn good guide.
Train With Intent
If you’re spinning your wheels in training — either plateaued or constantly banged up — there’s a good chance your volume is wrong for your goals.
You don’t need to overhaul your program. You just need to understand how load and reps interact, and use that insight to program smarter.
Prilepin gave us that framework. It’s up to us to adapt it — and apply it — to the way we train today.
Modern Takeaways from Prilepin’s Chart for All Lifters
From Soviet Olympic weightlifting halls to powerlifting garages and CrossFit boxes, Prilepin’s principles still apply — if you know how to use them.
Prilepin’s Chart isn’t just history — it’s a roadmap.
Developed through meticulous analysis of elite weightlifters, the chart gives us a brutally effective tool: A way to match reps and intensity for progress — without burning out.
But what do we actually do with it in 2025?
Let’s break it down — for lifters following a Conjugate Method, and for everyone else.
🔁 For Conjugate Lifters: Precision in Chaos
Conjugate thrives on variation — new movements, rotating intensities, constant adaptation.
But that doesn't mean random chaos. Prilepin’s Chart is still the underlying structure.
1. Dynamic Effort (DE) Days:
Your speed work lives in the 55–70% range
Target 24 total reps — often done as 8×3 for squats, 10×3 for bench
Stay crisp. If bar speed slows or technique breaks, you're doing too much
Prilepin keeps your DE work productive — and actually fast.
2. Max Effort (ME) Work:
At 90%+, Prilepin recommends just 4–10 total reps
That means you don’t need to grind out backdown sets after a 1RM PR
One heavy top single + smart accessories > excessive barbell volume
ME work should be maximal, not marathon.
3. Repetition Effort (RE) Accessories:
RE method often uses moderate weight for higher volume
Stick to 30–40 reps total per compound accessory (e.g. 3×12, 4×10)
Don’t hammer the same movement to death — rotate weekly
Use volume to build muscle — not to trash your joints.
⚖️ For Non-Conjugate Lifters: Structure, Autoregulation, and Sanity
Even if you’re not following Conjugate, the logic of Prilepin’s Chart still applies — especially for lifters programming around %1RM or autoregulated top sets.
1. Use it to check your programming.
Top single at 90%+? Don’t pair it with 5×8 @ 80%. That’s way past optimal volume
Weekly back-off work in the 70–80% range? Target 18–24 reps, not 50
The chart acts like a coach: “That’s enough.”
2. Use it to autoregulate.
On good days, hit the upper end of the rep range
On tough days, stay within the lower end
Either way, you're staying within a volume band that works
This builds autoregulation into your system — without guesswork.
3. Use it to build smarter blocks.
Planning a 6-week strength phase? Use the chart to guide:
Volume ramp-ups
Deload weeks
Peak intensity windows
This makes your program sustainable and scalable — not just hard for hard’s sake.
✅ What to Take Into the Gym
Goal | % Range | Total Reps |
Speed / DE | 60–70% | ~24 reps |
Strength / ME | 90%+ | 4–10 reps |
Hypertrophy / RE | 55–80% | 30–40 reps (accessory work) |
No matter your method, Prilepin helps you:
Hit the right dose
Avoid burnout
Get the most out of every session
Sample Prilepin-Based Strength Training Template (with Conjugate & Non-Conjugate Options)
You’ve read the theory. You’ve seen the tables. Now here’s how to turn Prilepin’s Chart into training that works — right now, in your gym, for your goals.
Whether you're deep in the Conjugate trenches or running your own linear block, this sample structure will show how to use volume and intensity the way the Soviets — and Westside — intended.
🔁 Weekly Template: Strength Development Using Prilepin’s Chart
This example blends Conjugate principles with Prilepin volume targets — balancing heavy work, speed work, and accessories across the week.
Day 1 – DE Lower (Speed Squat Focus)
Main Lift: 10 sets of 2 reps @ 65% 1RM with bands → Total reps: 20 (perfectly within the 18–30 zone for 55–65%)
Goal: Maximise bar velocity and force output
Rest: 45–60 seconds between sets
Key Note: Once bar speed drops or reps slow, call it. You're no longer training speed.
Day 2 – ME Upper (Heavy Bench Focus)
Main Lift: Work up to a top set of 1–2 reps @ 90–100% 1RM
Volume Guidance from Prilepin: Total reps at 90%+ = 4–10 → So hit 1–2 heavy sets, and that’s enough
Cut-Off Rule: If form breaks or bar speed crashes, cut it. This isn’t volume work.
Optional Back-Off (if needed): 3 sets of 2–3 reps at 85% → still within safe volume zone
Day 3 – RE Lower (Assistance & Volume Focus)
Keep intensity lower (55–70%) but accumulate volume. Choose exercises that complement ME and DE work.
Romanian Deadlifts: 4 × 10 @ ~55%
GHR (Bodyweight or Light Band): 3 × 12
Reverse Hyper: 4 × 15 → You’ll hit 30–40 total reps per movement pattern, which stays within recovery-friendly hypertrophy zones.
Day 4 – Optional Non-Conjugate Example (Top Set + Prilepin Back-Offs)
If you’re not using a Conjugate split, here’s how to build a day around a single compound lift:
Example: Back Squat
Top Set: 3 × 3 @ 85% → 9 reps
Back-Offs: 3 × 5 @ 75% → 15 reps 3 × 6 @ 60% → 18 reps → All rep totals land within Prilepin’s optimal ranges
This is a safe and effective way to build strength without unnecessary fatigue.
💡 Advanced Applications: How to Scale & Cycle
You don’t have to hit the same numbers every week. Here’s how to build variation within the system.
1. Volume Wave Cycling (for Speed Days)
Rotate your DE work to manage fatigue and adapt stimulus:
Week 1: 20 reps @ 60%
Week 2: 24 reps @ 70%
Week 3: 16 reps @ 80% → Wave back down or deload after 3 weeks
Why it works: You increase output over time, then recover — just like Louie’s 3-week DE wave structure.
2. Speed–Strength Emphasis
If your goal is peak output (e.g., strongman medleys, jumps, throws), reduce volume slightly and raise intensity:
6–8 total reps @ 80–85%
Prioritise bar speed and intent
Works well for explosive athletes or peaking cycles
3. Hypertrophy Recovery Blocks
Lower percentages (50–65%) + slightly higher reps = recovery without detraining
3–4 sets of 10–12
Choose assistance lifts with less axial fatigue
Keep total reps per movement under 40, even in higher rep ranges
Perfect for in-between peaking cycles or post-comp blocks.
✅The Chart in Practice
Prilepin’s Chart isn’t just for spreadsheets. It’s a tool to:
Know how much is enough
Train without guessing
Recover while still progressing
And whether you’re doing max effort box squats or hitting volume on incline bench, those rep and intensity ranges are your blueprint.
Why Prilepin’s Chart Still Matters: Strength, Structure, and Smarter Programming
In the world of training theory, some tools fade. Others endure. Prilepin’s Chart? It’s the latter — and it’s more than a relic.
Born from the meticulous observation of thousands of elite Olympic weightlifting sessions, Prilepin’s Chart wasn’t designed for aesthetics, Instagram sets, or arbitrary burnout sessions. It was built to answer one question with precision:
How much is enough — and how much is too much?
🔍 What It Teaches Us
Whether you run Conjugate or not, Prilepin’s Chart offers a blueprint for managing volume and intensity with surgical precision.
It teaches us that more isn’t always better.
That performance requires repeatability, not chaos.
That adaptation lives in the sweet spot between stimulus and recovery.
As intensity rises, total reps should fall. As fatigue accumulates, total volume must be watched. It’s a simple message — and that’s why it’s so powerful.
🧠 But Don’t Worship the Chart
Here’s the truth: this isn’t magic.
Prilepin’s data was based on elite Olympic lifters, operating in state-supported, highly specific environments, mostly lifting variations of the snatch and clean & jerk. That doesn’t map perfectly onto a modern powerlifter, strongman, or athlete lifting in a commercial gym after work.
So yes — there are flaws.
And yes — if you have the coaching experience, the movement knowledge, and the data from your own training or your athletes, then you might not need the chart at all.
But that’s not the point.
✏️ Use It, Then Move On
Look at the chart. Notice how rep ranges shrink as intensity rises. Notice how total volume is tightly controlled. Notice how it creates order in the chaos of training.
Then move forward.
Take what you’ve learned. Apply it to your own methods — whether that’s Conjugate, linear periodisation, block, DUP, or anything else. Use the principles, not the dogma.
💡 Final Takeaways
Prilepin’s Chart isn’t a training program. It’s a compass.
It tells you when you’re doing too much — or not enough.
It forces you to think about recovery as part of the programming equation.
And it gives you a system to start from — but not one to blindly follow forever.
✅ Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Progressing?
If you’re tired of winging it — of wondering whether your deadlift day was productive or just pointless — then it’s time for programming that’s actually designed to work.
We don’t chase fatigue. We build results.
📩 Apply for coaching today. Let’s make your training work — with real purpose, real systems, and real results.
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