An advanced 5-day gym athletic performance program. Heavy strength work, explosive speed days, and targeted accessories build elite power, speed, and athletic resilience.
If you are an advanced athlete or sports performer who wants to push the limits of human physical capability, the Advanced Athletic Performance Gym - 4-Day Upper/Lower is the most sophisticated program in our library. This block uses advanced loading principles—accommodating resistance, contrast training, and conjugate periodization—to maximize power output, sport-specific strength, and peak athletic conditioning.
The 55-minute, 4-day split is divided into Lower A (Power), Upper A, Lower B (Strength), and Upper B. Lower A features heavy Back Squats, Box Jumps, Deadlift variations, Plyometric Lunges, and Pallof Press. Upper A includes Barbell Bench, Plyometric Push-Ups, Barbell Row, Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown, and Face Pull. Lower B adds Deadlifts, Bulgarian Split Squats, Single-Leg RDLs, Hip Thrusts, and Ab Wheel Rollouts. Upper B includes Barbell OHP, Barbell Row, Incline Bench, Seated Cable Row, Lateral Raise, and Skull Crushers.
The backbone of this program is contrast training—alternating between a heavy strength movement and an explosive plyometric movement to maximize the PAP (Post-Activation Potentiation) effect. Research shows that combining heavy loading with explosive work in the same session creates a superior stimulus for developing the rate of force development that separates elite athletes from the rest.
Over the eight weeks, you will reach a peak of physical performance. Your vertical jump, sprint speed, and overall power output will reach career highs. Your physique will reflect the extreme demands of this program—you will be simultaneously strong, explosive, and lean.
This 8-week block is reserved for the advanced athlete with years of training experience, excellent technique on all major barbell lifts, and a proven ability to recover from high-intensity sessions.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 5 × 3 | 180s |
| Barbell Overhead Press | 4 × 4 | 180s |
| Barbell Row | 4 × 5 | 90s |
| Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 × 8 | 90s |
| Cable Lateral Raise (Cross-Body) | 3 × 12 | 90s |
| Banded Face Pull | 3 × 15 | 90s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 5 × 3 | 180s |
| Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8 | 90s |
| Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 × 8 per side | 90s |
| Leg Curls | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Smith Machine Hip Thrust | 3 × 15 | 90s |
| Standing Pallof Press March | 3 × 12 per side | 90s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Push Press | 4 × 5 | 180s |
| Incline Bench Press | 3 × 8 | 90s |
| Cable Chest Fly | 3 × 12 | 90s |
| Cable Lateral Raise (Cross-Body) | 3 × 15 | 90s |
| Skull Crushers | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Rope pushdown | 3 × 12 | 90s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Romanian Deadlift | 4 × 3 | 180s |
| Barbell Row | 4 × 4 | 90s |
| Seated Cable Row Wide Grip | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown | 3 × 10 | 90s |
| Hammer Curl | 3 × 12 | 90s |
| Banded Face Pull | 3 × 20 | 90s |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Hack Squat | 4 × 8 | 180s |
| Walking Lunges (Slow Tempo) | 4 × 12 per side | 90s |
| Single Leg Extension | 3 × 15 | 90s |
| Leg Curls | 3 × 12 | 90s |
| Smith Machine Hip Thrust | 4 × 15 | 90s |
| Ab Wheel Rollout | 3 × 12 | 90s |
The Athletic Performance Gym 5-Day Advanced plan is 5 days a week, with sessions of about 55 minutes, over 8 weeks.
The Athletic Performance Gym 5-Day Advanced plan uses a barbell, a cable machine and gym machines.
The Athletic Performance Gym 5-Day Advanced plan is an advanced plan for experienced lifters. If you are new to training, start with a beginner plan first.
Yes. The full plan is free to read here and to follow in the StayActive app, with no subscription and no ads.
Conjugate periodization is a training method that develops multiple physical qualities simultaneously, rather than focusing on just one quality at a time. This program develops both maximum strength and explosive power in the same week, mimicking how the Soviet-era weightlifting teams programmed. It is highly effective for advanced athletes who need to be strong, fast, and explosive all at once.
Rate of force development (RFD) is measured by how quickly you can apply maximum force. The simplest proxy test is a vertical jump—the higher you jump, the higher your RFD. Test your vertical at the start and end of the program to quantify your improvement.
The PAP contrast works best when the plyometric movement follows the heavy lift after a 2-4 minute rest. The plyometric sets should be performed with maximum explosiveness—never with fatigue accumulated from the heavy work. If you are too tired to explode, extend the rest before the jumps.
This program is best used in an off-season or pre-season block. During a competitive season, your sport-specific practice already provides a high training load, and adding this volume could lead to overtraining. Use the base and intermediate programs during a season and save the advanced block for the off-season.
This structure is worst for anyone who has not spent years mastering the barbell squat and deadlift. The heavy loading combined with explosive plyometrics is a high-risk, high-reward combination that requires flawless technical execution. If your form breaks down under pressure, this program will lead to injury, not improvement.
A deload during this program means reducing your total training volume by 50% and the loading by 20-30% for one week. You still move explosively and maintain the movement patterns, but you allow your nervous system and connective tissue to fully recover. A structured deload every 4 weeks prevents chronic fatigue from building.
Near-maximal loads on power days require thorough CNS warm-up. Do not rush into top sets.
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