Athletic Base
Bodyweight-focused program for everyday athletes to develop strength, power, agility, and speed.
Sports performance at Kansas Basketball, former NBA strength coach
Overview
Athletic Base program is designed by Dr. Ramsey Nijem, who is the Director of Sports Performance for the Kansas Jayhawks NCAA basketball team. Before KU, Ramsey was the NBA's youngest head strength and conditioning coach.
Athletic Base is for beginner, intermediate, or concurrent athletes to build strength, power, agility, and speed. The program is 12 weeks in length with 3 distinct 4-week phases, each increasing in difficulty. Phase 1 is 4 days per week, while Phase 2 and Phase 3 are 3 days per week. Most of the exercises are bodyweight movements, with a few exercises requiring dumbbells.
.
Who it's for
Reviews
Amateur football (soccer) player coming from a back injury (car accidente): good program so far, added some pull-ups and push-ups 1-2 times a week + sport specific training session. program allows for s.s. practice and athletic training
Awesome program for beginners! There’s moments where I felt challenged but by week 2 of each phase it got easier. I encourage you to trust the process. Enjoy your workout.
This seems more like a preparatory program, to build a good base and injury prevention.
Pretty good if you have no gym equipment around. I don’t know what a 45 degree rhythmic deceleration is and there is no video attached to it nor can I find anything on the internet about it.
Muscle engagement
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superset | |||
| 1A | Bilateral Snapdown | 3 | 5 reps |
| 1B | 45 Degree Rhythmic Deceleration | 3 | 5 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 2A | Hands on Hips Countermovement Jump | 3 | 5 reps |
| 2B | Lateral Rhythmic Skaters | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 3A | Wall Sit | 3 | 30 sec |
| 3B | Couch Stretch with Reachovers | 3 | 5 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 4A | Hip Bridge March | 3 | 10 reps |
| 4B | Hamstring Stretch with Rotation | 3 | 5 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 5A | Calf Raise Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 5B | Double Leg Multi-Directional Pogo | 3 | 30 sec |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superset | |||
| 1A | Pushup Midrange Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 1B | 8 Point Plank | 3 | 30 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 2A | Bench Pushup Position Shoulder Taps | 3 | 10 reps |
| 2B | Stacked Side Plank | 3 | 30 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 3A | Half Kneeling Hip CAR | 3 | 3 reps |
| 3B | Lying 90-90 Hamstring Mobility | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 4A | Deep Squat Progression Walk Outs | 3 | 5 reps |
| 4B | Active Straight Leg Raise | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 5A | Single Leg Calf Raise Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 5B | Jump Rope | 3 | 30 sec |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superset | |||
| 1A | Bilateral Snapdown | 3 | 5 reps |
| 1B | 45 Degree Rhythmic Deceleration | 3 | 5 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 2A | Hands on Hips Countermovement Jump | 3 | 5 reps |
| 2B | Lateral Rhythmic Skaters | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 3A | Wall Sit | 3 | 30 sec |
| 3B | Couch Stretch with Reachovers | 3 | 5 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 4A | Hip Bridge March | 3 | 10 sec |
| 4B | Hamstring Stretch with Rotation | 3 | 5 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 5A | Calf Raise Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 5B | Double Leg Multi-Directional Pogo | 3 | 30 sec |
| # | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Superset | |||
| 1A | Pushup Midrange Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 1B | 8 Point Plank | 3 | 30 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 2A | Bench Pushup Position Shoulder Taps | 3 | 10 reps |
| 2B | Stacked Side Plank | 3 | 30 sec |
| Superset | |||
| 3A | Half Kneeling Hip CAR | 3 | 3 reps |
| 3B | Lying 90-90 Hamstring Mobility | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 4A | Deep Squat Progression Walk Outs | 3 | 5 reps |
| 4B | Active Straight Leg Raise | 3 | 10 reps |
| Superset | |||
| 5A | Single Leg Calf Raise Hold | 3 | 30 sec |
| 5B | Jump Rope | 3 | 30 sec |
Weeks 2–12 are in the app
Download Boostcamp to follow the full program with auto-progression and built-in coaching notes.
The coach
Sports performance at Kansas Basketball, former NBA strength coach
Dr. Ramsey Nijem, Sc.D, is the Director of Sport Performance for the Kansas Jayhawks Men's Basketball program, where they won the NCAA national championship in 2022.
Prior to Kansas Jayhawks, Ramsey spent five years working for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA where he managed all aspects of sport performance. Ramsey was the NBA’s youngest head strength and conditioning coach. He spent the last three years as the team’s head strength and conditioning coach. In that role, Nijem directed strength and conditioning, sport science and nutrition with the objective of supporting athlete health, wellness and performance.
Ramsey is also the founder of Applied Performance Coach, a course and certification for strength coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapists. The APCC program condenses 10 years of Ramsey's coaching experience at the highest level in an immersive, 8-week live online course to help you become a better performance coach.
How Athletic Base works
Athletic Base is a standard-length, 12-week, 4-day-per-week training program written for beginner lifters. Each session takes around 60 minutes to complete. It was created by Dr. Ramsey Nijem and is published on Boostcamp with full week-by-week structure built in.
The program runs as a 12-week block with the same training-day structure throughout. It's a home program. No gym access required. Inside the Boostcamp app, working weights and targets auto-progress between sessions based on what you actually lifted, so you don't manage the math by hand.
Athletic Base is appropriate for new and returning lifters. The session-by-session structure removes the guesswork that usually stalls beginners. It's fully free on Boostcamp. Every week is unlocked from day one on iOS and Android.
Common questions
Yes, Athletic Base 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 12 weeks are fully unlocked.
This is a home workout program. No gym required. 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.
Athletic Base 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 12 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.
Athletic Base 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.
Get started
