Most strength programs fail in the second week, not because they're wrong but because they're too much. Here is the version you'll actually finish.
The five movements
- A squat (goblet squat to start: hold one dumbbell at your chest)
- A hinge (Romanian deadlift with dumbbells)
- A push (push-ups, raised on a bench if the floor is unkind)
- A pull (a cable or dumbbell row)
- A carry (walk with a heavy dumbbell in each hand, tall and slow)
The plan
Three days a week, with a day off between. Every session: all five movements, three sets each, eight to twelve reps, finishing every set with two good reps still in the tank.
- Week one: learn the shapes. Light enough to be boring.
- Week two: the same weights, cleaner and slower.
- Week three: add a little weight to anything that felt easy.
- Week four: add a little again, then take a lighter session to finish the month.
Progress is a slightly heavier dumbbell, done well, every week or two. It is not a personality transplant.
What to wear and bring
Flat, stable shoes (not your running shoes), clothes you can move in, water, and a notebook or an app to write down what you lifted. Next week you'll want to beat it.
If something hurts in a sharp or unfamiliar way, stop, and see a physiotherapist before you push through it.
