Garage Gym Warrior
The following program is designed for those with a bare-bones list of equipment
available to them. This is also appropriate for those that just prefer the
simplicity of training the entire body with a minimal exercise selection and a
simple to follow progression.
Required Equipment​:
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Sturdy Power Rack
Bench Press Unit or Utility Flat Bench
Good Barbell(s) & Plates (including fractional plates)
Chinning Bar
Preferred (but not essential) Equipment:
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Bumper Plates
EZ Curl Bar
Dumbbells
Cardio Equipment (1 piece minimum – Bike, Treadmill, Rower, etc)
Blast Straps, TRX Straps, or Rings (for Bodyweight Rows if Chins cannot be
performed).
Program Overview
The basic format for this program is the classic Heavy-Light-Medium template.
HLM programs have proven themselves over the years to be effective for
increases in strength & muscle mass. They are inherently flexible and adjustable
for a range of individual trainees. Maybe most importantly, they are easier to
recover from than other intermediate level programs like the Texas Method,
making them accessible to trainees over 40 or those who have difficulty with
recovery.
This is basically a 12-13 week peaking cycle. There are 3 progressively heavier
three-week strength building cycles that fluctuate volume and intensity (9 weeks
total), followed by another 3-4 week peaking cycle, where you can test your lifts
and get new maximums. Follow the testing week, it is recommended you take
1-2 weeks of easy/light training and then you can hop back into this for another
12 week run.
Testing the Lifts
At the conclusion of the training cycle it is recommended that trainees test new
maximums in order to (1) measure progress (2) set up bench marks for the next
training cycle.
However, for those who train alone (in a garage or basement gym) it is
recommended that testing be focused on two lifts – The Press & The Deadlift.
Why?
These exercises are safe to test alone. Missing a rep on Press or a Deadlift
simply means putting the bar down. There is no danger of a fall or getting
pinned under the bar. 1RM (1-rep max) testing for the Squat can be dangerous,
even if you have a sturdy rack with safety pins. Use caution if you choose to test
the squat. Bench Pressing is potentially even more dangerous for 1rm testing if
you train alone. There is a risk of getting pinned under the barbell. If you
choose to test the Bench Press….please make sure your safety pins are set up
accordingly.
If you do not wish to test the Bench Press and the Squat, you can safely assume
a conservative PR of about 5% per lift as a benchmark for your next training
cycle (if you completed the 12 week program).
It’s also tough to test 4 lifts for 1RMs within a week. Limiting testing to just The
Press & The Deadlift will make the testing week much more simple.
Prior to beginning your first cycle of this program you will need to know your
current 1RMs for each lift. A conservative single on each lift is a sufficient
starting place.
Take 1 week prior to beginning this program as testing week to establish some
conservative starting weights.
DO NOT overestimate your current 1RM before starting this program. You will
crash and burn midway through this program if you start off too heavy.
Organization of Training / Weekly Schedule
Monday:
● Heavy Squat
● Medium Press
● Medium Deadlift
Wednesday:
● Light Squat
● Bench Press (serves as “light day” press, since it indirectly trains the press)
● Barbell Rows (serves as “light day” deadlift, since it indirectly trains the
deadlift)
Friday:
● Medium Squat
● Heavy Press
● Heavy Deadlift
It is recommended that this organization is kept in place for the duration of the
training cycle. This program has been properly designed to fluctuate stress
evenly throughout the week and keep workouts to a manageable length.
Garage Gym Warrior Program
WEEK 1
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 6 x 70%
● Press 3 x 6 x 65%
● Deadlift 3 x 6 x 60%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 6 x 60%
● Bench Press 4 x 6 x 70%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 8 (use a weight you can achieve all 4 x 8 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 6 x 65%
● Press 4 x 6 x 70%
● Deadlift 1 x 6 x 70%
WEEK 2
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 5 x 75%
● Press 3 x 5 x 70%
● Deadlift 3 x 5 x 65%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 5 x 65%
● Bench Press 4 x 5 x 75%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 6 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x 6 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 5 x 70%
● Press 4 x 5 x 75%
● Deadlift 1 x 5 x 75%
WEEK 3
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 4 x 80%
● Press 3 x 4 x 75%
● Deadlift 3 x 4 x 70%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 4 x 70%
● Bench Press 4 x 4 x 80%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 4 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x4 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 4 x 75%
● Press 4 x 4 x 80%
● Deadlift 1 x 4 x 80%
WEEK 4
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 6 x 75%
● Press 3 x 6 x 70%
● Deadlift 3 x 6 x 65%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 6 x 65%
● Bench Press 4 x 6 x 75%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 8 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x8 with strict form –
a little more than week 1)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 6 x 70%
● Press 4 x 6 x 75%
● Deadlift 1 x 6 x 75%
WEEK 5
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 5 x 80%
● Press 3 x 5 x 75%
● Deadlift 3 x 5 x 70%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 5 x 70%
● Bench Press 4 x 5 x 80%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 6 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x6 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 5 x 75%
● Press 4 x 5 x 80%
● Deadlift 1 x 5 x 80%
WEEK 6
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 4 x 85%
● Press 3 x 4 x 80%
● Deadlift 3 x 4 x 75%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 4 x 75%
● Bench Press 4 x 4 x 85%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 4 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x4 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 4 x 80%
● Press 4 x 4 x 85%
● Deadlift 1 x 4 x 85%
WEEK 7
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 6 x 80%
● Press 3 x 6 x 75%
● Deadlift 3 x 6 x 70%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 6 x 70%
● Bench Press 4 x 6 x 80%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 8 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x8 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 6 x 75%
● Press 4 x 6 x 80%
● Deadlift 1 x 6 x 80%
WEEK 8
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 5 x 85%
● Press 3 x 5 x 80%
● Deadlift 3 x 5 x 75%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 5 x 75%
● Bench Press 4 x 5 x 85%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 6 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x6 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 5 x 80%
● Press 4 x 5 x 85%
● Deadlift 1 x 5 x 85%
WEEK 9
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 4 x 90%
● Press 3 x 4 x 85%
● Deadlift 3 x 4 x 80%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 4 x 80%
● Bench Press 4 x 4 x 90%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 4 (use a weight you can achieve all 4x4 with strict form)
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 4 x 85%
● Press 4 x 4 x 90%
● Deadlift 1 x 4 x 90%
WEEK 10
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 4 x 80%
● Press 3 x 4 x 75%
● Deadlift 3 x 4 x 70%
Wednesday:
● Squat or Pause Squat 2 x 4 x 70%
● Bench Press 4 x 4 x 80%
● Barbell Rows 4 x 8
Friday:
● Squat 3 x 4 x 75%
● Press 4 x 4 x 80%
● Deadlift 1 x 4 x 80%
WEEK 11
Monday:
● Squat 4 x 1-2 x 95%
● Press 3 x 2 x 85%
● Deadlift 3 x 2 x 85%
Wednesday
● Squat 2 x 2 x 75%
● Bench Press 4 x 1-2 x 95%
● BB Rows 4 x 6
Friday
● Squat 3 x 2 x 85%
● Press 4 x 1-2 x 95%
● Deadlift 1 x 2 x 95%
Week 12 – Deload
Tuesday
● Squat 3 x 3 x 80%
● Press 3 x 3 x 80%
Friday
● Squat 3 x 3 x 75%
● Press 3 x 3 x 75%
Week 13 – Testing
Monday or Tuesday
● Find a new 1RM for the Press & Deadlift
Thursday or Friday
● Find a new 1RM for the Squat & Bench Press (optional) or do lighter
Squat/Bench workout for active recovery.
FAQ
Can I Train on This Program Just Two Day Per Week?
Yes. There are two ways to go about doing this program with less frequency.
First is simply to train a day, then take two days off, and then do the next
workout. This will result in a varying schedule week to week, but will give you
extra rest days.
For example: Mon-Heavy; Thurs-Light; Sun-Medium; Weds-Heavy; Sat-Light;
Tues-Medium; Fri-Heavy; Mon-Light; etc.
The second method is just two fixed days per week. Good set ups include the
following combination of days: Monday/Thursday; Tuesday/Friday; or
Wednesday/Saturday.
For example: Mon-Heavy; Thurs-Light; Mon-Medium; Thurs-Heavy;
Mon-Light; Thurs-Medium. Etc.
I Don’t Think I Can Recover From Deadlifting Twice Per Week, can I pull just
1x/week?
Yes. Although if you stay with the program your body will adapt to pulling more
frequently.
If you want to pull just once per week, then don’t do any deadlifts on Monday.
Replace those with something easier like chin ups, pull ups, or bodyweight rows.
Choose an exercise that trains the back, but not the low back. You could also do
your Barbell Rows on Monday and do your easier upper-back exercise on
Wednesday.
On Friday, you should do your single top work set as prescribed and follow that
with back off sets using the loads/sets/reps that were prescribed on Monday. If
this still feels like too much, just do one single work set, followed by one single
back off set.
Two other tips.
Use straps on your medium deadlift day. This will help save the nervous system
from too much stress.
You can also use a “lighter” deadlift variant for equivalent volume on your
Medium Deadlift day. So instead of Deadlifting 3x6, you could do RDLs or Stiff
Leg Deadlifts that use lighter loads. In these cases, the % recommendation
doesn’t apply and you’ll just have to select an appropriate load to use for those
workouts.
Power Cleans are also an option for your Medium Deadlift Day.
Can I do Cardio on This Program? If so, how?
Yes. Best days to do cardio are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturdays. I’d
probably avoid any type of conditioning or cardio work on Sunday (the day
before heavy squats) and maybe even avoid it on Thursday (the day before
heavy deadlifts). Best results will come from 2-4 days per week of 20-40
minutes at a time, either on off days or post-workout. If you need it, how you
do your cardio is less important than actually doing it.
Basically any type of conditioning work is permissible provided it doesn’t
interfere with your strength work. So that pretty much eliminates long distance
running/jogging or any sort of Crossfit-style metcon with a lot of soreness
producing movements like squats, push ups, lunges, etc.
Basically just try to stick with conventional modalities and you’ll get better
results.
Any sort of stationary bike or Airdyne type bike, treadmills, ellipticals, and
rowers are all very useful and simple to work with and probably fit nicely in your
garage or basement gym.
Again 2-4 days per week of 20-40 minutes at a time is an appropriate cardio
prescription depending on your goals. At the low end we have 20 minutes 2
days per week just to maintain some work capacity in and out of the gym, and at
the high end 40 minutes 4 days per week is appropriate for those who need to
lose significant amounts of body fat while still having time and energy to train
with barbells.
Can I do Assistance Exercises on This Program? If so, what?
Yes, but it should be limited. This program is pretty high volume already and
assumes you don’t have much to work with other than barbells. However, there
are other movements you may want to include. Just don’t get carried away and
overdo it. All assistance work is 100% optional. Squatting 3x/week and
Deadlifting 2x/week eliminates the need for any lower body assistance work or
extra low-back training. Most assistance exercise will be for the upper body. If
you want more lower body assistance type work, try dragging a sled or pushing a
prowler for your conditioning work.
● Lying Tricep Extensions: use an EZ Curl bar or pair of Dumbbells. 3-4 x
10-15 reps. Do these on Friday after the main barbell work.
● Chin Ups/Pull Ups: use bodyweight or add weight if needed. 20-50 total
repetitions after either or both of the main workouts on Monday and
Friday. If only deadlifting 1x/week you can replace the 2nd
​ ​ Deadlift
workout with chins/pull ups.
● Bodyweight Rows: use straps, TRX cords, or rings. 50-100 total reps after
the main workout on Monday or Friday. Use only if you cannot do chins
or pull ups.
● Barbell or Dumbbell Curls: 2-4 x 8-12. Perform after any of the main
workouts.
● Abdominals: basic sit ups or leg raises for 2-3 sets after any of the
workouts.
I can’t /don’t Want to Focus on the Press? Can I Make This a Bench Press
Focused Program?
Yes. In this instance you’d Press on Wednesdays, Bench Heavy on Friday, and
Bench Medium on Monday.
Light & Medium Days Just Feel Too Easy? Should I Make Them Heavier?
No. But there are things you can do that will make light weights ​seem harder if
you just really hate the idea of having an easy workout. Just remember that the
purpose of the light and medium days are not necessarily to create tons of new
stress so don’t kill yourself.
1. Bar Speed. Try exploding into the barbell on your light and medium
exercises. Move the bar fast enough to try and make the plates rattle a
little bit at the top. It may not move fast, but the act of trying to move it
fast will make the exercise harder.
2. Pauses. Squats and Presses can be made much harder by lengthening the
pause at the bottom of the rep. Be very careful with this on squats as
Pause Squats are very stressful. You don’t necessarily have to pause every
rep of every set.
3. Alter the Exercise. For instance, if the medium day deadlift feels way too
easy, then pull from a small 1-2 inch deficit to increase range of motion. If
you had a medium day Bench Press then perhaps do so with a Close Grip.
4. Shortened rest intervals. Shave a few minutes off your normal rest
interval and quicken the pace on the light and medium exercises.
Light & Medium Days Are Still Very Hard? Should I Make Them Lighter?
Yes. In some cases this might be necessary. Right now, for most of the program
the light days are 10% less than the heavy days and the medium days are 5% less
than the heavy days (medium deadlifts are already at 10% offset).
For some lifters it might be necessary to make light days 20% less than heavy
days, and medium days 10% less than heavy days.
Light and Medium days do not always feel easy, nor should they. But you should
never be in danger of missing reps or having your form fall apart. If you miss
reps or cannot maintain good form on your light or medium days then you need
to increase the offset each week.