Health & Fitness
Programme builder
Four questions and you have a full week: which lifts, how many sets, what reps, how hard, and the rule for when the weight goes up. Nothing here is generated by a model, so it cannot invent an exercise or give you a peaking block in your first month.
Pick what survives a term, not week one.
Upper 1
Day 1| Bench press Main | 3 x 5 to 8 | RPE 7 to 8 |
| Pull-up | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Overhead press | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Barbell row | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
| Barbell curl and triceps pushdown | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
Lower 1
Day 2| Back squat Main | 3 x 5 to 8 | RPE 7 to 8 |
| Deadlift | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Walking lunge | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
| Hanging leg raise | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
Upper 2
Day 3| Incline bench press Main | 3 x 5 to 8 | RPE 7 to 8 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Seated dumbbell press | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Seated cable row | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
| Hammer curl and skullcrusher | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
Lower 2
Day 4| Front squat Main | 3 x 5 to 8 | RPE 7 to 8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 x 8 to 10 | RPE 8 |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
| Cable crunch | 3 x 12 | RPE 8 |
The part that actually matters
Double progression, week to week
Stay at the same weight until you hit the top of the rep range on every set, then add the smallest jump available and start again at the bottom of the range. Session to session progress has stopped by now, so judge it across weeks.
Backing off: Every fifth week, keep the weights and halve the sets. You will come back stronger, not detrained.
Weekly sets per movement
Shown so you can see the balance rather than take it on trust. Pulling should be at least as high as pushing.