TSA Beginner Approach
9 week beginner powerlifting program made by Bryce Lewis and The Strength Athlete
Overview
The TSA Beginner Approach is a popular powerlifting program tailored for novice lifters by Bryce Lewis and the coaching team at The Strength Athlete (TSA).
It focuses on the primary powerlifting lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The program runs for 9 weeks, with training 3 days per week. Each day is dedicated to a main lift, followed by accessory exercises to reinforce strength and form. The intensity and volume are kept lower than in advanced programs, emphasizing progressive overload to safely increase strength over time. The final week is a tapering week for recovery or max testing.
This is a 9-week training approach for beginner athletes designed to overcome many shortcomings of common programs that beginner powerlifters run. It’s the starting program we wish we had before powerlifting, designed to bridge into either repeat of the same approach as long as you keep making progress, or into more advanced training approaches as seamlessly as possible.
Toward the end, athletes handle heavier and heavier loads as they work toward new 3-rep maxes before rinsing and repeating. Most athletes should find this is a balanced amount of training volume, training stress, and loading to see great progress.
We think you’ll really like it. For squat, we’ve included two training days of squatting so that athletes have enough frequency to practice the movement and build training volume to progress, but not so much that this program classifies as an intermediate or advanced approach. We’ve included light to moderate single repetitions from the very start to give athletes exposure to walking out and executing single reps. In later weeks, there may be some post-activation potentiation (PAP) from performing heavier single repetitions as well.
We utilize multiple rep ranges to ensure maximum strength and hypertrophy. We’ve also included plenty of lower body training volume to allow for leg size increases, as well as strength. For bench press, we include three movements per week because bench press especially can tolerate (and often need) more training volume and practice.
To this end, we give new athletes a chance to practice pausing the bench on Day 4, practice with heavier loading as the program progresses, and plenty of training volume per week. In addition, we include lots of upper body training volume to grow.
For deadlift, we work on technique with the inclusion of paused work for much of the training approach. Training volume is lower here than squat or bench press by design, and the approach balances fatigue while allowing athletes to crush progress and set new PRs.Over the whole approach, we use autoregulation to make sure athletes can change loads were needed to keep the program at the appropriate difficulty level.
Beginner athletes especially progress at different rates, and we decided to give both percentage and RPE for athletes to choose from. We’ve made this program with a four-week addition that you can use to run this program directly into a competition! The peak is also designed for first competitions, and we can’t wait to see what you accomplish.
Who it's for
Reviews
Program helped me focus on my chest, no dramatic weight increase but movement, form and overall muscle strength did improve. Does require very high energy better to carb load before every workout
Did not increase my bench PR. My previous bench pr was set during a time where i was more focused on low volume hypertrophy training, and never did bench. I was also experiencing that the wheights felt heavier and heavier during the program. Perhaps this program just didn't fit me. I am yet to test my squad and deadlifts.
I really like this program however id say you should probably overshoot your 1rm when entering the weights. It helped in my case to make more progress. Also would add another core exercise and maybe a barbell row on one of the days if you want a better back
Bit too much volume for me, could increase arms work a bit more
Variations
9 weeks · 4 days/wk
- Most of the time, use this 9-week approach and you'll keep making progress.
- 3 Rep Max test in week 9.
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squat (Barbell) | 2 | 1 rep | 69% |
| 3 | 7 reps | 64% | ||
| 2 | Bench Press (Barbell) | 2 | 1 rep | 74% |
| 3 | 7 reps | 65% | ||
| 3 | Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3 | 12 reps | @6–7 |
| 4 | Bent Over Row (Dumbbell) | 3 | 12 reps | @6–8 |
| 5 | Decline Crunch (Weighted) | 3 | 15 reps | @6–8 |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadlift (Paused) | 3 | 4 reps | 65%* |
| 2 | Bench Press (Barbell) | 1 | 4 reps | 75% |
| 2 | 8 reps | 65% | ||
| 3 | Hip Thrust (Barbell) | 3 | 10 reps | @6–7.5 |
| 4 | Tricep Pushdown (Cable) | 3 | 12 reps | @6–8 |
| 5 | Bicep Curl (Dumbbell) | 3 | 12 reps | @6–8 |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 reps | 74% |
| 2 | Lat Pulldown | 3 | 15 reps | @6–7.5 |
| 3 | Single Arm Shoulder Press | 3 | 12 reps | @6–7.5 |
| 4 | Single Arm Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 | 15 reps | @6–7.5 |
| 5 | Bicep Curl (EZ Bar) | 3 | 15 reps | @6–7.5 |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadlift (Barbell) | 1 | 4 reps | 80% |
| 2 | 4 reps | 75% | ||
| 2 | Bench Press (Paused) | 3 | 4 reps | 67%* |
| 3 | Leg Press | 3 | 10 reps | @6–7.5 |
| 4 | Leg Extension | 3 | 15 reps | @6–7.5 |
Weeks 2–9 are in the app
Download Boostcamp to follow the full program with auto-progression and built-in coaching notes.
The coach
Promoting drug-free raw powerlifting as a means of physical and emotional self-improvement
Common questions
Yes, TSA Beginner Approach is completely free to follow on Boostcamp. There's no subscription or payment required. Download the app on iOS or Android, search for the program, and you can start your first workout immediately. All 9 weeks are fully unlocked.
This program is built around a full gym. Make sure you have consistent access before starting, since the progression model assumes you can perform the same movements week over week. If you're missing something, the Boostcamp app includes substitution suggestions inside each workout.
Each session typically takes around 60 minutes to complete. That estimate covers your working sets but doesn't account for warm-up or rest between sets, so budget a little extra time when you're first learning the movements. As you get familiar with the program, sessions tend to move faster.
TSA Beginner Approach is structured around 4 training days per week, with rest days built in to allow for recovery. Consistent rest is as important as the training itself. Skipping rest days can stall your progress. The app lets you reschedule sessions if your week doesn't go to plan.
The program runs for 9 weeks. The structure is designed so that each week builds on the last, with weights, volume, or intensity progressively increasing as you go. Many athletes choose to repeat the program after finishing, either at a higher starting weight or with a different variation.
TSA Beginner Approach is available inside the Boostcamp app, free on iOS and Android. Once you download the app, you can search for the program by name or find it on the coach's profile. The app tracks all your sets and weights automatically, so you always know exactly what to do next session.
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