The Cube Method

What Is the Cube Method?

The Cube Method is a 12-week strength program built around three weekly sessions — a Squat Day, a Bench Day, and a Deadlift Day. Each lift cycles through three treatment types in a rotating 3-week wave: Heavy (near-maximal sets), Repetition (volume work at moderate load), and Speed (multiple sets at 60-65% with maximum bar velocity). The cube turns each week.

The method was developed by competitive powerlifter Brandon Lilly and published in 2012. Its central insight is that strength, size, and speed are all required training stimuli — and that rotating the emphasis prevents accommodation better than running the same intensity scheme week after week.

Every training week contains exactly one Heavy session, one Repetition session, and one Speed session, spread across the three training days. No week is entirely heavy. No week is entirely light. The variation is built in by design.

Who Is This Program For?

Experience level: Intermediate lifters who have been training consistently for at least one year. You should be comfortable with the squat, bench, and deadlift at working weights before starting.

Goals: Increase squat, bench press, and deadlift strength using a structured rotating wave. Build work capacity and movement quality alongside raw strength.

Time commitment: Three sessions per week, 60-75 minutes each. Each session focuses on one primary lift with two to three supporting accessories.

The 3-Week Rotation

Each lift rotates through three treatments across the 3-week cycle:

Week	Squat Day	Bench Day	Deadlift Day
A	Heavy	Speed	Repetition
B	Repetition	Heavy	Speed
C	Speed	Repetition	Heavy

Every week of the program contains exactly one Heavy session, one Speed session, and one Repetition session. Squat and Deadlift are never trained on the same day.

How Each Session Type Works

Heavy sessions — Work up to a top set of 3-5 reps at near-maximal effort. Follow with two back-off sets at 80% of the top set weight. Rest 4-5 minutes between heavy sets.

Repetition sessions — Train the lift at moderate weight for sets of 8-10 reps. This is the volume day. Rest 2-3 minutes between sets.

Speed sessions — Six sets of 2-3 reps at 60-65% of your 1RM. The load is intentionally light; bar velocity is the measure. Accelerate through the concentric as hard as possible. Rest 90-120 seconds.

How Progression Works

The Cube uses autoregulation — your heaviest sets are taken to a 3-5RM rather than a fixed percentage. If a lift is moving well on a Heavy day, the weight reflects that. If you are fatigued or technique is breaking down, you stop at a lighter top set and reassess.

After each 3-week cycle, assess your top-set performance. If Heavy days are trending heavier, your training max has moved. Speed session percentages adjust proportionally.

SteelRep tracks your top sets and back-off weights automatically. You log the top set; the app calculates the rest.

Accessories

Each session includes two to three accessory exercises selected to develop the primary lift’s supporting musculature:

Squat Day accessories: Leg curl, front squat (speed weeks), walking lunges (repetition weeks), ab rollout

Bench Day accessories: Close-grip bench press (speed weeks), incline bench press, overhead press (repetition weeks), barbell row, face pulls, cable tricep extension, lat pulldown, lateral raises

Deadlift Day accessories: Romanian deadlift, deficit deadlift (speed weeks), barbell row, pull-ups, face pulls, leg curl

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there no squat on the Deadlift Day? Squats and deadlifts load the same primary movers — lower back, glutes, and hamstrings. Pairing them in the same session means the second lift gets less than full effort regardless of the intended intensity. The Cube assigns each primary lift its own dedicated day to protect session quality.

How heavy should the Heavy day top set be? Work up to the heaviest weight you can handle for 3-5 reps with solid technique. This is not a true maximum attempt — it is a hard working effort. Leave a rep in the tank on most sessions. The back-off sets at 80% should be challenging but completable.

What is the purpose of Speed work? Speed (dynamic effort) work develops rate of force development — how fast you can produce force against the bar. This quality is often undertrained in purely strength-focused programs. Speed work also functions as active recovery: lower loads give joints and connective tissue a break while keeping the movement pattern sharp.

Can I run the Cube Method for more than 12 weeks? Yes. After the 12-week block, retest your top-set numbers on the Heavy days. Reset your working weights based on the results and begin another cycle. Many competitive powerlifters run multiple consecutive Cube cycles through an off-season block.

What weight should I use on Speed days? Start at 55-60% of your 1RM. The bar should move noticeably faster than on your Heavy days. If the weight feels heavy or bar speed is slow, reduce the load by 5-10%. Speed work at the wrong intensity defeats its purpose.

Is this a powerlifting program? The Cube was designed by a competitive powerlifter and the program structure is oriented toward the squat, bench press, and deadlift. You do not need to compete or plan to compete to benefit from it. Any intermediate lifter who wants to get stronger in the big three will find the rotating structure effective.

Related Programs

• Periodized Strength Cycles — 5/3/1-style percentage cycling if you prefer prescribed loading over autoregulation
• Tiered Linear Progression — A good precursor to this program if you are not yet solidly intermediate
• Bench Press Focus — Specialization program for lifters who want to prioritise the bench
• Deadlift Builder — Block periodization for bringing up a lagging deadlift