Buloke Barbell Club

Top Sets and Back-Off Sets

As the weights continue to increase, there comes a point where doing all 3 sets of 5 at the same weight reaches its limit.

For the squat, the next step can be to separate the heaviest work from the work that follows it. Instead of 3×5 across, you perform 1×5×100kg, followed by 2×5×90kg.

These lighter sets are your back-off sets, and they should stay approximately 10% below the top set. That separation matters. As the top set increases, the back-offs don’t necessarily need to increase with it and may stay at the same weight for a couple of sessions.

The light squat day is then calculated from the back-off sets rather than the top set.

The same approach can be used with the bench press. One top set of 5 is followed by back-off work at approximately 90%, allowing the heaviest work and the work that follows it to be loaded differently.

For women, the structure is slightly different. Squats can progress to two top sets of 3 followed by 3×3 back-offs, initially around 10% lighter. If those back-offs are too easy, the reduction can be closer to 7–8%. For the bench press, a smaller reduction of around 5–8% can be used.

The key idea is simple: not every work set has to be performed at the same weight. Top sets allow heavier weights to be handled, while back-off sets provide the work that follows at a lower load.

In Part 5, we’ll look at what happens when sets of 5 reach their limit and the program begins moving towards lower-rep work.

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🎥 Using top sets and back-offs and unsure whether your loading is right? Send me your numbers or a training video and I’ll happily take a look.
📧 Want help managing your training as it progresses? Email [email protected] to find out more about coaching.

The First Change: A Light Squat Day

At the beginning of the Novice Linear Progression, heavy squats are performed three times per week for 3 sets of 5. As the weight gets heavier, those sessions create more stress and eventually recovering within the 48 hours between workouts becomes difficult.

This is where a light squat day can become useful.

For men, the middle session of the week becomes the light day. The squat stays at 3 sets of 5, but the weight is reduced to approximately 80% of the previous heavy day. This creates some relief in the middle of the week and gives the lifter more time to recover between the two heavy squat sessions.

For women, the progression can look a little different. Rather than immediately introducing a light day, the first change may be moving from 3 sets of 5 to 5 sets of 3. The total number of reps stays at 15, but the heavier sets of 3 provide the stress needed to continue progressing.

A light squat day may be introduced later if it becomes necessary. When it is, a 20% reduction can be too much, so starting closer to a 15% reduction is recommended.

The important thing is that a light day has a specific job. It isn’t an easy session added for the sake of having one. It reduces the stress of the middle workout when three heavy squat sessions can no longer be recovered from effectively.

For men, that may mean Heavy – Light – Heavy with the light day at around 80%. For women, the move to 5×3 may come first, with a light day introduced only when it’s actually needed.

In Part 4, we’ll look at the next squat adjustment: top sets and back-off sets.

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🎥 Finding it harder to recover between your squat sessions? Send me a video and I’ll happily take a look.
📧 Want help managing your training as your squats get heavier? Email [email protected] to find out more about coaching.

When 3×5 Stops Working

The Novice Linear Progression is simple, but knowing when to change it is where things can go wrong.

Eventually, you’ll reach a point where you miss a rep. The mistake is assuming that one failed rep means 3×5 has run its course and immediately changing the program.

Before making any programming change, first make sure there isn’t another reason for the missed rep. Sometimes the problem is technique rather than programming. The press is a good example. Letting the wrists flop back, dropping the elbows or pushing the bar out in front can all cause missed reps, so give yourself the chance to correct those errors before changing the program.

If there is something obvious to correct, correct it first. If those issues have been addressed and you’re still missing reps, then it may be time to move to the next phase.

The idea is to make the smallest change necessary to keep progress moving. As a particular set and rep scheme reaches its limit, you adjust the way the work is organised to create room for more weight on the bar. You don’t need to abandon the Novice Linear Progression simply because the original 3×5 can’t continue indefinitely.

There’s no fixed timetable for when these changes should happen either. You might get several weeks from one phase and only a few workouts from another. The training itself determines when it’s time to move on.

That’s the balance: don’t change a program that is still working, but don’t keep forcing a phase once it has reached its limit.

In Part 3, we’ll look at one of the first adjustments that can keep the squat moving: introducing a light squat day.

👍 Follow Buloke Barbell Club on Facebook and find me on Instagram at .
🎥 Missing reps and unsure whether your technique or programming needs attention? Send me a video and I’ll happily take a look.
📧 Want help making the right programming changes as your training progresses? Email [email protected] to find out more about coaching.

What Does the Starting Strength Novice Program Look Like?

The Starting Strength Novice Linear Progression starts simple.

You train three days per week, ideally Monday, Wednesday and Friday or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and add weight from one session to the next.

The squat starts with 3 sets of 5, three times per week. The press and bench press also begin with 3 sets of 5, while the deadlift starts with one heavy set of 5.

But here’s the important part: the program isn’t supposed to stay exactly like that forever.

As you get stronger, the weights become harder to recover from and eventually the original sets, reps and frequency begin to reach their limits. Rather than abandoning the program or making drastic changes, small adjustments can keep progress moving.

Think of it like changing gears in a car. When you run out of room in one gear, you shift into the next one and keep going.

That might mean introducing a light day, changing the sets and reps, using top sets and back-offs, or changing how often you pull heavy.

Knowing when to make those changes — and when not to — is a big part of running a successful Novice Linear Progression.

That’s what we’ll look at over the next six posts.

👍 Follow Buloke Barbell Club on Facebook and find me on Instagram at .
🎥 Following the Novice Linear Progression and unsure whether your program needs to change? Send me a video and I’ll happily take a look.
📧 Want help running your program properly? Email [email protected] to find out more about coaching.

Training Fits Around Life

Last week I didn’t train at all.

We were on the Isle of Ulva with family, eating amazing food, walking all over the island, exploring Mull, kayaking, and just enjoying being together.

Training matters to me, but it isn’t the only thing that matters. Family, travel, holidays and time away are part of life. Missing a week in the gym doesn’t undo months or years of training.

When I got back, the first session felt tough. I repeated the weights from my last workout before the trip and reset a few exercises by about 5%. Nothing complicated. Just a sensible first session back and a chance to see where I was.

By the second workout, I felt much more settled into training again.

Then I squatted 180kg for 5, which was a new 5RM PR.

That’s a good reminder that a short break doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve lost strength. Sometimes a week away, with more food, more rest and a mental break from training, can leave you in a pretty good place when you return.

The important thing is how you come back.

You don’t need to make up for missed sessions. You don’t need to punish yourself with extra work. And you don’t need to assume you’ve gone backwards because the first workout feels harder than expected.

Get back in the gym, make sensible adjustments if needed, and let training settle back into its normal rhythm.

I had a brilliant week with family, came home, got back under the bar, and a few days later hit a PR.

That’s a pretty good reminder that training should support your life, not compete with it.

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🏋️ If you’re ready to stop guessing and start getting stronger, I’d love to help.

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The Secret Isn’t Variety

The entire purpose of the Starting Strength Novice Program is simple:

Add a little more weight to the bar than you did last workout.

If the weight goes up, your strength has gone up too.

That’s why beginners don’t need endless exercise variation.

They need to perform the same basic lifts with good technique, recover well, and gradually increase the weight over time.

Strength isn’t built by doing something different every week.

It’s built by doing the right things consistently, adding a little more weight to the bar, and repeating the process.

👍 Follow Buloke Barbell Club on Facebook and find me on Instagram at .🎥 Not sure if you’re ready to add more weight? Send me a video of your work set and I’ll happily provide some feedback.
📧 Ready to get stronger? Email [email protected] to find out more about coaching.