Full Body

Samuel Stephens — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 04:38:29 +0000

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For more information about program language, terms, and abreviations, download the full program PDF.

Full Body

A 2-3 day/wk, full body weight training program designed to improve strength and hypertrophy.

Overview

The Full Body is a continuation of the 2-3 day per week Beginner routine, but this program includes progressive overloading. It is designed to target strength and hypertrophy. If you’ve taken an appropriate amount of time to learn the basics, this will be an easy transition from the Beginner. If you enjoy a 2-3x/week schedule but want more variety, the Full Body is a great place to hang out.

Optional Modifications

For dips, do them instead of the DB bench press every other month. Keep sets and reps the same. Bulgarian split squats can be substituted for BB Reverse Lunges. Do not eliminate Reverse Lunges completely.

For extra arm work, split your biceps and triceps between two days (e.g. biceps on Monday and triceps on Wednesday), start with only one additional exercise, and follow the rep/set scheme listed for the last exercise of that day.

A 45 degree hip extension or GHD can be substituted for Superman. Maintain the time per set.

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Strength Training for Beginners

Samuel Stephens — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 20:26:37 +0000

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For more information about program language, terms, and abreviations, download the full program PDF.

Strength Training for Beginners

The Beginner program is an introductory weight training routine designed to familiarize new lifters with a few standard movement patterns and the barbell. The Beginner is ideally meant to serve as a temporary (2-6+ month) learning period to help new lifters transition to more intense and higher frequency routines. 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 also great for those who have been out of the gym for an extended period of time.

The Beginner program emphasizes strength development. It consists of two alternating days that are performed 2-3 times per week. Each day contains only four compound exercises. I recommend new lifters start with the twice per week version and maintain that training frequency until they stop seeing consistent progress. Increase your weekly training frequency to 3X when 2X stops being effective.

Simplified versions of these two days are listed below.

All working sets should be performed with a challenging weight (RPE 7+), but avoid failure. Leave 1-2 reps in reserve. Aim to add a moderate amount of weight (5-10 lbs) to your lifts weekly or increase reps (up to 8). When 3×8 is consistently repeatable, drop the reps back to 6 and add a little weight. Give yourself 48-72 hours of rest between sessions. The simplified version shows both the standard working set exercises and their modifications, from most to least difficult.

How long should you spend in the learning phase? There’s not an exact duration for the initial A/B split, but all new lifters should spend at least 2-3 months on this program. Closely monitor your weekly progress to determine when you’ve reached an intermediate experience level which is defined by a strength plateau. When you stop improving from the same basic workouts, it’s time to move on. Some may reach this point after 2-3 months while others might continue progressing up to a year. Listen to your body, do what’s best for you, move on when you’re ready, but do not rush it. The more strength you build at the beginning, the heavier your high volume work will be later.

If you plateau on the Beginner but don’t want to change the routine significantly, modify the rep scheme by adding some simple progressive overloading. Instead of 3×6 for all lifts, run a four week cycle with 12/10/8/6 weekly rep counts. (3×12 for all lifts week one, 3×10 for all lifts week two, etc.) Similar to the standard program, keep repeating this cycle until you stop seeing progress.

Download the full program using the link above to view all exercise details, terms/abbreviations, and supplemental fat loss cardio.

Example Weeks

Form FAQ

Exercise Form Video Library

The following video examples are provided to supplement your learning, but the links shared should not be your only source of instruction. No single educator can teach you everything. Seek out other respected content creators and learn from as many experts as you can.

Barbell Back Squat