Off-Season Engine — Squat + Press
The squat-anchored day of the off-season week. Back squat first, one maintenance-dose press, then a single-leg hinge, calf work and a loaded carry paired with a dead bug.
Estimated session
- Movements 6
- 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 Bar out of the rack, brace, full depth you can hold position through. Warmup sets ramp; working sets are the reference load for the week. 2 warm-up sets first 3 × 10 · rest 2:30 | 3 | 10 | 2:30 |
| 02 | Barbell Bench Press - Medium Grip Maintenance dose. Medium grip, controlled lowering, two reps in reserve on every set. This movement does not progress across the block. 1 warm-up set first 2 × 8 · rest 2 min | 2 | 8 | 2 min |
| 03 | Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift Run it single-leg: one dumbbell in the hand opposite the standing leg, trailing leg back for balance, hips square. Reps are per side. 3 × 10 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 10 | 1:30 |
| 04 | Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise Knees straight, ball of the foot on a plate or a stair edge if you have one. Two-second pause in the stretch, three seconds lowering. 3 × 12 · rest 45s | 3 | 12 | 45s |
| 05 | Suitcase Carry One heavy dumbbell, shoulders level, no lean away from the load. Duration is per side. Walk it, or march in place if space is short. 2 × 40s · rest 30s | 2 | 40s | 30s |
| 06 | Dead Bug Low back flat to the floor the whole time. Slow opposite arm and leg, exhale on the reach. Reps are per side. 2 × 8 · rest 30s | 2 | 8 | 30s |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Squat first while the legs are fresh; the press is second and never progresses. Single-leg hinge reps are per side, dumbbell in the hand opposite the standing leg. Superset the carry with the dead bug, thirty seconds between. Swaps with load cues: if sport volume is peaking or the squat aggravates, run it as a leg press at matched reps and RPE, or a goblet squat to a depth you own. The suitcase carry is the equal-status anti-rotation default; a cable Pallof press only if you have a stack, and the hinge and the carry both run equally well off a kettlebell. Sets, reps and RPE printed here are the phase-one baseline — the current week's coaching instructions override them, including the fourth working set in the force block and the explosive singles added in the speed block.
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 Off-Season Engine — Squat + Press template?
Squat first while the legs are fresh; the press is second and never progresses. 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 Off-Season Engine — Squat + Press, and how long does it take?
Off-Season Engine — Squat + Press runs 6 movements and about 15 working sets, roughly 56 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 Squat + Press version different?
Off-Season Engine — Squat + Press is the squat + press 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
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