Barbell Starter (Greyskull LP)

The standard barbell entry program from the r/Fitness community, derived from Phrak's Greyskull LP. Two workouts alternate in an A/B pattern and cover all important movement patterns with six basic exercises. On every successful session the weight goes up — upper-body exercises in small jumps, lower-body in bigger ones. Recommended timeframe 8–12 weeks, then graduate to 'Full Body (Fierce 5)' for more volume or directly to 'Reddit PPL' with more available training days.

Who is this plan for?

• Beginners with 0-3 months of barbell experience or complete novices
• Equipment setup: barbell, rack, and bench — no gym with machines required
• Goal: learn the basic movements and build strength with a simple structure
• Willingness to start with light loads in the entry phase

How it works

• A/B rotation across two weeks: Workouts A and B alternate — week 1 runs A-B-A, week 2 runs B-A-B. Each exercise gets hit three times across two weeks.
• Linear progression: All reps completed means the weight goes up the next session. Upper-body exercises increase in small jumps, lower-body in bigger ones.
• Six basic exercises, nothing else: Squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, chin-up, barbell row. No isolation, no volume frills — clean learning of the basics.
• Auto-deload: After two consecutive failed attempts the app reduces the load automatically.

Pros & Limitations

Muscles trained

Avg. hits per week · Primary 1.0 · Secondary 0.5