Power Matrix Chart: The 8/5/3/1/1/1/5 Ramp Explained
The Power Matrix is the StrongLifts answer to a stalled 5x5. Instead of five flat sets across, you take one main lift and ramp it up over seven sets of descending reps, building to a heavy single and then a back-off set of five. It is a printable grid, a training max, and a lot of hard singles.
What the Power Matrix actually is
The Power Matrix is a chart. Down one side is a working number for a lift, and across the top is a fixed rep scheme, which is 8, 5, 3, 1, 1, 1, and 5. Each cell is the weight for that set, worked out as a percentage of your number and rounded to the nearest five pounds so it loads cleanly. You read one row, you get seven weights, and you go to work.
Set 1: 8 reps · Set 2: 5 reps · Set 3: 3 reps
Set 4: 1 rep · Set 5: 1 rep · Set 6: 1 rep (top single)
Set 7: 5 reps (back-off)
How the ramp works
The reps fall as the weight rises. You open with a set of eight at a moderate load, cut to five and then three as you add weight, and then take three singles that build to a near-maximal top single. After the heavy single you drop back down for one solid set of five. The eight and the five at the ends do the muscle-building work, the descending sets in the middle prime you, and the singles are where you actually express strength. It is a top-single-and-back-off day dressed up as a grid.
The Power Matrix chart
Seven sets on one lift, run in this order. The percentages are of your one-rep max, and every resolved weight is rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Set | Reps | % of 1RM | Target RPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 70% | 7 |
| 2 | 5 | 80% | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | 87% | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | 91% | 9 |
| 5 | 1 | 93% | 9 |
| 6 | 1 | 95% | 9 |
| 7 (back-off) | 5 | 80% | 8 |
If you prefer to run percentages off a training max rather than a true one-rep max, take 90% of your 1RM first and apply the same column to it. That pulls every set down by about a tenth and is the gentler way in.
Power Matrix chart in pounds
The same grid priced out for three squat maxes, so you can see the shape in real weight rather than percentages:
| Set | 225 lb max | 315 lb max | 405 lb max |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 reps | 160 | 220 | 285 |
| 5 reps | 180 | 250 | 325 |
| 3 reps | 195 | 275 | 350 |
| 1 rep | 205 | 285 | 370 |
| 1 rep | 210 | 295 | 375 |
| 1 rep | 215 | 300 | 385 |
| 5 reps (back-off) | 180 | 250 | 325 |
Notice how little separates the three singles. That is the point of the ramp: the top single is a genuine effort, but the two before it are close enough to be real attempts rather than warm-ups.
Who it suits
The Power Matrix is an intermediate tool, not a beginner one. It shines once simple linear progression has run out, which is exactly when a lifter has stalled on a program like the classic 5x5 and needs to touch heavier weights to keep moving. Because it leans on frequent heavy singles, it rewards solid technique and good bar awareness, and it asks more of your recovery than a moderate five-by-five does. If you are brand new, you will get more out of steady linear progression first, then reach for the matrix when the easy gains stop.
Progressing over time
You do not add weight set to set the way you would on a beginner 5x5. Progression happens to the whole grid at once. When the top single feels strong and your form holds, you raise the number the matrix is built on, and every cell climbs with it. Some lifters hold the grid steady for a block and bump the number between blocks, and others nudge it up gradually. Either way, the top number is the dial, and the singles tell you when to turn it.
That gives you two workable patterns:
- Hold the grid. The percentages stay exactly as charted above, every week. You progress by raising your max when the top single goes up cleanly, and the whole table reprices itself. This is the simpler option and the better default.
- Climb the grid. Add roughly 2.5% to every cell per block, so a third block runs about 5% above the chart on the same max. The top single lands near 100% by the end, which is why this suits a short peak far better than an open-ended run.
Running the Power Matrix in Ægir Iron
A grid on paper means doing your own percentage math and rounding every week, and it means one number to trust. Ægir Iron ships the Power Matrix as a template you can load and then make your own. You choose whether the percentages come off your one-rep max or a training max, whether the grid holds steady or climbs each block, and which lifts get a matrix day. The app prices every one of the seven sets from your max, rounds each to the nearest five pounds so you get the clean grid without the arithmetic, and shows your plate math on the bar.
You do not even need a tested max to start. If you have not set one, add a quick estimate as you load the program, or just begin logging and the app will suggest a starting weight. Set your real max later and the whole matrix reprices itself, and as your top singles climb your PRs are awarded automatically.