Ed Coan Peaking Program

What is the Ed Coan peaking program?

Ed Coan is widely regarded as the greatest powerlifter who ever lived, and this is the peaking structure associated with his training, popularised in collaboration with Mark Philippi. It exists in 12 and 14 week versions and is built for one job: arriving at a meet ready to hit a specific number.

The distinguishing feature is that it works backwards. Rather than starting from where you are and seeing where you end up, you decide the max you intend to hit on meet day and the program builds the ladder that gets you there.

How it works

You enter a goal max for each lift, and the spreadsheet generates a week-by-week progression of prescribed weights and reps that climbs toward it. Early weeks are comfortably submaximal with higher reps; as the weeks pass the weights rise and the reps fall.

Main-lift volume is deliberately low - a small number of hard work sets per session rather than extensive accumulation. Supporting work sits around it, but the competition lifts themselves are handled with restraint so that the progression can be sustained for three months.

Choosing your goal max

The whole program hinges on that one number, and it is where most lifters go wrong. Set it too high and the progression outruns you somewhere around week eight, leaving you grinding weights you cannot handle with a month still to run.

The sensible approach is a modest improvement on your current genuine max - the kind of increase you would be pleased with, not the one you daydream about. The program then rewards patience: the early weeks feel too easy precisely because the later weeks will not be.

Who it’s for

This is for intermediate and advanced powerlifters with a meet on the calendar roughly three months out, solid technique, and a realistic sense of their current maxes. It is a classic meet-prep block and is best used as exactly that.

It is not an off-season program - the main-lift volume is too low to build much over the long run - and it is not for beginners, who have no business peaking when simply adding weight every session still works.

Strengths & trade-offs

Strengths: an exceptionally clear structure, a known destination, manageable session volume that leaves room for accessory work, and a long track record behind the most decorated total in the sport.

Trade-offs: it lives or dies on your goal max being realistic, it is rigidly percentage-driven with no autoregulation for bad weeks, and twelve to fourteen weeks is a long commitment to a single plan.

How to run it

Be conservative with your goal maxes - this is the single decision that determines whether the block works. Add your own accessory and weak-point work around the prescribed main lifts; the volume is low enough to accommodate it.

Open the spreadsheet below, pick the 12 or 14 week version to match your meet date, and follow it. If you miss prescribed reps two weeks running, your goal max was too high - adjust it down and continue rather than abandoning the block.

The spreadsheet

Browse the full program below, or open it in Google Sheets to make your own copy and plug in your numbers.

Spreadsheet via LiftVault. If the preview doesn’t load, use “Open in Google Sheets”.

Equipment

This is a barbell program - you don’t need much, but a few pieces make it run smoothly.

Lifting Belt

Gives your core something to brace against, adding stability and lower-back support on heavy squats and deadlifts.

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Knee Sleeves

Add warmth and a little support to the knees, plus a small rebound out of the bottom of the squat.

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Wrist Wraps

Keep the wrist stacked under the bar on heavy bench and overhead pressing, so the joint doesn’t bend back under load.

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Lifting Straps

Secure your grip so heavy pulling and deadlift volume isn’t cut short by your hands giving out first.

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Learn the lifts

New to any of the movements in this program? Our lift guides break down technique, cues and the common mistakes to avoid.