Oxblood Barbell — Program Builder Guide

01

Program Structure

Every program follows a fixed hierarchy. The app enforces this structure. Build it correctly from the start and you won't need to recalculate anything by hand.

Glossary

TM (Training Max): The reference weight used to calculate percentage-based loads. Typically set to around 90% of your 1RM. When your TM goes up, all percentage-based weights for that exercise recalculate automatically.
AMRAP: As Many Reps As Possible. A max-effort set taken to technical failure. Marking a set as AMRAP can trigger bonus progression and generate a 1RM estimate.
RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion, on a 1-10 scale. RPE 10 is a maximal effort. Each number corresponds to reps in reserve: RPE 9 means 1 rep left in the tank, RPE 8 means 2 reps left.

L0 Program Top-level container. Example: "Meet Prep Q3"

L1 Block A training phase. Example: "Hypertrophy Block" or "Strength Block"

L2 Week A microcycle. Example: "Week 1" or "Deload Week"

L3 Day A training session. Example: "Lower Body" or "ME Upper"

L4 Exercise A movement with sets, reps, weight, and one progression rule

Exercise formats

Cardio and Distance: Exercises can use Time (duration), Distance, or intensity variables (Watts, Resistance, Incline) instead of standard reps. Each format has its own progression fields.
Unilateral Mode: Set exercises to Bilateral (both sides), Alternating, Left Only, or Right Only. This affects how the app counts sets and calculates volume.
Bodyweight: Removes the weight field entirely. Use for calisthenics, plyometrics, and core work.

Shortcuts worth knowing

Duplicate: Use the duplicate icon on any Day, Week, or Block to copy the full structure. Build one week, duplicate it three times, then adjust percentages per week.
Load from Template: Open the Program Library, pick a template, and tap "USE". It loads into your builder. You can swap exercises and edit sets without starting from scratch.

02

Weight Modes

The Weight Mode tells the app how to read the number you type. Setting this incorrectly is the most common cause of confusion in the builder.

Mode A

Absolute

The number you type is the exact weight on the bar. The app uses it as-is.

Example: Type 100 and you lift 100 kg.
Best for: Accessories, beginner linear progression, any lift not tied to a Training Max.

Mode B — preferred

Percentage

The number you type is a multiplier against your Training Max (TM). The app divides by 100 automatically.

Example: Type 85 with a 200 kg TM and you lift 170 kg.
Rule: Always type whole numbers. Do not type 0.85. The app handles the conversion.
Best for: Periodized programs, peaking blocks, any program where TM progression drives the loading.

Rounding and extra fields

Rounding value: All working weights round to the nearest increment set per exercise. Default is 2.5 kg. Set it to 1 kg for micro-plates or 5 kg for standard gym plates.
Weight Offset: Adds or subtracts a fixed amount after the percentage calculation. Useful for programs like Smolov Jr. where working weights don't land on a clean percentage of TM.
Applies to both modes: Absolute and Percentage weights round the same way after calculation.
Training Max: Percentage mode uses your TM as the reference weight. See Section 03 for how TM advances.

03

Progression Protocols

The progression protocol decides what happens to weight and volume after each session. You assign one protocol per exercise. The app runs the logic automatically every time. To access settings, tap the gear icon next to any exercise. The settings sheet has five sections: Classification, Baseline, Execution, Progression, and Fatigue Management.

Direct progression

Weight increases by a fixed amount each session. Works well for beginners and early intermediates.

Linear Progression Linear

Hit all target sets and reps and the app adds a fixed increment next session (e.g., +2.5 kg). Mark a set as AMRAP and hit extra reps to earn an AMRAP bonus on top of the normal increment. Fail and weight drops by your Failure Penalty percentage (default 10%).
Double Progression Linear

Targets a rep range (e.g., 8-12). Build reps first. Once you hit the upper bound across all sets, the app adds weight next session. AMRAP sets earn an additional bonus on top of the normal increment.
Step Loading Linear

You must succeed at a given weight for N consecutive sessions before the next increment applies. Forces consolidation before moving up.

Percentage cycling

Weights are calculated from your Training Max. The TM itself advances after you complete a wave or block.

Wave Progression Percentage

Cycles through a set of percentages across several weeks (e.g., 65%, 75%, 85%). Complete the wave and the app advances your Training Max, recalculating all loads for the next wave automatically.
Periodized Recommended

Set a start percentage, end percentage, curve type (linear, step, undulating), and number of weeks. The app calculates the exact multiplier for each week and applies it automatically. Best choice for structured peaking blocks.

Stall management

Handles failure recovery or requires multiple successes before moving weight up.

Failure Steps Fallback

A chained fallback system. Define a sequence of rep schemes: e.g., 3x5 → 3x8 → 10x1. Miss a target and the app drops to the next step with a 10% weight reduction. Complete every step and the cycle resets from step 1 with added weight. Exhaust all steps on failure and the sequence wraps back with a weight reduction.

Autoregulated and multi-day

Protocols that read your in-session performance to adjust weight, or rotate loads across multiple days.

APRE Autoregulated

Autoregulated Progressive Resistance Exercise. The app reads your final AMRAP set and adjusts next session's weight from a lookup table. Default APRE-6 table: 0-4 reps gives -2.5 kg, 5-6 reps gives no change, 7-8 reps gives +2.5 kg, 9+ reps gives +5.0 kg. The table is fully editable per exercise. No manual input needed.
AMRAP Feedback Autoregulated

Your AMRAP performance sets next session's weight directly. Hit more reps than the target and weight increases. Hit fewer and weight holds or drops. No lookup table to configure. Simpler than APRE.
DUP (Daily Undulating) Multi-day

Rotates intensity and volume targets across multiple days for the same exercise. Each day is configured separately with its own sets, reps, and intensity modifier. A common setup: Day 1 is heavy with low reps, Day 2 is moderate with high reps, Day 3 is heavy with moderate reps. Tap the DUP button in Progression Settings to add and configure individual days.

04

Training Modifiers

Modifiers add on top of any progression rule. They change how the app interprets load, fatigue, and training quality without altering the underlying protocol.

Resistance profile

Change the resistance curve through the movement.

Accommodating Resistance

Attach bands or chains to an exercise. The app calculates top-end and bottom-end tension values. In Percentage mode, band tension scales with your Training Max as your TM grows, so resistance stays proportional.

Reverse Bands

Bands attached to the top of the rack that reduce load at the bottom of the lift. Configured as a percentage of base weight. Useful for targeting the bottom range of the bench press or squat.

Weight Releasers

Load releasers that detach at the top of the movement, producing an overloaded eccentric. Configured as a percentage of base weight. Used for supramaximal eccentric loading.

Intensity monitoring

Measure how hard a set actually was and adjust accordingly.

Velocity-Based Training

Set a minimum bar velocity in m/s. The app also tracks velocity loss across sets (default 20% threshold). If bar speed drops too much between sets, it flags a technical failure. A second method compares the first vs. last rep of each set. Protects CNS fatigue without relying on RPE estimates. Pro

RPE Targeting

Assign a target RPE to any exercise. Use the RPE Threshold to automatically stop volume if a set exceeds the target exertion level.

Autoregulation

Fill in a pre-workout sheet covering sleep, stress, energy, and soreness. The app reads your readiness score. A score below 2.5/5 automatically reduces sets or weight across the session. No per-exercise decisions needed on low-energy days.

Set structure

Change how individual sets are performed: density techniques, warmup ramps, and rest intervals.

Intra-Set Protocols

Convert standard sets into Rest-Pause, Drop Sets, Myo-Reps, Clusters, or EMOMs. The app structures the micro-rests and volume logging automatically. Clusters use heavy singles or doubles with short intra-set rest. EMOMs perform a set at the start of every minute for a set duration.

Auto-Warmup

Generates 3 ascending warmup sets automatically: 50%, 70%, and 90% of working weight. Toggle per exercise in the gear menu.

Specialized

Advanced protocols for specific training goals.

BFR Occlusion Timer

Set a time limit in seconds for blood flow restriction sets. When the timer ends, the set ends regardless of reps completed. Pro

05

Worked Examples

Three step-by-step configurations for common program types.

Replicating 5/3/1

Structure: Create a 4-Week Block. Add "Squat" to Day 1.
Weight Mode: Set to Percentage. Protocol: Wave. Cycle Increment: 2.5 kg. Session Increment: 0 kg.
Week 1: Three sets at 65, 75, 85. Mark the last set AMRAP.
Weeks 2-3: Duplicate Week 1. Update percentages. Week 2: 70, 80, 90. Week 3: 75, 85, 95.
Week 4 (Deload): Mark as Deload. Set weights to 40, 50, 60.

Result: Complete the 3-week wave and the app adds 2.5 kg to your TM. All percentages for the next cycle recalculate automatically. No manual entry.

12-Week Linear Peaking

Structure: Create a 12-Week Block. Add "Bench Press" to your main day.
Weight Mode: Set to Percentage. Protocol: Periodized.
Config: Curve: Linear. Weeks: 12. Start: 60. End: 95.

Result: No math, no weekly edits. The app increments the multiplier by approximately 0.03 per session, scaling you from 60% to 95% over the block.

APRE Hypertrophy Block

Structure: Add "Dumbbell Row" to your day.
Weight Mode: Set to Absolute. Protocol: APRE.
Sets: Program 3 sets. Mark the 3rd set AMRAP with a target of 6 reps.
APRE table (default): 0-4 reps gives -2.5 kg | 5-6 reps gives no change | 7-8 reps gives +2.5 kg | 9+ reps gives +5.0 kg. The table is fully editable per exercise.

Result: Hit 10 reps and next session adds 5 kg. Stall at 4 reps and load drops 2.5 kg. Neither requires any manual input.

06

Best Practices

Four rules that separate programs that run cleanly in the builder from programs that need constant manual fixes.

Link back-off sets to the parent exercise

Following a heavy single with 5x5 back-offs? Use Link to Main (the UI label for parentExerciseId) and set the back-off weight to 80 in Percentage mode. When the heavy single's TM increases, the back-offs scale with it automatically.
Mark deload weeks. Don't just lower the weights.

Setting a week as Deload tells the app not to count that week as failed sessions. The actual weight and volume reduction is controlled per exercise using Deload Weight Reduction % and Deload Set Reduction in the Fatigue Management section of the gear menu. Manually lowering weights without the deload flag will mislead the app's failure tracking.
Don't manually override your Training Max mid-cycle

If you're running a percentage-based program, let the TM advance on its own schedule. Manually bumping planned weights mid-cycle bypasses the progression rule and creates a mismatch between what the app expects and what you're actually lifting.
Use AMRAP sets to speed up progression

Marking a set as AMRAP adds an AMRAP bonus on top of your normal success increment. Each extra rep beyond the target adds a configured amount of weight to the next session. It gives the app real performance data and can accelerate your Training Max without requiring you to push to a true max.