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In short
Missed reps at the same weight in two workouts in a row are the sign to act.
Intermediate plans spread the hard and easy work across the week, a cycle or a block.
Pick the next plan by the days you can train and how you want to progress.
How do you know your beginner gains have slowed?
Missing reps in one workout is a bad day, not a stall. Missing reps at the same weight in two workouts in a row is the sign to act.
Look at each lift on its own. A stall can hit one lift and leave the others moving. Change the plan for that lift only.
Check your sleep first, because squatting three times a week is hard to recover from. For a stall on any plan, see the plateau guide below.
What changes on an intermediate plan?
A beginner plan raises the weight a little at a time, most weeks. Intermediate plans split the hard and easy work across the week, the cycle or the block. Weight still rises over the block.
- Texas Method. One volume day, one recovery day and one intensity day, with the heaviest set rising each week.
- 5/3/1. A four-week cycle with small increases from one cycle to the next.
- Candito 6 Week. A six-week block that moves from volume to a peak, then starts again with new maxes.
- The Bridge. An eight-week step where RPE sets the weight of each top single.
Expect slower gains than in your first months. The plans trade quick wins for steady work over a block.
Which plan fits you?
- You train three days a week and recover well. Try the Texas Method.
- You want one plan to run for months, on three or four days a week. Try 5/3/1.
- You can train five days a week early on and want a short block that builds to a heavy double or single. Try Candito 6 Week.
- You want to learn how to load by RPE. Try The Bridge.
Pick the schedule you can repeat every week. A plan you skip half of is hard to judge.
Should you try a smaller step first?
Sometimes. If you are still adding weight on two of your three lifts, keep linear progression going on those and use smaller jumps.
If every lift has stalled and sleep is in order, move on. A new plan is the next step.
How do you start the new plan well?
Start from recent sets, not an old personal best. Use the sets you did to a consistent standard in your last few weeks.
Expect the first weeks to feel easy. The Texas Method starts well below your max.
If week 1 of Candito 6 Week feels far too easy, run linear progression first.
Take the deload week when the plan has one. Do not turn it into a test.