Tight Window — Lower A
The squat-led lower session. Four pairs — dumbbell squat with a leg curl, split squat with a stiff-legged deadlift, extension with a single-leg bridge, calves with trunk. Two sets each, about twenty-nine minutes.
Estimated session
- Movements 8
- 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 | Dumbbell Squat Dumbbells at the sides, chest tall, sit between the hips. One ramping warmup, then two working sets. This and the leg curl are the named quad/hamstring pair the block adds a third round to first. 1 warm-up set first 2 × 10 · rest 15s | 2 | 10 | 15s |
| 02 | Lying Leg Curls Hips flat, curl to full knee flexion, lower over two seconds. No machine — keep the knee flexion: a stability-ball leg curl if you own a ball, otherwise a towel or slider curl on a smooth floor, same reps. Do not substitute a bridge here; superset 3 already covers hip extension. 2 × 12 · rest 1:15 | 2 | 12 | 1:15 |
| 03 | Split Squat with Dumbbells Rear foot on the bench, torso slightly forward, front hip loaded. Both sides inside one set — left, then right, then straight to the hinge. 2 × 10 · rest 15s | 2 | 10 | 15s |
| 04 | Stiff-Legged Dumbbell Deadlift Knees fixed and softly bent, dumbbells tracking the shins. The bottom is where the hamstrings stop lengthening, not the floor. Paired with the split squat because the two share load but not a limiter. 2 × 10 · rest 1:15 | 2 | 10 | 1:15 |
| 05 | Leg Extensions Two-second squeeze at lockout, controlled return. No machine — a goblet squat with the heels raised on a plate or book and a three-second lower, same reps. Not a step-up; that is Lower B's movement. 2 × 15 · rest 15s | 2 | 15 | 15s |
| 06 | Single Leg Glute Bridge Shoulders on the floor, one foot planted, drive through the heel and hold a beat at the top. Both sides inside one set. 2 × 12 · rest 1:15 | 2 | 12 | 1:15 |
| 07 | Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise Balls of the feet on a plate or step if you have one, full stretch at the bottom, two-second hold at the top. Floor is acceptable — pause longer to replace the missing range. 2 × 15 · rest 15s | 2 | 15 | 15s |
| 08 | Cable Crunch Kneeling, rope at the head, flex from the ribs and not the hips. No cable stack — dead bug, ten slow reps per side. Calves and trunk are the named pair the block adds a third round to last. 2 × 15 · rest 1 min | 2 | 15 | 1 min |
The coach sets the loads and moves them up — these are the schemes
When to reach for this template
Run in numbered pairs: set of the first movement, ~15s to change implements, set of the second, then the listed rest before the pair repeats — never rest between the halves. Count both sides of a unilateral movement inside one set. Baseline effort is two reps in reserve, the RPE 8 in the set data. When the week tightens a pair's LEAD movement to one rep in reserve, that set reads RPE 9 and its partner stays at RPE 8; nothing here exceeds RPE 9. Substitute at matched reps and matched reps in reserve.
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 Tight Window — Lower A template?
Run in numbered pairs: set of the first movement, ~15s to change implements, set of the second, then the listed rest before the pair repeats — never rest between the halves. 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 Tight Window — Lower A, and how long does it take?
Tight Window — Lower A runs 8 movements and about 16 working sets, roughly 51 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 Lower A version different?
Tight Window — Lower A is the lower a 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