68 reviews for TSA Beginner Approach
The TSA Beginner Approach is a popular powerlifting program tailored for novice lifters by Bryce Lewis and the coaching team at The Strength Athlete (TSA).
It focuses on the primary powerlifting lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The program runs for 9 weeks, with training 3 days per week. Each day is dedicated to a main lift, followed by accessory exercises to reinforce strength and form. The intensity and volume are kept lower than in advanced programs, emphasizing progressive overload to safely increase strength over time. The final week is a tapering week for recovery or max testing.
David
Man7 weeks complete
1 year of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Just entering my last week of the workouts. I pushed the weight progressions a bit because I have a history as an athlete and knew I could get back quickly - use good judgement and be conservative with this. Went from wobbling through a set of five 40kg squats to push 90kg next week.
Anonymous
Man3 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Volume gets crazy very fast
William B.
Man5 weeks complete
6 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Overall the TSA program is good. It’s set up well and fairly easy to follow. That said I wish there was a little more instruction with each phase of the program. But still a good program and I’m make good progress.
Ashley M.
Woman, 225 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
So this is a pretty good starter routine, the biggest change I would make is adding more volume. The days are pretty short and hitting certain muscle groups is lacking (like shoulders) so after about 2-3 weeks in I would add in more workouts to each day. The base is good tho!
J-Lee
Woman, 4011 weeks complete
7 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Easy to follow and straightforward w enough room for adjustments or adaptations.
Amer Albarqi
Man, 275 weeks complete
1 year of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Great program for beginners
Bradley S.
Man7 weeks complete
1 year of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
As a beginner program, this is solid. I believe the main lifts may be able to be pushed faster / more aggressively as beginners can likely handle larger jumps. Overall, great program to start with. Will be trying the TSA advanced method next.
Franco D.
Man, 2311 weeks complete
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL IN ANY GYM WORKOUTS, BUT MANAGE TO HAVE A PR OF THESE IN EVERY WORKOUT FOR POWERLIFTING (SQUAT - 130kg / BENCH - 72.5kg / DEADLIFT - 160kg). BW IS 68kg
dash M.
Non-binary, 233 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
I like how well rounded each day is — you feel like you worked without being at the gym for 2 hours. High volume definitely acclimates you to pain. I’d recommend the program. My gripes were the marginal weight increases week 1-4; I’m used to a little more intensity. However, this might be due to my low ORMs for my big 3 lifts and the fact my gyms smallest increment is 5kg. Weeks 1-4 I was doing the exact same numbers for my big lifts — maybe a total 5kg difference. So slow. My advice: stick with it. I’m definitely seeing strength gains and confidence with the lifts + my body.
Aleksandra
Woman, 273 weeks complete
1 year of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Good program