Undulating periodization: changing the load across the week

An undulating week by the numbers

Undulating periodization is a way of planning in which the rep range and load of the same exercise change from session to session or from week to week, for example 8, 6 and 4 reps across three sessions a week. It's one of the three main models of training periodization, alongside linear and block.

Daily vs weekly undulating periodization

Daily undulating periodization (DUP) changes the rep range every session, while weekly undulating periodization (WUP) keeps one range for the whole week and changes it the next. Another name for both is nonlinear periodization. Weekly undulating is the option for exercises you do once a week, but it has little research behind it: in a 9-week study linear, daily and weekly undulating gave similar strength (Buford et al. 2007), and in a 12-week study linear gave more strength than weekly undulating (Apel et al. 2011).

Who gets more strength from undulating periodization

Undulating periodization doesn't build more muscle than a fixed rep range or the linear model. It may give a little more strength in an exercise you do 2-3 times a week, if you've been training for more than a year.

In a meta-analysis of volume-equated studies, muscle grew the same as with the linear model, and undulating gave more strength only to trained lifters (Moesgaard et al. 2022). Two other meta-analyses found no difference in strength, and the newer of them found none in trained lifters either.

Undulating takes more work: three weights and three progressions instead of one, and each range comes back once a week, so each day progresses more slowly than a fixed range done 3 times a week.

Muscle growth depends on the number of weekly sets, not on undulating the ranges. Three days of 3 squat sets make 9 weekly sets for the quads and glutes, the upper part of MEV, the same as 3 × 8-10 on each of those days without undulating. You can count your week in the sets per muscle group calculator.

How to set up an undulating week step by step

1. Pick 1-2 exercises you do 2-3 times a week, e.g. Barbell Squat and Barbell Bench Press; leave the rest of the plan as it is.
2. Give each day a different rep range: 8-10, 6-8 and 4-6, or 10-12 and 5-6 with two sessions of the exercise a week.
3. Set the same effort target for all days: RIR 2, and RIR 3 in the first week.
4. Work out each day's weight from a recent set in the plan weight mode of the 1RM calculator.
5. Do the 4-6 rep day when you're rested: on Friday when Wednesday is lighter (variant below), or on Monday when you run out of energy by Friday.
6. Progress each day separately: add reps up to the top of the range, then 2.5 kg (two 1.25 kg plates), and compare Monday with Monday.

In 18 powerlifters, a strength day placed after a power day (fast reps, not to failure) gave more tonnage and a bigger bench press 1RM gain than one placed after a hypertrophy day (Zourdos et al. 2016). When trained men chose the order of the days themselves, results were similar to a fixed order (Colquhoun et al. 2017), so treat the order as flexible.

Undulating periodization examples in kg

In this example, the lifter has an estimated 1RM of 100 kg in the barbell squat and 80 kg in the barbell bench press. The weights are chosen so that you reach the bottom of the range at RIR 2, and rest is 3 minutes.

Once you get 3 × 10 at RIR 2 on Monday, add 2.5 kg the next Monday and go back to 8 reps; Wednesday and Friday progress at their own pace.

If you prefer a lighter midweek, do 5 × 3 with 70 kg in the squat and 55 kg in the bench press on Wednesday instead of 3 × 6-8, driving the bar up fast and staying far from failure. Sets like these do little for muscle, so for size add 1 set each on Monday and Friday.

In the weekly version, the same lifter squats 3 × 8-10 in week 1, 3 × 6-8 in week 2 and 3 × 4-6 in week 3, with the weights from the table, then starts over. With one squat session a week, do 4-5 sets instead of 3 to stay in MEV.

To combine undulating with linear, take 1 rep off each day every 2 weeks and add weight. That's how lifters trained in an 8-week study: from 8, 6 and 4 reps at RPE 6-8 in week 2 to 6, 4 and 2 at RPE 8-10 in week 6 (Helms et al. 2018).

Which exercises to undulate

You use undulating periodization for exercises you do 2-3 times a week; with a barbell you undulate weight and reps, with dumbbells and cables mostly reps.

Undulating vs linear and block periodization

Undulating periodization changes the rep range every session or every week, linear every few weeks, and block periodization with each new block, where every block has a single goal.

Common mistakes

1. Same weight on all days. With a 1RM of 100 kg, a set of 4 with 75 kg leaves more than 4 reps in reserve, so the heavy day stops being heavy. Work out each day's weight separately.
2. Comparing different days. Monday's 75 kg for 8 reps after Friday's 82.5 kg for 4 is the same strength level, not a drop in form. Compare a day with the same day, or the estimated 1RM from sets at the same RIR.
3. Every day to failure. In a study of an undulating week, most sets ended 3-4 reps short of failure, and strength and muscle still went up (Helms et al. 2018). Stay at RIR 2; go closer to failure, to RIR 0-1, at most in the last weeks of the block and in sets of 2-4 reps.
4. Undulating without adding weight. Changing ranges alone doesn't replace progression: according to the ACSM 2026 position stand, when the load is progressed, periodization isn't clearly better than a fixed plan. Give each day its own progression, as in step 6 of the setup above.

What the research says

The certainty ratings in the claims table are our assessment.

Whether undulating builds more muscle in people who have trained for years is unknown, because the muscle studies included almost only untrained people.

What SmartWorkout logs show

Most of these plans change only the reps between days and keep the effort target, as in the example above. Every number is based on at least 50 people.

How to set up undulating periodization in SmartWorkout

You set up undulating periodization in SmartWorkout in the plan creator: you add the same exercise to several workouts of the week and give each one a different rep range.

1. On the Workout tab, next to “My Plans”, tap “See All”, then “+” and “Create new plan”.
2. Tap “Select load indicator” and choose RIR for the whole plan.
3. Tap “Add Block” and “Create mesocycle”, and choose 3 under “Number of units”.
4. On the “Define Microcycle” screen, choose “Number of weeks”, e.g. 6, and add the same exercises to each unit with a different range: 3 × 8-10, 3 × 6-8 and 3 × 4-6, RIR 2 everywhere.
5. On the “Define Mesocycle” screen each week has its own tab: set RIR 3 in week 1, cut the sets and raise the RIR in the last week (deload), then tap “Save”.

The creator doesn't raise weights from week to week, so on each day you add reps up to the top of the range yourself, then 2.5 kg.

The estimated 1RM next to every set lets you compare 75 kg for 8 with 82.5 kg for 4 at the same RIR.

With Premium, you know what to do at your next workout: add a rep, add weight or stay at your current target.

You can also paste an undulating week through plan import (the same “+”, then “Import plan”) and check it in the preview. Import costs 10 AI credits, so the welcome credits cover it. Then add the rest of the workout to each day.

The warm-up sets calculator works out your warm-up weights.

DAY: Monday- Barbell Squat | WU 2x5 | 3x8-10 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180- Barbell Bench Press | WU 2x5 | 3x8-10 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180DAY: Wednesday- Barbell Squat | WU 2x5 | 3x6-8 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180- Barbell Bench Press | WU 2x5 | 3x6-8 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180DAY: Friday- Barbell Squat | WU 3x3 | 3x4-6 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180- Barbell Bench Press | WU 3x3 | 3x4-6 RIR 2 | TEMPO 20X0 | REST 180

The help article on the plan creator explains how blocks, weeks and the mesocycle generator work.