Jump to the routine

The workout plan to get back to basics

Skyrocket your personal bests with this four-week plan.

Jump to the Routine
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Barbell Squat
Erik Isakson/Getty Images
Barbell Squat
Erik Isakson/Getty Images

Strength isn’t a goal as much as it is a habit. Practice it reg­ularly, and it will come naturally. For the next four weeks, forget about all the fancy newfangled exercises you learned from YouTube and rededicate yourself to the basics—you’ll need only a handful of lifts to change your body and set big personal records. By this time next month you’ll be putting up huge numbers in the gym, and seeing new muscle in the mirror as a result.

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How it works

To build total-body brute strength, you need to squat, bench, and deadlift. These lifts let you load the most weight, and activate the most muscle. The only drawback is that they’re hard on the body. To get good at them, you have to do them a lot. But how can you get the practice you need without overtraining and getting injured?

The answer is to vary the intensity. You can train all three lifts in a workout, and repeat them several days a week if you change the sets, reps, and weights you’re using every time. The goal is to feel fresh at each workout so you ingrain good technique that allows you to handle heavy weights proficiently when you test your maxes. Be prepared for it to feel too easy at first.

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The weights and volume will increase each week, so even if you’re not leaving the gym feeling crushed, trust that your training is working. You’ll know for sure in four weeks when you lift weights that would have flattened you before.

Directions

Perform each workout (Day I, II, III, and IV) once per week, resting a day between each session. The weights you use for the squat, bench press, and deadlift will be based on your max in each lift—the heaviest load you can handle for one rep. Test these numbers before you begin the program or take your best guess. (But be conservative; it’s better to go too light than too heavy.) The volume and intensity will change each week.

Routine

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Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 1 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
--
Rest
4
70% of max
Exercise 2 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 3 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% of max.
Exercise 4 of 1

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
3
Reps
As many as possible.
Rest
--

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 5 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
3
Reps
1
Rest
--
85% of max
Exercise 6 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max
Exercise 7 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max
Exercise 8 of 1

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
8, 8, 8, 20-30
Rest
--

Day 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 9 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% of max
Exercise 10 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
1
Rest
--
85% of max
Exercise 11 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max
Exercise 12 of 1

Weighted Pullup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
3
Reps
6-8
Rest
--

Day 4

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 13 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
3
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max
Exercise 14 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% 0f max
Exercise 15 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
1
Rest
--
85% of max
Exercise 16 of 1

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
3
Reps
12-15
Rest
--

Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 17 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
5
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 18 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 19 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% of max.
Exercise 20 of 1

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
As many as possible
Rest
--

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 21 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
1
Rest
--
85% of max.
Exercise 22 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 23 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 24 of 1

Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
8, 8, 8, 8, 20–30
Rest
--

Day 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 25 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
5
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% of max.
Exercise 26 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 27 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 28 of 1

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
4
Reps
6-8
Rest
--
Perform the chinup as described in Day I, but wear a weighted belt or hold a dumbbell between your feet to add resistance.

Day 4

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 29 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 30 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
3
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 31 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
1
Rest
--
85% of max.
Exercise 32 of 1

Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
4
Reps
12-15
Rest
--

Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 33 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
4
Rest
--
70% of max
Exercise 34 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 35 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
4
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 36 of 1

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
5
Reps
As many as possible.
Rest
--

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 37 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
85% of max.
Exercise 38 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
5
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 39 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 40 of 1

Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
6
Reps
8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 20–30
Rest
--

Day 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 41 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
4
Reps
3
Rest
--
75% of max.
Exercise 42 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 43 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
5
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 44 of 1

Chinup

Equipment
Pullup Bar
Sets
5
Reps
6-8
Rest
--
Perform the chinup as described in Day I, but wear a weighted belt or hold a dumbbell between your feet to add resistance.

Day 4

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 45 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
3
Reps
2
Rest
--
80% of max.
Exercise 46 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
5
Reps
4
Rest
--
75% of max.
Exercise 47 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
2
Rest
--
85% of max.
Exercise 48 of 1

Lateral Raise

Equipment
Dumbbells
Sets
5
Reps
12-15
Rest
--

Day 1

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 49 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
5
Reps
3
Rest
--
70% of max.
Exercise 50 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4
Rest
--
60% of max.
Exercise 51 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
1
Rest
--
60% of max.

Day 2

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 52 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
--
Reps
1
Rest
--
Work up to a new 1-rep max.
Exercise 53 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
3
Rest
--
60% of max.
Exercise 54 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
3
Reps
1
Rest
--
70% of max.

Day 3

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 55 of 1

Squat

Equipment
Squat Rack
Sets
3
Reps
3
Rest
--
50% of max.
Exercise 56 of 1

Bench Press

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
4
Reps
4
Rest
--
60% of max.

Day 4

Exercise
Equipment
Sets
Reps
Rest
Exercise 57 of 1

Deadlift

Equipment
Barbell
Sets
--
Reps
1
Rest
--
Work up to a new 1-rep max.
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