The Candito 6 Week Strength Program is a free powerlifting block from Jonnie Candito. It runs six weeks, starting with higher rep work around 70 to 80% of your max and building to heavy singles and a max test in week six. It suits intermediate lifters who want a short, structured peak, especially for squat and deadlift.
This is general training information, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, talk to a qualified professional before starting a new program.
What is the Candito 6 Week Strength Program?
Jonnie Candito is a powerlifter and coach who founded CanditoTrainingHQ and built a big following on his YouTube channel. His coach profile on Boostcamp, which runs the program in an official partnership with him, lists IPF World Championship medals in 2014 and 2015. The 6 week program started as a free spreadsheet and is now hosted as an app version on the Boostcamp Candito 6 Week page. The original PDF on Candito's own site is no longer online, so that page is the best primary source we could reach. Everything below is our own summary.
The idea is simple. Each week has a job, and the jobs stack. You go from conditioning to size to strength to heavy singles, then you test. Then you plug in your new maxes and run it again.
What do the six weeks look like?
Each week has a name that tells you what it is for:
- Week 1: muscular conditioning.
- Week 2: hypertrophy.
- Week 3: linear max overload.
- Week 4: heavy weight and explosiveness.
- Week 5: intense strength.
- Week 6: deload, then test your maxes.
The reps drop and the weights climb as you go. The early weeks feel like work. The late weeks feel like a meet in slow motion. If you have only ever run linear programs, week four is usually where you realize this thing has teeth.
What does a week one session look like?
Week one is the easiest way to see the shape of the program. It trains five days:
- Day 1: squat for 4 sets of 6 at 80% of your max, then deadlift for 2 sets of 6 at 80%.
- Day 2: bench in a ramp of 10, 10, 8 and 6 reps from 50% up to 77.5%, then dumbbell rows, seated dumbbell overhead press and weighted pull ups, all in descending rep sets.
- Day 4: the same upper day again.
- Day 5: squat for 4 sets of 8 at 70%, then deadlift for 2 sets of 8 at 70%.
- Day 6: bench for one all out set at 80%, then the same upper body accessories.
Notice the split. Lower days are pure squat and deadlift. Upper days carry the rows, presses and pull ups. That makes it easy to slot the program around a schedule, and it keeps your back from getting hammered by squats and deadlifts on the same day as heavy rows.
How does progression work on Candito?
Within a block, the program does the work for you. Percentages climb from week to week and reps come down, so you add weight by following the sheet. The real progression happens between blocks. You test in week six, enter the new numbers, and start over at week one with a heavier base.
That is a big difference from something like nSuns, where you add weight every week based on one all out set. Candito asks you to trust the plan for six weeks and then find out how it went. Some lifters love that. Others get twitchy around week two when the weights still feel light.
Who is the Candito 6 Week program good for?
It fits lifters who have run a beginner program, stopped adding weight every session, and want a short block with a clear end. It is also a common pick for someone with a meet or a gym max day about six weeks out, because the last weeks are built to show off strength, not just build it.
It is a rough fit for a true beginner. A first timer can add weight every session on Starting Strength or GZCLP without testing maxes at all. If you have no idea what your real max is, the percentages here are guesses, and guessed percentages make week four a very long day.
What are the pros and cons of Candito?
What we like:
- Six weeks is short. You can see the finish line from the start, and a bad block costs you six weeks, not three months.
- Squat and deadlift get real attention. Heavy lower days twice a week with plenty of variety in rep ranges.
- The upper and lower split. It spreads fatigue in a way that makes sense, and it is easy to plan around.
- It is free. The app version is free on Boostcamp, and no one is upselling you a supplement in week three.
What we don't:
- Bench feels light. Even third party write ups of the program, such as the one on Lift Vault, call bench the weakest part. If bench is your priority, you will probably want more of it.
- It relies on a true max. Every number comes from the max you enter. Enter an ego max and the whole block wobbles.
- The late weeks are hard. Heavy weeks back to back are tough on sleep, stress and joints. Plan the block around a quiet stretch of life if you can.
- Testing every six weeks gets old. Not everyone recovers well from frequent max tests, and not every gym day is a good test day.
What swaps make Candito easier to run?
These are our suggestions, not part of the original program:
- Use a slightly lower max. Starting the block from about 90 to 95% of your true max gives you some room on the heavy weeks. You give up a little in week two and gain a lot in week five.
- Add one bench day of volume. A few extra sets of paused bench or close grip bench on an upper day helps cover the light bench work.
- Keep accessories light. The original notes, as quoted on Lift Vault, describe optional exercises as light, 8 to 12 reps, mostly isolation and picked to fix weak points. Two or three moves you recover from beats six moves you do not.
- Test smart, not wild. Week six is not a dare. Our guide to testing your 1RM walks through warm ups and attempt jumps.
- Rest between blocks if you need it. If you finish week six beat up, take an easy week before you start again. Our deload guide covers how.
Where do chalk and grip matter on Candito?
Deadlift days, and especially the heavy weeks. A slipping grip on a heavy single in week five means a missed lift, and a missed lift in a peaking block feels worse than it should. Chalk every working set of deadlifts, even the 70% sets in week one, so the grip you use on heavy days is the same one you practiced. Our guide to chalking up for deadlifts covers how much and where.
Weighted pull ups and dumbbell rows on upper days also lean on your hands. Chalk there too if your gym allows it. Not every gym does, so check which gyms allow chalk before you start.
What kind of gym do you need for Candito?
A power rack with safeties, a bench, a barbell, enough plates for heavy singles, dumbbells and a pull up bar with a way to add weight. Heavy singles on squat need safety arms set right, and heavy deadlifts go best on a platform. If you plan to test, a gym where someone can spot you, or at least where lifting heavy is normal, makes week six far less stressful.
If your current gym is short on any of that, the Proof of Chalk map and powerlifting gyms near me list gyms with racks, platforms and chalk rules checked against their own sources.
Common questions
Is the Candito 6 Week program good for beginners?
It can work, but most beginners will progress faster on a simple program that adds weight every session. Candito makes more sense once those easy gains slow down and you know your real maxes.
Can you run Candito back to back?
Yes, that is how it is meant to be used. You test in week six, plug in the new maxes and start again. If you finish a block beat up, take an easy week before the next one.
Is Candito good for a powerlifting meet?
It is often used to build up to a meet because the last weeks get heavy and specific. Plan the block so the testing week lines up with the meet, and pick openers you can hit on a bad day.
Does the Candito program have enough bench?
Many lifters think bench is the lightest part of the program. If bench matters most to you, add a little extra bench volume on one upper day.
Where can you get the Candito 6 Week program?
The free app version is on Boostcamp, which runs it in partnership with Jonnie Candito. The original spreadsheet circulated for years, but the PDF on Candito's own site is no longer online.
