Progression | Notion

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Keep strength rising, or at least flat, while cutting. If your main lifts drop more than 10%, you're cutting too fast or recovering too little.

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12-week plan

Weeks	Block	What changes
1–3	Foundation	Program as written. Add 1 rep per set each week; at the top of the rep range on all sets, add weight (2.5 kg upper, 5 kg lower).
4	Deload	Same exercises, half the sets, ~70% of the weight. Finishers off. Zone 2 stays.
5–7	Intensify	Last set of every exercise uses a drop set or rest-pause. Cardio finishers +5 min.
8	Deload	Same as week 4.
9–11	Peak	Main lifts at the low end of the rep range, heavier. +1 set of lateral raises and lat pulldowns. Accessory rest −15 s.
12	Deload + assess	Light week. Retake photos, waist and weight; plan the next phase.

Intensity techniques

Drop set: at failure, drop the weight ~30% and keep going to failure again.
Rest-pause: at failure, rest 15 s, do more reps, repeat once more.
Superset: two exercises back to back with no rest, then rest.

After the 12 weeks

The Greek-god look comes from adding muscle to shoulders and back over 1–3 years: a 6–12 month lean bulk (+200–300 kcal), then repeat cut and bulk cycles.

Log every set (weight × reps). Beating last week's numbers is the whole game.