Bromley's Beginner 2-Day

Program Description

This is Alexander Bromley's basic 2-day beginner program from "SIMPLEST Step by Step Beginner Guide", pg5. Bromley shares his programs in these freely and I didn't see it in boostcamp yet, so here it is until the man himself drops it. "This is an A/B structure that might look familiar. It's an old-school favorite for new lifters because it simplifies your split into 2 easy-to track workouts. It also limits slots for exercises, which you might think is a bad thing... but for green lifters it's a GREAT thing. As the saying goes, "when water is limited, only the important things get washed", and in this case it means there is only room for key barbell movements (and maybe a few minutes at the end for some direct arm work)." Some important notes: * "4x6+ is one of my staple progressions: it means '4 sets with the same weight, but the 4th set is done as an amrap (as many reps as possible)" * "3xF means '3 sets to failure, or as many as you can without getting sloppy'... your goal is to fail in the 8-12 rep range on each set, if you go above 12, add a bit of weight, if you go below 8, drop some." "For true beginners, who are likely lifting by themselves and haven't quite developed an irrational love of the gym yet, it is a very smart strategy to limit your work to the Big 5. Doing so will keep you from jumping around to a bunch of different things or, worse yet, scheduling too much work that you bail on when you get tired or bored. We need to build good habits at the start, and that means aiming for 100% completion, even if it means scheduling less work. Focusing on fewer lifts also will provide a ton of skill-specific practice for those lifts, no different than a gymnast or figure skater working on their flips and spins. You won't REALLY see gains until you get over the hump of awkwardness that prevents you from putting out max effort (hard to PR on a squat or deadlift when every rep has you feeling like a knock-kneed baby giraffe). This is where the 4x6+ progression shines; the 3 sets of light 6s to 'grease the groove', as they say, will build confidence, refine technique, and more importantly, make everything automatic. Many athletes talk about "the Zone", where focus is crisp and effortless and every shot is nothing but net. In lifting, that's the point where you can shut your brain of and let pure aggression fuel the set. Skill plus effort. You can't beat it."

Program Overview