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Programs & mesocycles

Periodize your training with programs that span weeks and phases.

Routines are weekly plans. Programs are longer arcs — periodized blocks that string routines together across weeks or months, with phases and deloads built in.

See concepts for the difference between routine, program, and mesocycle.

When you need a program

You don’t need a program for casual training. You need one when:

  • You’re peaking for a competition or test week
  • You’re running a block-periodization model (hypertrophy → strength → peaking)
  • You want deloads scheduled automatically, not improvised
  • You want to track progress across phases, not just weeks

Creating a program

"Create a 12-week strength program with 3 phases: hypertrophy, strength, peaking"
"Build a 6-month program for a powerlifting meet"

verxion structures the phases, picks reasonable rep ranges per phase, and inserts deload weeks at the right cadence. You can edit the structure afterward.

→ Recipe: Activate a program

Phases and mesocycles

Each phase is a mesocycle — typically 3-6 weeks with a coherent focus. Within a mesocycle, weeks progress in intensity or volume, then a deload caps the block before the next mesocycle starts.

A program tracks which mesocycle and which week you’re in. Set logs feed both your weekly trend and your program-wide trend.

Deloads

Deloads are planned reductions in training stress. verxion marks deload weeks in your program automatically — when you start a session during a deload, it suggests appropriate weights (typically 50-60% of your normal working weight) and lower volume.

Deloads are logged but excluded from PR detection and intensity trend lines — they’re recovery, not regression.

Switching programs

Only one program can be active at a time. To switch:

  1. End the active program (or let it complete naturally)
  2. Activate the new one

Past programs are archived with their full history — you can review them at any time.

→ Recipe: End a program

Programs vs routines — when to use which

  • Just routines: ongoing training without a clear arc, recreational lifting, when you change your mind often
  • Programs: prep for a specific goal (meet, test, season), structured progression, multi-month plans

You can always start with routines and graduate to a program when you have a goal that demands one.