You have got the right home gym equipment? That’s Great! Now this barbell programme to progress yourself thought the novice part of your fitness journey.
This programme is broken into three workouts, all working the whole body. You can do them twice a week with two days in between,e.g. Monday & Thursday. Or three days a week with one day in between, e.g. Monday, Wednesday & Friday. Or any variation of these.
DAY 1
EXERCISE 1: Low barbell squats
Warm up
As a warm up lower your backside straight down allowing your elbows between your knees and push out. If you can’t get below parallel with your thighs one of three things are probably wrong.
- Feet aren’t wide enough. Heels should be shoulder width.
- Toes are pointing the wrong way. Toes should point out at 30 degrees.
- Knees are dropping in. Knees should be push out in line with the toes.
Your feet should now be flat on the floor and you SHOULD BE lent forward a lot, with hips below the top of your knees.
If your still not getting low enough it may be your body simply doesn’t have the strength to get you back up yet so its not letting you down. Work with body weight on getting the depth then gradually build the weight.
Start of session
Come under the empty barbell, placing it across the middle of your shoulder blades, just under the spiny ridge. Stand back from the rack with your heels shoulder width apart and toes turned slightly out. raise the chest and elbow to lock the bar in place. Now lower the hips down and lean forward at the same angle you did in the warm up stretch.
From the bottom of the squat KEEP the knees out with your mind, and drive the hips upwards. Let the shoulders come up with the hips so you remain lent forward until you reach the top.
Lower yourself back down again keeping the knees out using your mind.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little heavier, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form. If you run out of weight start to gradually speed up instead.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you can get to hips below knees just do 3 sets as low as you can then move to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 2: Barbell Press
Grip the barbell one hand wider than shoulder width apart, if it’s not on a rack raise it up on to your shoulders, push the elbows forward and in so the weight of the bar rests on your shoulders not in your hands.
Brace the body by taking a deep breath then squeezing the legs and abs. Keep looking straight forward and jolt your hips forward, this creates a small recoil to get the bar moving. As the bar bounces, push the bar straight up as close to the nose as possible, without hitting it. Lock the arm out at the top with elbows pointing down and shoulders shrugged up as though you’re not quite at the top.
Return the bar to the shoulders, again avoiding the nose, and repeat.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little heavier, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form. If you run out of weight go fast instead.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you are doing partial range just do 3 sets and more to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 3: Barbell Deadlift
With the bar on the floor step forward so your feet are under the bar and the bar is 1″ from your vertical shin, about 8″ to 12″ apart, toes turn out 30 degrees.
Lean forward take hold of the bar just outside of the legs, around shoulder width. Bring your knees forward until your shine touches the bar without moving it. Now flatten your back take a deep breath in and brace the shoulders with the chest pulled up.
DRAG the bar up the leg, without breaking contact, until you are stood vertical with the shoulders pulled back. There is no need to lean back at the top it will screw your back up.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little heavier, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
You will only be doing one working set of deadlift due to the stress it can place on the body.
DAY 2
EXERCISE 1: Low barbell squats
Repeat as per day one but try to go a little faster.
EXERCISE 2: Barbell Bench Press
This can be done on a bench or on the floor if you don’t have a bench.
Lying on your back with a barbell in hand stick your elbows out away from the body somewhere between 70 and 85 degrees. At 90 degrees you risk shoulder impingement commonly known as rotator cuff syndrome. Your forearm should be vertically over the elbow.
Arch the back though its full length and take a deep breath, bracing the body. Lower the barbell down so the bar is in line with your nipples.
Push the barbell back up to finish over your shoulders at the top and breathe out. Then repeat.
Do five reps and rest for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Next set do a little heavier, until you feel light fatigue or slight loss of form.
Perform 2 more sets and the same intensity as the last with a 2 minute rest in between. If you are doing partial range just do 3 sets and more to the next exercise.
EXERCISE 3: Barbell Deadlift
Repeat as per day one but try to go a little heavier. If you run out of weight go faster.
PROGRESSION
The ideal progression would be an increase in weight by around 2.5 – 5 Kg (5 -10 lbs) each session. To progress these exercise in the absence of more weight to add you need to try and work faster.
When you can complete the exercise on your heaviest weight (all working sets and reps)
Increasing weight
Reduce weight by 20% and add 2 more sets. i.e. form 3 set of 5 to 5 sets of 5 and begin the progression again.
Increasing speed
If you can’t go at least 10 seconds faster maintaining the same length rest between sets, add another set. i.e. go from 3 working sets to 4, then 4 to 5 etc. You can do as many as 10 working sets of 5 reps.
DON’T BE TEMPTED TO DO MORE REPS YET THOUGH!!! The goal is strength to start with, a reps range of 1 to 5 reps targets strength, higher than that the body adaption becomes hypertrophy not strength. Doing more reps will make you bigger without becoming substantially stronger or faster. Stay at 5 reps you will get stronger, faster and bigger.
