This 12-week program is designed for the beginner looking to make significant gains in whole body muscle or strength using barbells, dumbbells, and machines. This program is great for beginners and those who have worked out in the past but without making much progress.

This program requires barbells and dumbbells, but has alternatives if you do not have these equipment. The exercises are fully customizable for users to achieve their goals of either hypertrophy (muscle) or strength. This is one of the best beginner strength training programs and is completely free to use.

Program variations

Hypertrophy

• The goal of hypertrophy gym training is to increase muscle mass. This variation is designed with higher training volume (higher reps). You'll get stronger too, but muscle gain is the primary focus.

Strength

• The goal of strength gym training is to get stronger. This variation is designed with higher training intensity (more weight at lower reps). You'll gain muscle too, but strength gain is the primary focus.

Greg Nuckols is one of the most respected evidence-based fitness educators in the world. He is the founder of Stronger by Science and co-founder of MASS Research Review. Greg Nuckols also has over a decade of experience under the bar and a M.A. in exercise and sports science. He’s held three all-time world records in powerlifting in the 220lb and 242lb classes. He’s trained hundreds of athletes and regular folks, both online and in-person. He’s written for many of the major magazines and websites in the fitness industry, including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Bodybuilding.com, T-Nation, and Schwarzenegger.com.

The key principles behind this beginner strength program are 1) consistency, 2) volume and intensity, and 3) progressive overload. These variables are the foundation upon which this beginner gym program was created. 

Consistency: Long-term, sustainable progress in the gym requires consistent training over a long period of time. Even the “best” programs won’t work if you can’t follow them. That’s why our beginner gym program is designed to help integrate training into your daily routine. The program is flexible; it calls for 3-4 days of training a week, with each session lasting only 30-45 minutes. 

Volume and intensity: The program is designed with just the right level of volume and intensity to promote progress without overtraining. Any bloke can write a workout that causes soreness for days — that is not the goal here! Soreness is an inaccurate measure of progress in the gym.

Progressive overload: A big difference between an exercise session and a training session is progressive overload: This principle involves continually increasing the demands on the musculoskeletal system to continually make gains in muscle size, strength, and endurance. A properly designed gym program allows for incremental progression on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis and minimizes plateauing, while providing an appropriate challenge in every workout.

Why this program?

Designed by one of the most respected fitness educators

• A variety of alternate exercises you can choose from

• Simple-to-use workout log to allow you to track your progress

• Smart and automatic exercise progression recommendations

• Learn with video exercise demonstrations and helpful tips

Skills You’ll Gain

• Learn to use barbells, dumbbells, and machines

• Build proficiency in compound movements

• Feel more confident than ever before

• Strength, Power, Muscle, Body Awareness, Lifting Technique

• Do 1-4 warm up sets with light weights before starting the first set. Don’t exhaust yourself on the warmups

• For your 1st set of each exercise (the one you do after warmups), pick a challenging weight where you feel like 1-2 reps left in the tank when you're done

• For your 2nd set, pick a slightly lighter weight as you're doing more reps. Pick a even lighter weight for your 3rd set as the reps are increasing again (this is called reverse pyramid)

• Do not go to failure (where you can't do another rep) on any sets and focus on good form.

• Try to rest one day between each workout

• The program will automatically recommend weights after your first week

• The program is designed to be completed three to four times a week. Ideally you would rest a day in between most training sessions. 

  • Example 3-day schedule: Mon, Wed, Fri / next week Mon, Wed, Fri

  • Example alternate-day schedule: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun / next week Tues, Thurs, Sat / next next week Mon, Wed, Fri

  • Example 4-day schedule: Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat. With 4 workouts per week, you’ll need to do back-to-back workouts at least once.

• The program is designed to be used for at least 8 weeks and should continue to be effective afterwards. The purpose of a beginner program is to allow you to make progress in almost every workout. Eventually those newbie gains run out, and that process may take 8 weeks, or it may take 8 months. We will be launching more programs for you to do after completing this program.

• If you are up for it, feel free to start the John Henwood Beginner Runner Program in conjunction with the gym program. You are also welcome to add in light cardio on your off-training days, or right after finishing a gym workout.

• The only requirement for this program is access to a Planet Fitness or any commercial gym. 

• You should aim for 1-4 sets to warm up to the prescribed weight (“working set”). The goal of the warm ups is not to pre-exhaust your muscles, so there is no need to push close to failure on any of the sets. In general, lighter exercises require fewer warm-up sets, and heavier exercises need more.

• Example warm up scheme: Smith Machine Bench Press (first working set of 100 pounds x 5-8 reps)

  • Bar (which weighs 45 pounds) for 8 reps

  • 65 pounds (bar and a 10 pound plate per side) for 5-8 reps

  • 85 pounds (bar and two 10 pound plates per side) for 3 reps

  • Then working set of 100 pounds x 5-8 reps

• Example warm up scheme: Machine leg press (first working set at [6] setting of 10-15 reps)

  • [2] setting for 5-8 reps

  • [4] setting for 3 reps

  • Then work set of [6] setting at 10-15 reps

• Example warm up scheme: Dumbbell curls (first working set of 10 x 10-12 reps

  • 5 pounds for 10 reps. That’s it!

• You can do dynamic stretches before a workout to get warm and limber. If you want to significantly improve flexibility over time, you can do as much static stretching as you want after your workout or on off days, but large amounts of static stretching before a workout may decrease your lifting performance.

• The goal is to use the best form that you can and stop your set 1-2 reps before failure on most sets. While training to failure has its place in more advanced programs, stopping a bit shy of failure will help you maintain your performance on the next set, and may cut down on injury risk. However, at first, you don’t need to approach failure in your training as you’re first learning the exercises; your sets will naturally get harder and creep closer to failure as you progress through the program..

• The goal for every set is to find a weight within the recommended rep range that is challenging, but still light enough that you can comfortably complete all of the reps during your first workout. 

• The recommended reps for each exercise in this program are designed in a pyramid style (e.g., 3-5 reps in the first set, 5-8 reps in the second set, 8-12 reps in the third set). In general, the lower the reps, the higher the weight you can train. The goal is to stop 1-2 reps shy of failure on every set. Therefore, you should aim to go heavier during your first set (after warmups), slightly decrease the weight for the second set, and slightly decrease the weight again for your last set.

• Example set scheme: Smith Machine Bench press

  • 115 pounds for 7 reps (recommended range 5-8)

  • 105 pounds for 10 reps (recommended range 8-12)

  • 95 pounds for 12 reps (recommended range 12-15)

  • Next week, try to do 115 pounds for 8 reps, 105 for 11-12 reps, and 95 pounds for 13-15 reps. 

• Example set scheme: Smith Machine Deadlifts

  • 185 pounds for 6 reps (recommended range 3-5)

  • 165 pounds for 8 reps (recommended range 5-8)

  • 145 pounds for 11 reps (recommended range 8-10)

  • Next week, try to do 190 pounds for 3-5 reps, 165 pounds for 9 reps, and 150 pounds for 8-12 reps

• Recovery time can vary between 1 minute to up to 5 minutes. Try to rest as long as necessary to allow your muscles to fully recover so you can do your next set with a similar intensity. 

• Within each rep range, you’ll stick with the same weight and aim to perform more reps each week until you’ve mastered the weight. For example, if you’re training in the 5-8 rep range, you’ll use the same weight until you can perform 9 reps. In the next workout, the weight will be heavier, but you should be confident that you can still lift it for at least 5 reps.  You’ll stick with the new weight until you can perform at least 9 reps again, at which point the weights will increase again.

• If you are having problems getting through a workout, that is okay. Try lowering the weight and completing lighter sets. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back to be able to move forward.

• Feeling soreness is totally expected and normal for your first few weeks! This is simply your body adapting to the new stimuli. Soreness after a training session should significantly reduce after a few weeks. If you’re concerned about soreness, be conservative with your weight selections during your first workout. That will limit the amount of soreness you initially feel. The weight will still go up over time, so you’re not missing out on anything.

• Be sure to understand the difference between soreness and pain. If you are feeling pain in any way, be sure to consult a physician before attempting another workout. We do not recommend pushing through injuries. As a general rule, tenderness and discomfort in muscles is normal, but sharp or throbbing sensations in and around joints may require professional attention.

• Remember, muscle is not built in the gym, but during recovery. Proper recovery means adequate nutrition and sleep.

• We recommend that you first check that you are using proper form on that specific exercise. If pain persists, we recommend that you try an alternate exercise. Feel free to email us for a replacement exercise recommendation.

• Remember to start with light weights and focus on proper form before attempting to move up in rep or load.

• Most of the time, starting a resistance training program doesn’t affect the number on the scale very much. This is because, without dietary modifications, most people gain muscle and lose fat at similar rates for their first few months of lifting. While the number on the scale may not change much, your clothes should start fitting better within a month or two of lifting as you [gain muscle/tone your muscles] and lose fat.

• Try to eat more of the right foods so your body can use them to fuel your workouts. Lean proteins, vegetables, and fruit are great options for almost anyone. If you’re trying to lose weight, try cutting down on added sugars and fats (including sauces, dips, and cooking oils) while prioritizing slow-digesting carbs (like beans and whole grains). If you’re trying to maximize muscle growth, make sure you’re consuming enough calories to slowly gain weight (about 1 pound per month) without resorting to junk food. For more specific dietary guidance, you should consult with a sports dietician.

• Intermediate program nSuns 531 Boostcamp

• How to Bench Press Greg Nuckols

• How to Squat Greg Nuckols

• How to Deadlift Greg Nuckols