Programming your first twelve weeks
Write your own beginner block: three sessions a week, two lifts a session, and rules for the weeks that go sideways.
You now have a brace, a hinge, and a deadlift that tells you the truth. The last skill is arranging them across a calendar you don’t fully control. This lesson walks you through writing your own twelve-week block, because a program you wrote is a program you understand.
The skeleton
Three sessions a week. Each session: one main pull or squat pattern, one push or carry, and one honest set of the bracing drill as a warm-up. That’s it. The volume looks insultingly small on paper and feels exactly right by week six.
| Weeks | What changes | What does not |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | A little weight, only when every rep passed the checklist | The rep count |
| 5-8 | A rep per set | The weight |
| 9-12 | Nothing. Notice week one’s weight is now a warm-up | Everything else |
Rules for real life
- Miss one session: do nothing, carry on. The week absorbs it.
- Miss a whole week: repeat the previous week’s weights. Do not “make it up.”
- Sleep badly: halve the weight, keep the movement. Showing up counts double on bad days.
A session, written out
Session A - Monday
Brace drill 5 slow breaths
Deadlift 3 x 5 60 kg (every rep passed? -> +2.5 kg next week)
Push-up or press 3 x 8
Carry 3 x 30 m
Session B - Wednesday
Brace drill 5 slow breaths
Goblet squat 3 x 8 20 kg
Row 3 x 10
Carry 3 x 30 mThat is the whole format. Two lines of detail per lift, and a note to yourself about what earns the next increase.
Your assignment
Write your twelve weeks on one page. If it doesn’t fit on one page, it isn’t a beginner program. Then take the fundamentals check in the next lesson - passing it is how you graduate.
Can I add arms, calves, or anything else I like?
Yes, at the end, and keep it to two sets. The rule is that nothing added is allowed to cost you a rep on the two lifts that came first.
What happens after twelve weeks?
Run it again. Same skeleton, new starting weights, slightly better positions. The second block is the one where most of the strength actually arrives.
Resources
Twelve weeks, one pageThe blank block from this lesson - three sessions a week, twelve rows.DownloadThe hinge checklistFour lines to hold a rep against, small enough to tape inside a notebook.DownloadProgress is saved to your account.
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