The Beginner program is an introductory weight training routine designed to familiarize those that have little to no previous exercise experience with a few basic movement patterns and the barbell. If you’re interested in incorporating a more serious weight training program into your routine but don’t know where or how to begin, this is the place to start. This program is ideally meant to serve as a temporary (2-6 month) learning period that allows new lifters to transition onto more intense and higher frequency routines.

This program is also great for those that have been out of the gym for an extended period of time. If you’re coming back after a year or more off, start here.

Overall program structure is really simple – Beginner contains a learning phase and an optional periodized program with some basic progressive overloading.

The first phase emphasizes motor learning and strength and is listed below under the section, Movement Patterns & Equipment Learning. Each set contains 6 reps and should be performed with a challenging weight but not something heavy enough cause failure (leave 1-2 reps in reserve). Aim to add a moderate amount of weight (5-10 lbs) to your lifts weekly. This 5 week (weeks A-E) program is meant to be repeated indefinitely until you reach a strength plateau with all of the suggested barbell exercises – see the Exercise Modifications & Progressions section. Because there’s no exact duration for this learning phase, it’s crucial to closely monitor your weekly progress to determine when you’ve reached an intermediate experience level. Typically, this point is defined by a strength plateau. When you stop improving from the same basic workouts featured in Phase 1, it’s time to move on to bigger and better things. Some may reach this point after two months while others might continue progressing up to six. Listen to your body, do what’s best for you, and move on when you’re ready, but don’t rush things. An extra month spent solidifying your foundation with the possibility of minimal returns is much better than moving on 30 days too soon. All new lifters need to spend at least 2-3 months in Phase 1.

To read more about the learning phase of resistance training and the why behind this incredibly important starting point, check out the Strength and Hypertrophy guide.

Phase 2 – Advanced Beginner is a continuation of the 3 day/wk, full body routine and is designed to target strength and hypertrophy with the barbell as well as a few other pieces of equipment. If you’ve taken an appropriate amount of time to learn the basics in Phase 1, this will be an easy transition. This 10 week program includes some simple progressive overloading schemes and can be repeated multiple times for both intermediate and advanced lifters. If you’ve grown accustomed to the Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule and want to keep that up for a while longer, the Advanced Beginner is a great place to hang out for a while longer. However, if you’re ready to move on to something more intense after your time spent in Phase 1, feel free to skip Phase 2 entirely. Because you took the time to learn things correctly from the start, your healthy foundation of strength and solid grasp on basic movement patterns will allow you to effortlessly transition into more advanced programs and take full advantage of their benefits.

Like all other programs, there are no deload weeks. Focus on other aspects of fitness during your off weeks or just take the time to rest. If you’d like to shorten the rest week to 4-5 days, that’s fine – start the new cycle on Friday instead of Monday.

Work hard, but don’t punish yourself. We don’t build massive guns or double our squat max in any single session – we smash our goals by accumulating small, incremental daily victories over long periods of time. Because of this, keep one rep between yourself and failure for all sets that aren’t marked with a plus(+) sign. AMRAP(+) sets can go to failure. Maintain an intensity level that leaves you feeling accomplished after a session, but not so beat up that you can’t return the next day.



Walking, running, and sprinting are the recommended cardiovascular exercises for 90+% of your cardio time. Depending on your conditioning level, walk/jog for aerobic work and run/sprint for anaerobic. If you don’t have any injury limitations, work to become a good runner – it’s an amazing form of exercise and an incredibly rewarding physical activity that everyone should experience.

Under the full program, you’ll find some basic information regarding core/ab exercises, weight loads, cardio programming, a key of terms/symbols, and some basic movement cues for major lifts.

This program is designed for healthy individuals without injuries. Some of the exercises and intensities included won’t be appropriate for lifters with certain movement limitations. If you have any questions about this program, require any modifications, or need some help getting started, let me know. I’d love to help.