Heavy First — Short-Rest Lower
The third lower template. Rest collapses to ninety seconds and the reps move to ten and twelve, with the leg press taking over the bulk of the quad work from the barbell.
Estimated session
- Movements 7
- Loads Coach-filled
- Progresses Every session
Every movement, in order
Each lift with its working sets and target, in the order you run them. The coach sets the loads from your training and moves them up as the work gets easier.
| Order | Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Barbell Squat Protected slot — two minutes of rest and RPE 8, not 8.5. Depth and bar path stay exactly as they were in week one. Log the load. 1 warm-up set first 3 × 10 · rest 2 min | 3 | 10 | 2 min |
| 02 | Leg Press The session's main quad driver now. Twelve controlled reps, no lockout, no bouncing out of the bottom. 3 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 03 | Romanian Deadlift Ten reps at a load you can finish with a flat back on the last rep. Anchor lift — log it, and end the set on the first rounded rep. 3 × 10 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 10 | 1:30 |
| 04 | Lying Leg Curls Hips flat, squeeze at full shortening, three-count return. 3 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 05 | Split Squat with Dumbbells Twelve per leg, rear foot elevated, upright-ish torso. Complete both legs before the rest clock starts. 2 × 12 · rest 1:30 | 2 | 12 | 1:30 |
| 06 | Standing Calf Raises Fifteen slow reps, full stretch, one-count hold at the top. 3 × 15 · rest 1 min | 3 | 15 | 1 min |
| 07 | Plank Sixty seconds, hips level. End the set on the sag, not the clock. 2 × 1:00 · rest 45s | 2 | 1:00 | 45s |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Written order, no supersets — set a ninety-second timer and start each set on it. The squat is the one protected slot: 120 seconds and RPE 8, because high-rep squatting under compressed rest is where knees go. End a set if bar speed collapses. Equipment swaps. No leg press: the split squat absorbs its sets — five sets of 12 per leg total, not in addition. No lying leg curl: Romanian deadlift back-off, two sets of 15 at 50 percent. No calf machine: standing dumbbell calf raise, same reps.
Every workout
The coach reads your log, tunes the loads and volume to where you are today, and tells you when to add weight.
Programs that use this template
This session is scheduled across a week and progressed over the mesocycle in the programs below.
Common questions
The facts most people check before they drop this session into a week.
01When should I use the Heavy First — Short-Rest Lower template?
Written order, no supersets — set a ninety-second timer and start each set on it. Add it to your week in Squatly and the coach schedules it, sets the loads from your training, and tells you when to move up.
02How many working sets is Heavy First — Short-Rest Lower, and how long does it take?
Heavy First — Short-Rest Lower runs 7 movements and about 19 working sets, roughly 70 minutes once warm-ups are in. The full per-exercise scheme — sets, reps or RPE, and rest — is in the session table above.
03What makes the Short-Rest Lower version different?
Heavy First — Short-Rest Lower is the short-rest lower cut of this family — same method, but the movement order, set scheme, and emphasis are tuned for it. The session table shows exactly what changes; the coach sets the loads and drives the progression either way.
Built on the Squatly method
Every set count, rep target, and rest period here comes from how the coach weighs volume, intensity, and fatigue. See where the numbers come from.
Read the methodVolume, intensity, and fatigue — read per lift, every session.
Last updated: June 2026
Keep moving forward.
Add this template to your week. The coach reads your training, sets the loads, and tells you when to push.
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Aleks · Coach
Proposal — add weight