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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

Starting a program midweek

Activation always starts on your current local date; it is not scheduled for a future Monday. If you activate from Tuesday through Sunday and the program has a linked routine, verxion first previews every date remaining through Sunday. For each date, choose an eligible workout or explicit rest. The agent then shows the complete week-zero proposal and waits for your confirmation.

Once confirmed, the program, linked routine, and linked diet plan activate together in one coordinated action. Do not activate the routine separately. The following Monday starts periodization week 1 and the routine’s regular weekly cycle.

Week-zero training adherence is measured against the workouts in the current effective dated plan, not the routine’s normal weekly target. Rest dates do not enter the denominator. An all-rest week zero is not evaluated, never reported as 100% adherence. Confirmed plan edits and time off can change the effective denominator before the partial week closes.

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.

A deload is still part of the active program: its lighter sessions remain planned and evaluated. If you need every goal to stop counting for several dates instead, use Time off.

Programs during time off

Time off freezes the program’s active clock, including its current mesocycle, while keeping the program and routines intact. When you return, the program continues without turning sessions from the protected dates into missed-work debt.

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.