“What routine is the best?” “What routine will build muscle?” “What routine will build strength?” I get these questions all the time. Firstly, there’s no such thing as “the best routine”. For beginners, the best routine is the one you stick to for long enough to get results. Secondly, everyone is different. Working as personal trainer, I see this all the time. People find crappy programs on the internet and follow them blindly in hope of . And most of the time they fail miserably. All because generic programs don’t work. They don’t take into account your biomechanics, your conditions, your performance capacity etc. The only program that will work for you is , tailored to your current goals and circumstances. So programs available on the internet should be considered as templates rather than actual training programs. So today I’d like to share with you my current top 3 strength routines for beginners. Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength Original version: Workout A 1) Barbell Squat 3 x 52) Barbell Bench Press 3 x 5 3) Barbell Deadlift 1 x 5 Workout B 1) Barbell Squat 3 x 5 2) Barbell Military Press 3 x 5 3) Barbell Power Clean 5 x 3 Workouts A and B should be alternated on a 3-times-per-week basis. For example, Monday – workout A, Wednesday – workout B, Friday – workout A, Monday – workout B etc. Rough Strength version: Workout A 1) 3 x 5 2) Weighted Push-Ups 3 x 5 3) Double Swings 3 x 5 Workout B 1) Sandbag Bear Hug Squat 3 x 5 2) 3 x 5 3) 5 x 3 Same rules as above. My comments: Starting Strength routine have proven its usefulness with lots of trainees. It helped many people that were just step away from quitting. In my experience, this might be the most effective template for beginners. It worked like a clock for me and my clients. Its beauty in its and minimalism. There’s nothing unnecessary. That’s why it works. The only downside is that power clean is quite technically demanding. However, you can change it to weighted chin-ups if you like. Iron Addict’s SPBROriginal version: Monday Squat or box squat 2-3 x 5 Glute/Ham Raises or pullthroughs 3 x 10 Bent Row or Chest Supported row 4 x 6 Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8 Calf Raises 3 x 15 Wednesday Bench Press or low board press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3 Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8 Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8 Skull Crushers 3 x 10 Ab work 3 x 10 Friday or rack deadlift 2-3 x 5 Leg press 2 x 10 Chin or lat pull-down 4 x 6 Barbell or Dumbbell Curl 3 x 8 Calf Raises 3 x 15 Monday Incline bench press or Incline Dumbbell Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3 Dumbbell Bench Press 4 x 8 Military or Dumbbell Shoulder Press 3 x 8 Tricep pushdowns 3 x 10 Ab work 3 x 10 Wednesday Repeat Rough Strength version: Monday Zercher Squat 2-3 x 5 Glute/Ham Raises 3 x 10 Kettlebell Double Bent Row 4 x 6 One-Arm Towel Curl 3 x 8 Calf Raises 3 x 15 Wednesday Sandbag Floor Press 3 x 5, or 3 x 3 Incline Kettlebell Bench Press 4 x 8 One-Arm Kettlebell Military Press 3 x 8 Sandbag Skull Crushers 3 x 10 Ab work 3 x 10 FridayKettlebell One-Arm Snatch 2-3 x 5 Kettlebell Double Front Squat 2 x 10 Chin-Ups 4 x 6 Sandbag Curl 3 x 8 Calf Raises 3 x 15 Monday Handstand Push-Ups 3 x 5, or 3 x 3 Kettlebell Floor Press 4 x 8 Sandbag Shoulder Press 3 x 8 Incline Tiger Bend Push-Ups 3 x 10 Ab work 3 x 10 Wednesday Repeat My comments: This routine is awesome. It gives you enough and options, while having a solid base. It combines strength work and – best of the two worlds. Most of the trainees should progress very well on it. You can find my another variation of this routine (combined with ). The only downside of the routine is that it stops working someday (but it could be more than 6 months of steady progress). Pavel Tsatsouline’s Power to the People Original version: 1) Barbell Side Press 2 x 5 2) Barbell Deadlift 2 x 5 Monday through Friday – workout days. Weekend – rest. First set is approximately 5 rep maximum. Second set is 90% of the first one. Plain and simple. Rough Strength version: 1) Kettlebell Side Press2 x 5 2) Sandbag Zercher Squat 2 x 5 Same as above. My comments: Well, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll  using this routine, but you’ll (that’s all that matters, right?). Simple, hard to screw up, but definitely not easy. The only downside is that your workouts will take probably less than 30 minutes and you won’t be able to make an that you have no time. Closing Thoughts There you have it. These are my top 3 routines for building strength for beginners. Don’t be afraid of “beginner” status. In any case, if you can’t do double bodyweight deadlift for reps, then you definitely can benefit from these routines. And if you can, you should test these routines for variety. As always thanks for reading. Comments are mandatory. As well as sharing with your friends. Play rough! Alex Subscribe to my , , and for more strength routines. Train with me! Are you tired of lack of results? Strength training seems like rocket science to you? Do you want to get strong, build muscle, lose fat and getawesome finally? Let the professional do all the dirty work for you. Share this:

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