- Level
- Intermediate
- Block lengths
- 8 weeks
- Training
- 3 days a week
- Session length
- 70 to 75 min
In short
The Bridge is Barbell Medicine's eight-week step for lifters who finished a beginner program, with RPE setting each top single. A session takes about 70 to 75 minutes, including warm-ups and accessories.
How the weeks change
Set counts swing from week to week while the heaviest single climbs, and week 8 eases off on volume.
A typical week
Each session pairs a top single with back-off sets and one volume lift, with accessories on top.
Mon Squat Top Single + Bench Volume
- Competition Squat 1×1 · 92% · RPE 8
- Competition Squat (Back-Off) 3×5 · 78% · RPE 7
- Competition Bench Press 3×8 · 71% · RPE 7
+ 3 accessories
Wed Deadlift Top Single + Paused Bench
- Competition Deadlift 1×1 · 92% · RPE 8
- Competition Deadlift (Back-Off) 3×5 · 78% · RPE 7
- Pause Bench Press 3×5 · 74% · RPE 7
+ 3 accessories
Fri Bench Top Single + Squat Technique
- Competition Bench Press 1×1 · 92% · RPE 8
- Competition Bench Press (Back-Off) 3×5 · 78% · RPE 7
- Tempo Squat 3×8 · 60% · RPE 7
+ 3 accessories
Loads are a percentage of your starting max on that lift.
What you can expect
The hardest part is choosing the weights, so expect the first week or two to go to calibration. Some sets will be too heavy and some too light before RPE 8 starts to feel familiar. The top single creeps up across the block while set counts swing from week to week. In weeks 5 to 7 the back-off sets drop to fours and triples at a higher RPE, and stalls become more likely. Week 8 has the fewest sets of the block, so you recover with the top single held steady.
Best for
Anyone who has finished a beginner barbell program and wants to learn RPE-based loading, with the patience to calibrate.
What to be careful about
- Rating RPE. Rate each set by reps left in the tank, not by bar speed alone. A slow rep is not automatically an RPE 9.
- Bad days. The load follows the day. On a flat day you take weight off the bar and still count the session.
- Late fatigue. Weeks 5 to 7 repeat the set counts of weeks 1 to 3 while the top single gets heavier. Expect to take weight off the bar to stay at the target RPE, so logging every set matters more here.