If you’re planning to buy a barbell or have one lying around, collecting dust, we have some great news!

Whether you’re looking to get stronger, build muscle, or lose fat, this program has got you covered, as resistance training offers all of the benefits mentioned above!

This 4-week program will make working out at home fun, interesting, and most importantly, effective.

Medical Disclaimer

The information in this program, including but not limited to text, pictures, and other material, is provided solely for educational and informational purposes. The content in this article isn’t intended to replace any professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the opinion of your physician or another trained health care practitioner regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or treatment, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in getting it because of something you read in this program. As it is, we can guarantee no results for your specific condition.

Why Is Strength Training Important?

We tend to view resistance training as an aid that will help us look better and be stronger, but the benefits it can give us go far beyond that.

1. Bone Density

• As we age, our bones start breaking down and becoming more brittle, making them more susceptible to fractures. This causes major problems for older people because they have a really hard time recovering from fractures.

It’s now a well-known fact that breaking a bone at an old age dramatically increases your mortality risk for the next couple of years.

2. Joint Health

• Resistance training won’t make you stiff and less mobile. On the contrary, properly executing the exercises will increase your flexibility and mobility, bettering your joint health. 

A well-written and well-executed strength training routine will also strengthen your ligaments and tendons.

3. Muscle Mass (obviously)

• Let me explain. Besides looking good, having good amounts of muscle mass also leads to a healthier and longer life.

The more muscle you carry into your late years, the more capable you’ll be of performing daily tasks and running errands, effectively increasing the quality of your life.

You don’t have to be an IFBB pro to reap the benefits that more muscle mass will bring you, just try to build as much as you can and as you’d like.

4. Hormone Regulation, Cardiovascular Health, Blood Sugar Regulation…

• Besides everything you just read, resistance training was shown to have positive effects on hormone and blood sugar regulation, cardiovascular health, cognitive ability and brain health, and many, many other things.

Is It Safe?

If performed correctly, lifting weights is one of the safest things you can do when it comes to recreational sports activities.

The table below, taken from a study, perfectly illustrates how injuries occur less frequently when lifting weights than in other sports.

Also, keep in mind that you probably won’t be competing in powerlifting, which further cuts your chances of getting injured.

In order to minimize your injury risk, make sure you’re properly warming up, not lifting weights that you aren’t able to handle, and recovering fully in between sets and workout sessions.

The Principles Of Strength Training Important?

Before you get to the program, it’s really important you understand these three things in order to get the best possible results:

1. Training Close To Failure

• It’s imperative that you train close to failure on the main movements, which means stopping two to three reps short of failure. When it comes to accessory movements, you can go to failure without affecting your recovery too much.

Since the reps are already prescribed to you this means you need to adjust the weight being used for each exercise in order to hit the desired intensity.

Main movements include the squats, split squats, rows, overhead presses, while the accessory movements include the ab exercises, lateral and rear delt raises, along with biceps and triceps work.

2. Progressive Overload

•  Progressive overload basically means you should do more work over time.

Meaning if you lifted 10kg for 10 reps today, you should try lifting 11kg for 10 reps on your next workout.

Now obviously the progress won’t look exactly like that, but you get the point.

Try to work harder than last time every time your work out.

3. Proper Diet

• Gaining muscle and strength is extremely tough if you don’t eat enough food.

Eating in a caloric surplus is always advised, but beginners can make good progress even while eating in a deficit, just make sure you’re eating enough protein.

The general guideline would be to consume 2 grams of protein per kilogram, or 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

The Program

Now that you’re fully aware of the benefits and the safety when it comes to lifting weights, it’s finally time to present you with the actual program.

There are two workout routines included- one being a three times per week full body program, and the second one being a four-time per week upper/lower program.

The full body program is better suited for beginners, as it accumulates less volume than the upper/lower split. Even though it may be a bit easier, it won’t be easy as you’ll probably be sore for the first two weeks! However, don’t panic because your body will quickly adapt, and you won’t feel sore anymore after that.

The upper/lower program is better suited for intermediates and advanced lifters. The first and third sessions of the week will always work the legs, with the second and fourth days dedicated to your upper body. Obviously, if your priority is gaining upper body strength and muscle, you can flip that around so that more focus is placed on the upper body.

We also included instructional videos of every exercise that is being prescribed in the program.

This way, you won’t need to scavenge the internet for quality information, as everything will be readily available to you from the start!

3x/Week Full Body Program

4x/Week Upper/Lower Program