Workout Summary
- Main GoalIncrease Strength
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelBeginner
- Program Duration8 weeks
- Days Per Week5
- Time Per Workout60 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
This eight-week program is designed to help you get stronger throughout the entire body. Yes, the big three power lifts are involved, but this isn’t necessarily a powerlifting program. The goal will be to lift more weight with all the major body parts.
You’re going to train five days a week, but none of these workouts will be that long. You should be in and out of the gym or weight room in less than an hour. We’re going to keep this to barbells and dumbbells as much as possible, but you can also expect some machine work. If you don’t have cables or machines, do the best you can with what you do have.
Recommended: Need help building muscle? Take our Free Muscle Building Course
FAQ’s Before We Start
Who are these workouts for?
Beginners and intermediate lifters that are prioritizing strength will see the best results from a program like this. Advanced lifters and competitive powerlifters may not see as much improvement, but they can certainly use this as a way to break the monotony of a previous program they were on.
Will this help me build muscle or lose fat?
You might notice some body composition changes if you’re following a nutrition plan that supports those goals. When it comes to fat loss, your cardio commitment will also play a role in that. To be clear, that is not the purpose of this program. This is designed and focused on strength.
Can I substitute exercises?
You can’t substitute the first lift of each workout. That is how you’re going to gauge the progress you make. If you can’t do them, then this is also not the program for you. As for the other exercises, if you need to swap something out because of the lack of equipment, just make sure you use something that works the same muscle. Our Exercise Database section has a lot of awesome choices to consider.
These workouts are short. Can I combine them or cut rest time to make it quicker or fit my schedule?
If you feel you can cut sometime between sets, then that would be ok. I do not recommend combining workouts so you have fewer days to train. These are meant for you to get in, train hard, and get out. Each muscle group also has ample time to work and recover.
There aren’t enough exercises to target a specific muscle. Can I add those in?
If developing specific muscles are your focus, then you should also consider another program. Training for strength is different than training for hypertrophy. You’re using the weights and exercises for a different purpose. I do not recommend adding movements except if you want to add your own ab training into the program.
Max Out on These Lifts
Before you start the training, you will need to know where you’re starting at. So, you should max out on the following lifts over the course of a week.
- Squat
- Bench Press
- Deadlift
- Standing Barbell Press
- Bent-Over Barbell Row
Max out on one lift each day. Don’t combine max-out days because the max on the second lift may be compromised. I suggest doing three to five warm-up sets followed by three singles to come up with your number. The final weight you succeed with is your max.
Recommended: The Best 15-Minute Warm-Ups
An example of maxing out for a squat may look like this:
- 95 pounds x 5 reps
- 135 pounds x 5 reps
- 185 pounds x 3 reps
- 205 pounds x 3 reps
- 225 pounds x 1 rep
- 245 pounds x 1 rep
- 255 pounds x 1 rep
The weights listed are only examples. The weight you use could be lighter or heavier. Find those numbers and log them because you’ll need them.
The Workouts
The goal is to train five days in a row with two days off. If you need to take a day off in between because of your school or work schedule, that is ok. Just make sure you take two complete days off from weight training a week. Light to moderate cardio is ok, but you shouldn’t push it.
The lifts you max out on are the opening lifts of each workout. Once you warm up, you will perform five working sets with the same weight. The weight you use will be a percentage of your max. That percentage will change each week. The chart below will show you what weights to use each week. This applies to all five opening lifts – squat, bench press, deadlift, standing barbell press, and bent-over barbell row. Rest for three minutes between each set of the opening lifts and two minutes between all other sets.
| Week | Sets/Reps Percentages |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Max Out Week (test your baseline) |
| Week 2 | 5 sets of 4 with 80% of your max |
| Week 3 | 5 sets of 3 with 85% of your max |
| Week 4 | 5 sets of 2 with 90% of your max |
| Week 5 | 4 sets of 4 with 80% of your max |
| Week 6 | 4 sets of 3 with 85% of your max |
| Week 7 | 4 sets of 2 with 90% of your max |
| Week 8 | Max Out Week (retest) |
On the eighth week, you’ll test out all five lifts again as you did in the first week. You should notice an improvement in all of them, but the amount of improvement will vary from person to person. You may also see more improvement in one lift than another.
Below are the workouts you will follow for the next seven weeks after your first max-out week.
Monday - Squat
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | See Chart | See Chart |
| Front Squat | 3 | 5 |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 3 | 8 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 8 |
Tuesday - Bench Press
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | See Chart | See Chart |
| Incline Bench Press | 3 | 5 |
| Dumbbell Fly | 3 | 8 |
| Tricep Dips | 3 | 8 |
Wednesday - Deadlift
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift | See Chart | See Chart |
| Good Mornings | 3 | 5 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 8 |
| Walking Lunge | 3 | 8 |
Thursday - Standing Barbell Press
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Standing Barbell Press | See Chart | See Chart |
| Front Raise | 3 | 5 |
| Seated Lateral Raise | 3 | 8 |
| Rope Tricep Extension | 3 | 8 |
Friday - Bent-Over Barbell Row
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bent-Over Barbell Row | See Chart | See Chart |
| Pull Up or Lat Pull Down | 3 | 5 |
| Rear Lateral Raise | 3 | 8 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 8 |
Nutrition
Some of you reading this may be wanting to lose weight, but restricting calories too much could hurt your strength cause. If you want a general guideline to follow, I would suggest sticking to these macro goals every day.
- Protein - .75 -1 gram per pound of bodyweight
- Fats - .5 grams per pound of bodyweight
- Carbs – 1 gram per pound of bodyweight
- Water – 1 gallon per day
You can break that up over 5-6 meals so they are smaller, or in three meals if that suits you best.
Recovery
Any and all forms of recovery could help you maximize your potential. Massages, foam rolling, stretching, and percussive gun treatments would all serve you well. The most important one of all is sleep. If you’re not sleeping enough, you aren’t going to see the best results.
What to Do After This Program
After you max out again on the eighth week, you can either give it a second run or move on to another program based on your new goals. That is up to you. If you take this for the full run, we would love to see how you do. Share your results in our comments section so we can encourage each other.
165 Comments
Hey Loving the routine so far I’m about to enter week 5. I’m just curious, week 5-8 is the same as week 1-4 in terms of load, but just less volume?(only 4 sets instead of 5). So is the last 4 weeks almost a de-load for some recovery?
Thanks
Hey Josh, thanks for reading M&S!
The one less set is so you can still put in serious work without adding risk of injury at this stage. The little extra recovery time will be key to helping maximize the potential for this program. It may seem like it's the opposite, but the goal is to make the sets you do count, not just do the most sets.
Hey this 8-weeks super strength plan looks awesome and really well laid out! I love that the program builds up progressively so you're not jumping too hard too fast. One idea might be to throw in some accessory movements especially using a cable pulley gym for movements like face pulls or cable chest fyles to round out the heavy compounds and help with joint stability. Excited to start this and see how the lifts go!
I appreciate the feedback on the cable work and hope this program serves you well. Feel free to check in with updates or if you have questions along the way.
Hey I've been going through the 8-Week Super Strength plan and I really like how well structured it is for building strength progressively. The early weeks give a solid base before you ramp up intensity, which helps with consistency and reducing burnout. I was wondering how you'd work in some accessory movement or two using a cable pulley gym maybe adding in cable-rows or tricep extensions to balance out the heavy barbel work for better overall development, looking forward to trying this plan out!
Solid idea! You can add one movement for smaller muscle groups or even two for larger muscle groups and do similar sets and reps. Cable rows and tricep extensions are great examples, but cable curls, lateral raises, and even different pulldowns would work as well.
Hi Roger. I'm a 60 year old woman and my goal is to not only strengthen, but also sculpt and tone my body. Could you please tell me if this strength programme for beginners will be suitable in starting to achieve that? Thanks.
Hi Bev, thank you for reading M&S.
I think this will get you on the right track for sure. After the eight weeks, you may need to pivot to another program to further pursue sculpting as a priority, but for now it will serve you well.
I do not understand why in the 8 week strength workout program in the weekly progression chart you shoe 5 set at 4 reps and decreasing every week and in the training schedule you mention always 3 sets at 5/8 reps. which one shall i follow as guide ? Thanks
Hi Pier, the sets of 5/8 are for the other exercises. The main exercise where it says "see chart" are the only ones you need to be concerned about with other reps.
Hope this helps!
Where is this chart located? im very confused it doesnt seem to be part of the download?
Hi Kevin, I apologize about the confusion. The chart that shows "Week Sets/Reps Percentages" is the chart I was referring to. You can screenshot it on your phone for future reference. I will suggest making the chart a part of the download to my editor. Thanks for pointing this out, and I hope this helps!
Are there specific weights for the exercises other than the main ones? I'm a bit confused if it's the same weight or not as the main lift.
Hi Connor, no specific weights on the other exercises. Just do the best you can with the weight that challenges you. I hope that clears it up.
If I just want to do squat, bench press, deadlift, standing barbell press, and bent-over barbell rows how does that change the sets and reps?
Or is it that important that I do all the variations?
Variations are important because they can serve as accessories that will help you get stronger on those main lifts. I don't suggest skipping those on this program.
Is it ok to add a deload week in the middle and then continue?
Hey Chris, sure is. Feel free to go with that. Let me know how it helps you, and thanks for reading M&S!
Quick question! Why does the set go down from 5 to 4 starting from week 5?
Hi Adam, as you get closer to the end, I wanted the person using this to save strength and maximize recovery. Even a set can make a difference when it comes to adding power. So, I was playing it safe. If you feel you need a fifth set, you can do it. But, I ran this myself before I wrote it and felt the four sets were plenty.
Hello roger, after weeks of trying to find a good workout that will (hopefully) make me stronger, i found yours, i plan to do your workout, but i have one question, is there an alternative for rope tricep extension that i can do at home, i have dumbbells and barbells. I have found many solutions for the other exercises that required a machine.
Hi Marc, honored you are trying my program. I would suggest doing close grip pushups with a very slow and calculated speed so the tension stays on the triceps instead of the joints. Hope this helps.
Awesome program Roger! Coming from more of CF training, I felt this program helped me a lot. I stuck with the program an my 1RM has gone up. Debating going again unless you’re willing to suggest another program.
Thanks again
I love that feedback, Chris. Thanks for doing my program. I think you could run it again and see even more success. If you do so, let me know and keep me posted on the progress.
Thanks for reading M&S!
Done 4 weeks now it feels like my bench have decreased what should i do this is not working well
Hi Michael, does it feel like it or have you actually tried it? I don't know how you have been dieting and what else you are doing outside of training, so it is hard for me to completely assess, but if you have tried to bench and are not satisfied, then move on to another program.
So the macros are they based on the weight I am now or the weight I want to be
Good question, Dan. Start with your current weight and bump it up every couple of weeks as you progress.
Ive done 3 weeks now seeing not alot of progresw and is this for benchpress and deadlift because i only wanna max them out and strenght matters only not muscle building
If you are not doing the entire program, it will not work to its full potential.
But you haven't finished it completely yet. I would suggest you keep pushing and see what happens over the next few weeks. If you wish to find another program, you can do so here.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
I did everything correctly
I’m 4 weeks into the program and I’m really enjoying it. I’m curious as to why there’s a reduction in volume (from 5 sets to 4) during the second month?
Thanks for the plan. Feeling stronger already!
Hi Reid, the reduction in sets is to promote recovery. As you get stronger, less volume will serve you best, but I wanted to make sure you still got adequate work in.
Looking for an alternative lift to replace the Front Squat. My wrists just can’t handle the weight, even dropping down in weight.
Leg Press should help. If your gym has a hack squat, go with that.
Hi how much rest time would you recommend during the programme. As well as for maxing out?
Hi Mateo, 90-120 seconds between sets would be good for training. When you max time, take the time you need. If you feel five minutes works, do it. If you're ready after three minutes, go after it!
When doing all the exercise should it be complete failiure or till u feel like the muscle cant do any reps
Hi Arian, failure for this means you can no longer do another rep with proper form on your own. At that point, you're done.
Subject: Guidance on Weight Selection for Strength Training Program
Dear [Instructor],
I hope this message finds you well. I recently received the strength training program you provided, and I’m excited to begin my journey toward increasing my strength. However, as a beginner, I’ve noticed that the program includes only the exercises, repetitions, and sets without specifying the weight I should be using for each exercise.
Could you please provide guidance on how to determine the appropriate weights to use, particularly since I’m just starting? Additionally, once I reach a certain level of comfort with the weights, should I stick to them or increase the weight gradually to continue making progress?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best regards,
Hi, Hassan. Thank you for the question.
There is no weight recommendations because each person would likely have different levels of strength starting this program. As I write this (8/13/2024), this article has over 576,000 reads. There is no way I could tell all those people to use the same weight or know how strong each of them are. You will very rarely find a program that has weight recommendations.
So, the way to determine this for yourself is trial and error. For the lifts outside of those with the chart recommendations, simply find a weight that you can lift with good form and see if you meet the rep ranges. If so, stick with it or increase. If not, decrease. Then, write down those weights so you can remember them for next time. I hope this helps.
Hello, I have started this program 5 weeks ago.
How can I increase strength but also decrease fat at the same time?
thank you
Hi Miles, your nutrition and cardio are going to dictate fat loss. You will need to keep your protein high to support the strength gains, but keep your calories low enough that you are burning more than you are taking in.
How much cardio are you doing, if any? Let me know, and I will do my best to provide a little more specific guidance.
Hello, I'm Morven and I have started this program last week.
I have few questions here:
1. For the other exercises, once I hit 5 reps for 3 sets (exercise following the opening lifts) and 8 reps for 3 sets (last 2 exercises) do I increase the weights? If so, what's the rep range for the increased weight? Like do 3-5 reps, 5-8 reps?
2. For the main exercise, here for example, my max is 30kg for bench press, the 80% of it is 24kg and 85% is 25.5kg. The gym I go to have 2.5kg plates as the lightest for kilos, and 2.5lbs for pounds. Do I use 25kg weights for week 2 and 3?
- I use the bar that weighs 40lbs, it can't fit lbs plates
- Is it okay to switch to the bar that can fit the plates with lbs unit?
3. And lastly for now, I can't do triceps dips, even one rep. Can I replace it with the cables machine?
Thank you for this program and in advance for your answer.
Hi Morven, hopefully I can answer these questions for you.
1. Yes, you do increase the weight by a small margin. Those rep ranges you shared are good, but your goal should be to get the total reps for all three sets once again. For example, if you can lift 100 pounds on the incline bench press for 3 sets of 5 reps, then go up to 105. Small jump, but it will still challenge you. Once you can do 3x5 with 105, go up to 110, and so on.
2. Go to the closest number you can either way for your percentage. In the example you shared, I would say yes, go with 25 kg.
3. You can do cables or pushups. Either would be suitable, but make sure you keep trying on the dips. Eventually, they will come up for you.
Keep me posted on your progress, and best of luck!
Congrats on the progress, Morven! Honored you used my program. I regret that you didn't see the results you wanted on those two lifts.
I am guessing when you say RSR, you mean the Russian Squat Routine. If I am wrong, then let me know. If I am correct, then that is going to be taxing enough that I don't think you should do anything else besides that. If you are looking for something for overall strength beyond the squat alone, then you may want to consider something like 5/3/1 or the Coan/Phillipi routine.
Good day/evening everyone and Mr. Roger, this is the last day of the program, and I just finished retesting my max on rows. Here are the results:
Back Squat: 85kg to 105kg
Bench Press: 50kg to 55kg
Deadlift: 105kg to 120kg
Standing Barbell Press: 45kg to 45kg
Bent-over Barbell Row: 60kg to 65kg
I'm very satisfied with my squat and deadlift progress. For bench and standing presses, I was hoping to gain more than 5kg and 0kg respectively. I think I did something wrong for those two lifts.
I would like your (anyone) opinion for my next program.
I did gain some buddies while training in the gym, two of them train strength, and both did the Smolov and currently doing Russian Squat Routine. They suggested I try Smolov after this then do RSR.
For me, I will go for RSR as I am not yet mentally prepared for Smolov, and I would also like to train the other lifts other than focusing on squats.
Do you have a recommendation for program/s I can pair with RSR?
Thank you!
Hey quick question. So I am 5ft 9 inches about 165 Lbs. I'm 31 years old and have a little fluff on my face and stomach due to being married with kids. I used to workout a lot. But life got in the way. I wanna get back and would like to aim for decent size again as in a small dude. Do you recommend I start out with this program to build my foundation first or should I do the "8 Week Mass Building Workout for Beginners" first? Thanks in advance again I wanna be big that's my goal. Thanks in advance for the help!
Hey Jacob, thanks for reading M&S.
Since size is the prize, the 8 Week Mass Building Workout for Beginners is what I suggest you do first. This one can help you get a little bigger, but it is designed for strength and power. The Mass Building workout is specifically for folks like you. Either way, best of luck, and let me know how it goes!