Barbell Starter (Basic Beginner Routine)

A short introduction to barbell training for complete beginners: two full-body workouts alternate, with three exercises per session. This simplified hitPR version uses fixed rep targets and consistent weight increments. It follows the structure of the strength-training portion of the r/Fitness Basic Beginner Routine while deliberately adapting its progression.

Who is this plan for?

• Complete beginners who are still learning the fundamental barbell lifts
• Three training days per week and access to a barbell, rack, bench, and somewhere to do chin-ups
• Anyone looking for a simple introduction to strength training with deliberately low volume
• Willingness to start with light weights and focus on clean repetitions

How it works

• A/B rotation: Week 1 runs A-B-A and week 2 runs B-A-B. The two-week pattern then repeats. Leave at least one full rest day between strength sessions.
• Sets and rest: Every exercise starts with three sets of five reps. Stop each set at its prescribed target; the final set is not an open-ended maximum-rep set. Rest is set to three minutes between sets. The session duration is an estimate that excludes additional warm-up sets.
• Increasing weight: When you reach at least five reps in all three sets of a barbell exercise, its weight increases the next time you train it. The increment is 1.25 kg for barbell bent over row, barbell bench press, barbell overhead press and 2.5 kg for barbell squat, barbell deadlift. These increments apply to the total weight, not each side.
• Reducing weight: If you miss a set target on a barbell exercise, keep the same weight initially. After two consecutive sessions of that exercise with a missed target, the weight drops by 10%. A successful session resets the failure count.
• Reps instead of added weight: For chin-up, meeting every set target adds one target rep to each set, for example from 3×5 to 3×6. After one session with a missed set target, each set target drops by one rep, never below one. This is a deliberate hitPR adaptation.
• Swapping an exercise: If you choose a suggested alternative, check and set up its sets, rep targets, starting weight, and suitable progression again. The existing rep progression does not automatically carry over when switching to an exercise with weight or assistance.

Pros & Limitations

Muscles trained

Avg. hits per week · Primary 1.0 · Secondary 0.5