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Power Matrix
Power Matrix is an intermediate powerlifting program that runs 12 weeks at 4 sessions per week. It is built into Ægir Iron and free to load for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster.
How it works, set by set and week by week: Power Matrix explained.
What this program is
The Power Matrix runs one main lift per day across seven sets of 8, 5, 3, 1, 1, 1, and 5 reps, climbing in weight to a near-maximal top single and then backing off with a set of five. Every set is a percentage of your max for that lift, rounded to the nearest five pounds so the bar loads cleanly. The eight and the five at the ends do the muscle-building work, the descending sets in the middle prime you, and the three singles are where you express strength. The squat, bench press, deadlift, and overhead press each get a matrix day. The ramp follows the community Powerlifting Matrix pattern; the percentages are Ægir Iron's own grid rather than any published program's.
At a glance
| Discipline | Powerlifting |
| Experience level | Intermediate |
| Length | 12 weeks |
| Training days | 4 per week |
| Equipment | Barbell and rack |
| Loading | Percentage of your real one-rep max (a saved training max is scaled up to match), resolved live from your maxes and rounded to the plate. |
| Price | Free for individual lifters and rostered athletes |
Free for individual lifters and for athletes on a coach's roster. Coaches pay only for roster tools.
How it works in Ægir Iron
Ægir Iron ships the Power Matrix as a template you load and then make your own. You tell it whether the max you saved is a real one-rep max or a training max, and it prices the same grid either way, scaling a training max back up; you also choose whether the grid holds steady or climbs each block, and which lifts get a matrix day. Want a lighter ramp? Enter a lower max. The app prices all seven sets from your max, rounds each to the nearest five pounds so you get the clean grid without the arithmetic, and shows the plate math on the bar. You do not even need a tested max to start: add a quick estimate as you load the program, or just begin logging and the app suggests 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.
Start the Power Matrix
Open Ægir Iron, go to Program and choose New Program, then the Program Wizard. On the first screen pick your discipline, then choose the Power Matrix from the cards under WHAT DO YOU WANT TO RUN? It is free on iOS, Android, and the web, with your data synced across all three.