Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Strength Training
Strength training is the most customizable form of exercise that can be catered to literally anyone! It’s appropriate for any goal, and it's a surefire way to gain confidence, improve sports performance, and bulletproof your body against injury!
This article will be taking you through everything you need to know about strength training and how to get into it the right way!
And just a fair warning, this article is gonna be a read because I'm going in depth on all areas of strength training.
The importance of strength training
How to get started
How often to exercise
What types of exercises you should be doing
How hard should you push it
How to maintain consistency
How to create an ideal workout
How to progress
When and how to change things up
So before we begin, grab a snack and sit back as we dive deep into how you can create the optimal workout for your goals!
This article is gonna be a revamped version of my original guide Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Strength Training.
Now before we get into things, I want to spend a bit talking about what resistance training actually is.
Resistance Training or Strength Training is a form of exercise where the muscles have to work against an outside force. Or in layman's terms, you have to resist a force whether that be with weights or your own bodyweight.
Resistance training can be done with weights, resistance bands, and bodyweight. The form you do is all up to your preference, goals, and equipment access.
Ultimately, the most important principle in resistance training is progressive overload.
Progressive overload is the process of slightly increasing the challenge of an exercise overtime as the body becomes stronger.
And as long as you keep in mind the progressive overload principle, you will get stronger and build muscle.
Now with that out of the way, I'd like to take a deep dive in the different areas of strength training.
THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH TRAINING
The term "strength training" could seem scary as maybe you don't want to look like a professional bodybuilder. Or maybe you do, see, the cool thing about strength training is that it's appropriate for literally everyone!
Whether you're a high school athlete, retired from work, or even if you're of advanced age, strength training will provide tons of benefits to all age groups.
Increased strength
Increased metabolism
Stronger bones
Improved joint flexibility
Improved memory and focus
Increased balance and stability
Improved self image and confidence
Better digestion
And an overall improved sense of self worth
Strength training also fights the aging process. As we age, naturally our body’s will lose muscle and with that, an increased chance of physical disabilities, depression, and lowered quality of life can occur. Strength training directly combats that process.
In the gym I work in, we have plenty of members above the age of 70 who routinely can press their own body weight, squat, jump, and can run all without aches or pains.
One member in particular, I’ll call Loui, is in his mid 70’s and reps out 200 pounds for his deadlift, climbs the stairmaster with a 50 pound backpack, can rep out pull ups like it’s nothing, and for fun, climbs mountains. And when I say mountains, I’m not talking about some random hills, I’m talking about swiss alps type mountains!
I’ve also seen plenty of people the same age who’ve never touched a weight and the difference is shocking. A 78 year old who’s been exercising consistently most his life compared to a 78 year old who’s never exercised are nearly a complete different species.
One has full independence while the other may need aid in certain tasks.
Strength training also has the amazing ability to literally transform the way you feel about yourself. There are countless stories you can read online about people who’ve turned to lifting weights after a tragic life event, layoff, or even a breakup. They may have started with a poor self image but through pushing themselves and becoming stronger, they’ve realized that they're actually capable of so much, just so long as they’re willing to put in hard work and stay consistent.
The gym itself in my opinion, is THE BEST place to improve your self image, but it can be intimidating seeing giants moving equally massive weights. But trust me, 99% of them are really teddy bears who want nothing more than to see you succeed just as they have.
HOW TO GET STARTED
One of the more complicated questions is “how do I start strength training?”
To answer that, we need to ask ourselves a few questions as there are tons of factors that’ll influence this answer.
What are our goals?
What is our experience with exercise?
What type of equipment do we have access to?
How many days per week is realistic?
What is realistic for our lifestyles?
The way I'd start off a 13 year old is gonna be way different than a 50 year old. The 13 year old probably doesn't have kids, so he has a more flexible schedule. He's also in the most anabolic phase of his life, so building muscle will come easier. And physically his body is younger, so he can deal with more physical stress compared to the 50 year old father of three who works 40 hours per week.
I'll lay out a blueprint for various points of origin on how to get started with strength training.
Note that for all beginner’s, I’d recommend starting with 1-3 workouts per week, 4-6 exercises in each session, and focus on getting stronger.
But for the following examples, I'm gonna assume you have full access to a gym with weights.
Teenager with loads of free time
For teens who are just starting out, I would recommend beginning with either a 2-3 day Full Body routine or a 4 day Upper Lower routine.
Full body would feature hitting each bodypart with equal volume and an upper lower split would feature upper body focused days and lower body focused days.
Regardless of the training split, each workout would be centered around compound exercises with specific accessories saved for the end.
Compound exercises are movements that target multiple body parts. Examples would include squats, deadlifts, bench presses, overhead presses, rows, and pullups.
Accessories are single muscle exercises such as bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, leg extensions, and leg curls.
For teens, I would highly suggest performing bodyweight exercises such as split stance squats, pullups, and push ups to develop a deep connection with the body. This skill will directly benefit any sport you perform later on.
The workouts themselves would have 5-6 total exercises with 2-3 sets per movement and a 1-2 minute rest between sets.
Here's a general example of a full body workout.
Split stance squats 3x10-12
Single leg RDL 3x10-12
Pushups (max) or Dumbbell Bench Press 3x10-12
Pullups or Dumbbell Rows 3x10-12
Overhead Press (dumbbell) 3x10-12
Bodyweight deadbugs 3x10-20
Overtime, as you become stronger, you’d slowly increase the volume by increasing the number of working sets to 4 per exercise.
For nutrition, aim for 1 gram per pound of bodyweight for protein, 2-3 servings of vegetables per meal, and half your bodyweight in fluid ounces of water.
And prioritize sleep just as much as the workouts themselves! During rest is when our body’s become stronger.
College Student
A college student, although still physically capable of so much, no longer has the free time of a young teen. The number of workouts you perform are determined by your schedule. And the type of workout you do also is determined by the equipment you have access to on your campus.
I do recommend investing in some heavy resistance bands with handles. You can get a really good full body workout without needing a gym. Some brands on Amazon also come with door mounts, so you can hit certain muscles at various angles.
To start, similarly to the young teen, I would suggest with a 2-3 full body routine or a 3 day Upper Lower Full Body split.
An upper lower full body or ULFB means one day is upper body focused, one day is lower focused, and the third day is a combo, using the whole body.
And example of an upper and lower workout could look like this:
UPPER DAY
Chest Press 3x10-12
Row or Pullup 3x10-2 or (max pullups)
Shoulder Press 3x10-12
Rear shoulder accessory 3x10-12
Chest Accessory 3x10-12
Bicep curl 3x10-12
Tricep Pulldown 3x10-12
LOWER DAY
Squat 3x10-12
Romanian deadlift 8-10
Hip Thrusts 3x8-10
Seated curl 3x10-12
Reverse Crunches 3x10-20
Russian Twists 3x10-20
FULL BODY
Split stance squats 3x10-12
Single leg RDL 3x10-12
Pushups (max) or Dumbbell Bench Press 3x10-12
Pullups or Dumbbell Rows 3x10-12
Overhead Press (dumbbell) 3x10-12
Bodyweight deadbugs 3x10-20
As a college student, you may have to modify how intense your workouts are depending on how much sleep you’ve gotten. Whether you were up all night studying or partying, if you are sleep deprived, I would not recommend really pushing the limits. I’ll touch more on how hard you Should push things later on.
Post College
After college, there is more flexibility in your schedule, but probably not tons. You should assess what is realistic for you and your schedule. I’d recommend starting with 2-3 days per week for the first couple of months to let your body adapt and become stronger. You can stay with a 2-3 day routine if that’s what you prefer, but you can also perform a 4 day routine if you’re capable.
For the workouts themselves, I recommend starting with the full body if you’re a total beginner, but if you do have some experience with weights, then you may go with the ULFB routine. You can then progress to an upper lower split if you prefer.
Parent or busy work schedule
Because of either a hectic work schedule or constantly chasing your kids around, when it comes to workouts, it's very important to ask ourselves what is something I can stay consistent with and more importantly, what is something that’ll make me feel my best.
Having kids is not an easy job as you're probably aware, so shaping the routine in a way that takes stress away, gives you energy, makes you feel empowered, and improves your mood is really important.
Let’s be honest, with kids, there's certainly gonna be sleepless nights and with certain jobs, you may have to work overtime. For both backgrounds, having the goal of feeling good may be the optimal approach.
The workouts are really gonna vary from person to person here.
If you have a busy job and kids, 2-3 full body workouts can be a really nice start. If the gym is not possible, then I’d recommend grabbing some of those previously mentioned resistance bands. With those, you can perform those 2-3 sessions, or break it up and perform quick, 15-20 minute daily workouts.
The benefit from daily resistance band workouts is it’ll give you consistent energy. This approach can also be done with non-parents who just have a busy work life.
A hack I've found is that taking a small 5-10 minute break mid-work day to perform a couple exercises is a really great way to boost energy, focus, and mood. I’ve had a couple clients perform bent over rows or overhead presses with R-bands prior to giving a presentation. They reported back that it was like a cup of coffee minus the anxiety!
But like the college student, although you do want to challenge yourself to get stronger, gauge your intensity based on how much sleep you’ve gotten. If not much to almost none at all, take it easy.
Advanced aged (65+)
Those who are of a more advanced age for the most part should ease into strength training, especially if you have specific health conditions that may worsen if you do too much too quickly.
But remember, I’ve seen plenty of 75 year olds who have no problem lifting heavy, jumping, and performing calisthenics without aches or pain!
The approach here is seriously gonna be unique to you.
If you are brand spanking new, 1-3 days at most is what I’d recommend. Depending on your level of conditioning, I would probably say 1-2 sets per exercise is a good place to start. At the end of any set, rest for 1-3 minutes.
You may progress to 3-4 days in the future after many months when your body has gotten stronger and is capable of more physicality.
For those who are experienced with exercise, 3-4 workouts per week should be a good approach. Like I said earlier, the 78 year old who’s never lifted weights is completely different to a 78 year old with lifting experience.
Regardless of training experience, eventually you’d want to be at a place where you can push yourself with each workout. By all means, have your specific goals, but as we age, it’s important to remember that strength training now is more important than ever to help maintain independence and promote longevity.
Overweight Individuals
For those of a heavier body weight, the approach to certain exercises may be more gradual.
For those who are let's say 20-50 pounds overweight, I would be cautious on lower body exercises such as lunges, and step ups. The reason being that the added bodyweight may be putting extra stress on the joints, giving these movements a higher risk of injury.
For these individuals, I would start with 2-4 days either full body or upper, lower. For lower body movements such as squats, if you cannot perform full squats, try performing a regressed version such as a box squat while also working on improving mobility in either the hips or the ankles.
You can gradually progress box squats by lowering the height of the box you sit on overtime. A good goal would be to get to 3 sets of 20 reps prior to lowering the height.
For any other exercise such as bench presses, overhead presses, and lower body exercises, it all really boils down to what you're physically capable of. If you’re able to do full, deep squats without issue, then keep at it!
For Obese individuals (50-100+lbs overweight), the approach is going to be extremely gradual. When it comes to heavier body weights, it’s important to realize that being 75 pounds overweight is like constantly walking around with a 75 pound sandbag on your shoulders.
You don’t need to do a lot to see change!
For obese individuals, 1-2 days per week should be plenty to start with! You can progress to more in the future, but I’d recommend starting with 1-2 days to be on the safe side.
The workouts themselves would be full body with exercises such as sled drives, stability ball assisted squats, chest presses, rows, and perhaps deadbugs.
Sled drives offer the user the benefit of hitting the glutes and quads without putting really any strain on the lower back. Stability ball assisted squats teach you how to perform a good squat while also strengthening the necessary lower body muscles. Chest presses are gonna strengthen and build the chest, shoulders, and triceps. Rows are gonna teach you how to retract your shoulders and strengthen the back, better supporting good posture. And deadbugs offer a great way to strengthen the core without putting much pressure on the low back.
I would say 2 sets per exercise should be a good place to start. Progress to 3 sets per exercise after several weeks.
HOW OFTEN TO EXERCISE
How often you should strength train really is dependent on a bunch of factors:
Your current activity level
Your goals with strength training
Your schedule
Any specific health conditions
Activity level
If you are currently enrolled in a more sedentary lifestyle where you spend most of the day seated, I would recommend starting with 2-3 days per week.
If you are slightly more active where even if you still spend most the day seated, you get a decent amount of steps in (6-8,000), then 3-4 days could be a good goal to have.
For someone who lives a very active lifestyle where they either work a physically demanding job or already take part in various exercise classes or sports, 2-3 days per week should be a good place to start.
Remember, exercise is a stress to the body. It's stress that causes an adaptation to get bigger and stronger muscles. The body can only tolerate so much stress before experiencing diminishing returns such as lethargy, lack of motivation, loss of strength, and physical and/or mental burnout.
Ultimately the amount of times per week you exercise will be up to you with your goals and your schedule.
But ideally having at least 24 hours of rest between each muscle group should be the minimum rest.
And what that would look like would be let's say I trained my chest today on Monday. That means I should at least wait until Wednesday to train my chest again.
YOUR GOALS WITH STRENGTH TRAINING
Your individual goals are gonna play a big part here, but we’ll keep things as simple as possible.
If your main goal is to build strength and just become a literal freaking hulk. 2-4 sessions per week should suffice. The workout split itself would either be a full body or an upper lower split. The sessions would be centered around compound lifts to optimize maximum lifting potential.
The reason compounds are so important for building strength is because the more muscles you can activate, the greater your gonna stimulate the central nervous system. The greater you can stimulate the CNS, the greater force you can produce. So squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, and overhead presses are all gonna be your friends.
If your goal is to build as much muscle as humanly possible, a higher amount of frequency may be required.
When programming a workout based on building muscle, total weekly volume is something you should be mindful of as knowing how often you’re working a certain body part allows you to make necessary adjustments to your program as you advance.
For the average person, 8-20 total sets per muscle group per week is the optimal range. I recommend starting towards the lower end and sticking with that for several months while also being dialed in with your nutrition. Over time if progress seems to slow down, you may gradually increase the volume by adding sets to certain exercises.
While you may have to eventually increase the volume, I wouldn’t put most people at the higher end of 20 sets per muscle group as that is usually reserved for advanced athletes such as professional bodybuilders.
Play around with weekly set volume and see where you experience the best results. Over time as you get stronger, you will naturally increase the volume without really needing to increase set counts.
Volume = sets x reps x weight used
Now if your goal is “I wanna be strong, but I don’t want to look like a hulk”, the approach is actually gonna be fairly similar to the goal of maximal strength!
2-4 sessions per week
The only real difference between lifting for general strength vs for maximal strength is the mindset, rep ranges, and intensity.
Attempting to pull a super heavy weight off the floor requires a certain mindset. You’re aware that there's a higher chance of injury and you know it’s gonna take every fiber of your being just to move the thing. You’re also probably only gonna be able to move that sucker maybe 1-3 times before needing a lengthy break.
But if I'm going into the gym with the intent of pushing myself with each set to develop good general strength, I need to understand that I’m still required to venture out of my comfort zone. 6-8 reps with 1-3 potential reps at the end is a good intensity level for general strength.
YOUR SCHEDULE
Like mentioned earlier, how much free time you have available is gonna be the biggest factor in how often you should exercise.
If you have only 1 day, start there and try to slowly incorporate a second day if possible.
If you have free time every day, go back to your goals, and let that guide you.
For strength, 2-4 times per week.
For building muscle, 2-5 times per week
For general strength, 2-4 times per week
SPECIFIC HEALTH CONDITIONS
Before embarking on an exercise routine, make sure you’re cleared by your doctor. Because I am not a medical professional, I cannot tell you how to train with specific health conditions. Ask your doctor what he/she believes is appropriate for you.
WHAT EXERCISES YOU SHOULD BE DOING
The exact exercise you perform is once again going to be dependent on your goals.
If your goal is to build strength whether general or maximal, focusing on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, chest presses, overhead presses, and rows are gonna be your best bet. You may also include accessory exercises to either build a certain muscle or aid the strength in a certain lift.
Using tricep pulldowns to develop stronger triceps can benefit a bench press as the bench press uses the chest, shoulder, and triceps for pushing.
If your goal is to build muscle, once again, use those compounds, but there may be a heavier emphasis on single muscle isolation exercises.
Although compound exercises are tremendous, because of the number of muscles being used, the stimulus of the exercise is going to be equally spread apart to various muscles.
Isolation exercises like bicep curls allow 100% stimulus to a specific muscle, encouraging greater muscle gain.
Isolation exercises do make it easier to increase volume while also taking away the fatigue that comes with compound exercises. A squat is way more tiring than a leg extension or hip thrust.
For a brief list of isolation exercises, we have bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, tricep extensions, tricep pushdowns, leg extensions, leg curls, glute focused back extensions, chest flys, rear delt flys, lateral raises, an/or front shoulder raises.
And if you’re wondering about the strength machines, they’re also amazing!. Exercise machines like the machine chest press, machine row, leg press, and leg extension are great ways to easily isolate a muscle without needing to have to focus on perfect form.
Machines may also be a great tool to use if you're coming from an injury and free weights trigger a certain area.
Although machines are great for muscle isolation, they do not work on smaller stabilizer muscles. Free weights allow for more muscle activation, leading to less strength imbalances, better mobility, and less chance of injury outside the gym.
But if you believe you may have stability issues or perhaps one side of the body being stronger than the other, then I’d recommend spending 4-6 weeks in what I call a Preparation phase. Here you’ll focus on mostly unilateral movements such as split stance squats, single arm presses / rows, rotational exercises like windmills, and work on core connection with deadbugs.
If you do not have access to a gym, purchasing resistance bands and a stability ball are great cost friendly alternatives! With bands you can perform chest presses, weighted pushups, overhead presses, bicep curls, crunches, squats, split squats, bent over rows, and assisted or resisted pull ups. Using the stability ball, you can perform hamstring curls, squats, and various abdominal exercises.
When purchasing resistance bands, I would look for a brand that comes with handles and a door mount so you can further increase the variety of movements you can do!
HOW HARD YOU SHOULD PUSH IT
Whether it be in the gym, in a park, or in your home, the goal of becoming stronger requires stepping outside what’s comfortable.
You need to push yourself
How hard it depends on your current goals.
If I’m trying to build maximal strength, then I’m gonna aim for 80-90% of my max effort.
If I’m lifting for general strength, I can see progress going at 70-80% of my max effort.
A good way to measure how hard you should push it is to use the Rate of Perceived Exertion or RPE method.
RPE is a 1-10 scale with 1 being almost effortless and 10 being your 100% max effort. For building strength, we want to be between 7.5-9 on the scale.
How convenient I actually have a graph you can use here!
With all that out of the way, it’s important knowing that you're not always gonna be able to push it with every workout. Some days, you’ll have suboptimal sleep or tons of stress. On those days, where you don’t have the motivation to come and push it in the gym, I still want you to come in regardless even if you do just one exercise.
Something is better than nothing!
And what’s really cool is often some of the best workouts come from the days where we feel the least motivated. I can tell you plenty of times where I personally dragged myself to the gym, tired and unmotivated and told myself I was just going to do some mobility and maybe some walking on the treadmill. But when I got to the gym and warmed myself up, I felt good. Really good.
Honestly many of those workouts ended with a personal record of some sort. Had I just decided to skip the gym that day, I don’t think I would've gotten that PR at all.
But in the event that you’re sleep deprived, just come in and practice mobility or go for a walk. Just staying consistent is gonna level you up in the long term.
Think about it this way
Let’s say I have 156 workouts per year (3 workouts per week). If every 2 weeks I skipped a workout because I “didn’t feel like it”, that means I’m losing out on 26 potential workouts!
With the context of 3 weekly workouts, that’s a little over two months worth of training lost!
Think of all the missed opportunities in that time frame!
But instead if on those unmotivated days, I just told myself “hey, I’m just gonna hit the treadmill for 15 minutes”, even if that’s all I did, I’m still gonna reap huge benefits.
But like I said earlier, often those unmotivated workouts end up becoming some of your best, so many of those could even turn out to be PR sessions!
The takeaway for this section is to Just. Be. Consistent.
You’ll get so far with that simple principle! I promise you that!
HOW TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENCY
Millions of people get gym memberships in the month of January for new years resolutions.
By mid April, most of them are gone.
The reason is often because people get gym memberships with the intent of changing their lives. And while the gym is the place to do that, it's even more often that many go into it with unrealistic expectations.
They want to lose 100 pounds in a year
They want to pack on 30 pounds of muscle
They want to be stupidly shredded
While all these are achievable pursuits, it’s important to understand that nothing happens overnight.
You didn’t gain 50 pounds in a single month, so don’t expect to lose it in one month.
For some, it can take over a year just to lose 30 pounds! And that's not because that's how long it takes to lose said weight, but because a huge factor most don’t consider is the need for new lifestyle habits.
Losing weight isn’t the hard part
Yeah, Seriously
Collectively, millions of pounds are lost every year
The hard part is establishing lifestyle habits that’ll keep the weight off forever!
That’s the hard part
And trust me, this does tie in with how to maintain consistency. It’s not a secret exercise or diet plan or even a supplement you need to take.
I’m going to share with you the perfect blueprint on how to stay consistent with your workouts and nutrition for both building strength and losing body fat.
#1 Have realistic expectations
Understand that the rate of progress is never the same for two people. Even when following the same diet and living the same lifestyle, one person may see progress quicker and that’s okay!
It’s incredibly easy to fall into the mindset of envy where you’re comparing yourself to others without appreciating the progress you’ve already made.
Losing weight takes time
Building muscle takes time
There's going to be days where your weight fluctuates or you just feel weaker than normal. As long as you stay consistent, you will see progress month over month which in my opinion is what you should be paying most attention to.
Are you losing weight month over month?
Are you getting stronger month over month?
Is your energy improving month over month?
Daily fluctuations in both strength and weight can be HUGE deterrents for motivation.
Focus on the bigger picture, look at your progress from a 10,000 foot view.
#2 See where you’re coming from
Whether you’re coming from an already active lifestyle or a more sedentary one is gonna play a big part in how quickly you see progress.
If you’re coming from a sedentary lifestyle, start small. This could be adding a couple of walks into your week. This could also be staying consistent with 2 workouts per week. This could also even be just adding an extra serving of vegetables into your diet each day.
Understand where you’re at and make realistic changes that cater to your current lifestyle.
If you’re already pretty dang active, then incorporating more into your routine may not be a bad play. If you’re already getting close to 10,000 steps each day, then I would say just staying consistent with your strength workouts and making necessary changes to your diet would be the areas I would focus on.
A common mistake many make with new year's resolutions is they’ll throw the whole kitchen sink at themselves with super strict diets, crazy 6 day a week workout plans, multiple high intensity classes, and they’ll cut out all processed food, drinks, and alcohol cold turkey.
I made this mistake personally and let me tell you
IT’S NOT SUSTAINABLE
If you’re not working out at all, try doing 1 workout per week and grow from there
If you’re not eating any vegetables, try adding 1-3 cups per day and grow from there
If you’re not drinking any water, try adding a glass with each meal and grow from there
And if your not getting 8 hours of sleep every night, try limiting electronics, journal your thoughts, and/or dim the lights, and grow from there
Changing your life should not be treated as a 9 week bootcamp, it’s a lifestyle. This change should last forever. Can you sustain a 6 day per week workout routine whilst not eating any carbs while also being a mother/father of three forever? Probably not.
The slow game always wins, I know that’s cheesy, but it’s true.
#3 Recognize the benefits
Most people associate exercise with just looking good naked. And while that is a worthy reason to exercise, there's so many other benefits you get from being consistent.
You’ll have more natural energy without needing caffeine
You’ll feel way more confident
You’ll have better focus
You’ll have better memory
You’ll be able to hold onto new information more efficiently
You’ll have way better digestion
You’ll have better blood markers
You’ll have more stabilized blood sugar
You’ll have a faster metabolism
And yes
You’ll look good naked!
Just take some of these areas and ask yourself week over week if you feel any different. Do you have more energy, do you feel more confident, do you feel stronger? If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track!
Those three areas are the most important pillars to focus on when it comes to maintaining consistency. Ultimately the workouts you do and the diet you have should be realistic and something you can maintain 100% stress free.
Make your workouts fun, join a group class, learn new skills like boxing or swimming.
Make simple adjustments to your diet, you don't need to go keto to lose fat. If you like keto, then by all means, do what's realistic for you.
HOW TO CREATE AN IDEAL WORKOUT
Now it's time for the fun part!
After spending some time figuring out the optimal number of sessions per week, it's now time to build a workout!
Note that the “workouts” I layed out are simply just templates that you can modify to your specific needs. I’ve ordered the exercises from most fatiguing at the start to the least fatiguing towards the end of the workout.
Each exercise slot has different movements for that category that you can choose.
How many sets and reps you perform are dependent on your training experience and goals.
I'll lay out some rep ranges with appropriate rest times.
3-6 reps (strength) - 3-5 minute rest breaks
8-12 reps (Hypertrophy) - 1-2 minute rest breaks
15-20 reps (muscle endurance) - 45-60 second rest breaks
1 Day Full Body
Squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl / Side lunge variation
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Core exercise of choice
2 Day Full Body - complete beginner
Day 1:
Box squat progressions
Hip hinge or leg curl
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Core exercise of choice
Day 2:
Hip Hinge (Kettlebell sumo deadlift / Hip thrust / Sled drives)
Front squat variation (goblet squat / box squat / leg press)
Shoulder press
Row or Pulldown
Core exercise of choice
2 Day Full Body
Day 1:
Squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl / Side lunge variation
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Core exercise of choice
Day 2:
Hip Hinge (Kettlebell sumo deadlift / Hip thrust / Sled drives)
Front squat variation (goblet squat / box squat / leg press)
Shoulder Press
Row or Pulldown
(shoulder or chest accessory)
Core exercise of choice
3 Day Full Body
Day 1
Squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Core exercise of choice
Day 2
Hip Hinge (Deadlift variation / Hip thrust / Sled drives)
Front squat variation (goblet squat / box squat / leg press)
Shoulder Press
Row or Pulldown
(shoulder or chest accessory)
Core exercise of choice
Day 3
Same as day 1, but you may modify the leg pressing movement at the start.
3 Day Upper Lower Full Body
Day 1 - Upper
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
(shoulder or chest accessory)
Bicep accessory
Tricep accessory
Day 2 - Lower
Squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl
Leg accessory of choice
Dynamic movement (lateral lunges / cossack squats / lateral step ups / lateral sled drives / single leg toe touch
Core (abdominal)
Core (rotation)
Day 3 - Full Body
Squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Core exercise of choice
4 Day Upper Lower
Day 1 - Upper 1
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Rear shoulder accessory
Bicep accessory
Tricep accessory
Day 2 - Lower 1
Squat / Split squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl
Dynamic movement (lateral lunges / cossack squats / lateral step ups / lateral sled drives / single leg toetouch
Leg accessory of choice
Core (abdominal)
Core (rotation)
Day 3 - Upper 2
Shoulder Press
Row or Pulldown
Chest Press
Chest accessory
Bicep accessory
Tricep accessory
Day 4 - Lower 2
Hip hinge (Deadlift variation / Hip thrust / Sled drives)
Front squat variation / Leg Press / Lunge / Split squat
Leg accessory of choice
Dynamic movement (lateral lunges / cossack squats / lateral step ups / lateral sled drives / single leg toe touch
Core (abdominal)
Core (rotation)
5 Day Upper Lower Push Pull Legs (advanced)
Day 1 - Upper
Chest Press
Row or Pulldown
Shoulder Press
Rear shoulder accessory
Chest accessory
Bicep accessory
Tricep accessory
Day 2 - Lower
Squat / Split squat / Leg Press / Lunge variation
Hip hinge / Leg curl
Dynamic movement (lateral lunges / cossack squats / lateral step ups / lateral sled drives / single leg toe touch
Leg accessory of choice
Leg accessory of choice
Core (abdominal)
Core (rotation)
Day 3 - Push
Chest Press
Chest accessory
Shoulder Press
Shoulder accessory
Close grip bench Press
Tricep kickback / Overhead extension / Skull crusher
Day 4 - Pull
Bent over row / Pullup
Lat pulldown or Dumbbell Row
Rear delt row (dumbbell or cable)
Bicep accessory
Bicep accessory
(optional) Trapezius accessory (shrugs)
Day 5 - Legs
Hip hinge (Deadlift / Hip thrust / Sled drives)
Front squat variation / Leg press / Lunge / Split squat
Dynamic movement (lateral lunges / cossack squats / lateral step ups / lateral sled drives / single leg toe touch
Leg accessory of choice
Leg accessory of choice
Core exercise of choice
It is important not to follow the same exact workout all the time. I'll go over this more in the next section.
PROGRESSING FORWARD
Whenever you start something new, there's always gonna be a progress curve where at the start, you'll see quick gains. But at some point, the rate of progress slows which can definitely be demoralizing for some.
It's the same idea with strength training, you start a new program and you're seeing all these muscle and strength gains! But at some point, the numbers aren't gonna go up as consistently as they did before.
This is normal.
Progress is NEVER linear, there's going to be times where you don't see any progress and it's important to be okay with that.
I personally know many lifters who've been consistently lifting for at least a decade or more. If we consistently got stronger and stronger, I'd walk into the gym seeing people bench pressing my dad's Ford F150.
Just because I'm telling you you're probably not gonna be able to press your car, don't let that demotivate you!
I'll still show you how you can progress to make some pretty sick gains and even bulletproof your body!
WHEN AND HOW TO CHANGE THINGS UP
Like I previously stated, halts in progress are normal and happen to everyone!
However, there are ways you can minimize plateaus and even break out if you ever find yourself in one.
Introducing periodization
Periodization is a model using planned periods where you'll train in different rep ranges, number of sets, intensity levels, and exercises. Periodizing helps you develop skills in various areas such as strength, power, muscle endurance, and muscle development while also breaking through plateaus.
I'll give you a rundown of varying "phases" you can implement into your routine that you can cycle through.
I listed training intensities via a % of your max effort. To cause your body to change in terms of getting stronger, you need to push it close to its physical limits. Legion Athletics has a great 1RM calculator where it predicts what your max effort looks like for a specific exercise.
For strength, you want to be around 1-3 reps shy if physical failure.
Note that this subject is HIGHLY INDIVIDUAL and I do personally recommend working with a fitness professional to find out what's really appropriate for you.
If you are just starting out as a beginner, I would consider a preparation phase that I discussed earlier in the “what types of exercises should I be doing” section. Split stance squats, single arm presses / rows, rotational exercises like windmills, and deadbugs are gonna help you establish good connection to your body, minimize muscle imbalances, and help prevent injuries.
Performance / Stability
50-70% Max effort
10-20 reps
Focused on Unilateral, rotational, and lateral movements.
60-90 second rests
Slow tempo - 4-2-1 pace
Muscular Endurance
50-70% Max effort
15-20 reps
45-60 second rests
2-0-2 pace
Hypertrophy / Muscular Development
#75-85% Max effort
8-12 rep range
1-2 minute rest periods
Slow tempo - 2-0-2 pace or 4-2-2 pace
Strength
4-6 sets
3-6 rep range
#85-95% Max effort
3-5 minute rest periods
Phase Descriptions
Performance / Stability
I would normally recommend anyone just starting out to try this style of training before any heavy lifting. Performance / stability training focuses on developing good proprioception (self awareness of the positioning and movement of the body) while also strengthening smaller stabilizer muscles to prevent injury and improve performance.
I highly recommend teens start off in this phase especially if they’re interested in playing sports!
For a split stance squat, the Erector Spinae, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus act as stabilizers to help maintain an upright posture.
Stabilizer muscles don’t get as much activation during traditional movements such as two foot squats, deadlifts, two handed bench presses and overhead presses and two handed rows.
When a stabilizer becomes weakened, it can cause other unnecessary muscles to take its role, leading to improper posture and potential injury during exercise.
Keep unilateral exercises in your repertoire!
Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance builds up your physical capacity to support higher training intensities. A humbling experience for me was the first time doing 4 sets of 10 on a barbell back squat, I was fried, so for me, spending some time bringing up my physical endurance was the right move!
You don’t need to go heavy here.
2-0-2 means 2 second negative, no pause at the bottom, and 2 seconds on the way up.
Hypertrophy / Muscular development
Hypertrophy is where our focus is to build lean muscle.
This phase features slowed repetitions with low to moderate weights.
4-2-2 means a 4 second negative, 2 second hold at the bottom, and a 2 second raise.
Your main goal is to feel a targeted muscle such as the lats in a lat pulldown or the glutes in a hip thrust.
This phase will require a good level of endurance, especially for lower body movements such as squats.
Strength
The focus in this phase is to develop not only bigger muscles, but stronger muscles as well. Lifting heavy has a place for everyone. Having strong muscles won't only just benefit sports performance, but having a strong frame will protect your joints from falls and random, jerky movements.
Start off with light weight and practice good form and technique.
For lower body movements, keep your midsection tight as you violently exhale during the push.
Make sure to keep breathing during your lift. It's easy to forget or maybe that's a me problem.
Keep each set 1-3 reps shy of failure.
Avoid ego lifting, if proper form is not achievable, lower the weight!
And you can lift heavy for machines if free weights are currently out of your scope.
Which phase you perform does come down to your goals, but I personally would recommend trying all of them out. There's a belief that the 8-12 rep range is the only one that'll build muscle, but the truth is novelty is really what gets the ball rolling.
If I always follow a hypertrophy based workout, eventually my progress will stall and I'll just get bored.
Changing up your workout phases every 4-6 weeks is a surefire way to keep the gains coming and prevent monotony.
FINAL CONCLUSION
We've covered a lot in this article and if you're still with me, I want to thank you for sticking around!
All in all, this article should act as your best friend in terms of developing a proper workout for you and help keep you progressing.
But before we leave off, I wanna briefly summarize everything we covered.
Strength Training is appropriate for everybody! It benefits physical, mental, and emotional health.
How often you train depends on your experience with exercise, availability during the week, and your goals.
Building a strong and capable body requires that you push yourself outside your comfort zone.
There's gonna be fluctuations in strength and energy, watch your progress from a monthly basis.
The approach to strength training is never cookie cutter. It's one of the most individual pursuits you can take, set realistic goals and have reasonable expectations!
The most important principle in strength training is to JUST BE CONSISTENT!
And that right there concludes our time together for now. We covered a lot, but this was a complicated subject. If you know someone who’ll greatly benefit from this information, feel free to send this their way with some cookies.
And send me some
Please
I’ll see you later, have an epic day!
-Randy
