AJACS FREE Foundations Program-A Training Program
for Beginning Trainees
Who is this program for?
-This program is written for those that are new to lifting, and want a
foundational program to begin building muscle
I have written this to be as basic as possible. It’s the first step “start
from 0” program you can do when you first get a gym membership and
want to get your body moving and working, and learning the basic
patterns of how to lift weights and perform a productive workout.
This program is not designed to fix your old injuries, solve your mobility
problems, or a magical solution to some complicated physical problem.
If you need to solve such things, HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER and get
expert coaching and direction on how to do so.
This program is not a beginner program in the sense that is “easy”,
rather it is very simple in its design and setup.
This program uses the bodyweight, dumbbells, and the barbell.
If you are not comfortable using the barbell at all, you can elect NOT to
use it, and only perform the bodyweight and dumbbell portions of the
workout.
I’m not there to coach you, and it is up to you to learn the movements
Sold to
nanaabddo@gmail.com
correctly.
I only include machines for ONE movement in this program, which is lat
pulldowns (and it is interchangeable with pullups as well). While you
may have access to machines, I elected to make this program simple to
use and workable in any gym, hence why there are no machine
movements other than that one exercise. Machines can be very useful,
but I have no way of knowing what kind of machines you specifically
have access to. Lat pulldowns are typically the only machine that is
reliably of the same design at every gym.
The Foundational Patterns of Movement
To begin with, understand that there are no such things as "perfect"
exercises, or any singular "best exercise". Get that idea out of your
head completely.
Instead, consider the perspective that the human body follows
common PATTERNS of direction, and subsequent movement. You
intuitively already know this. You know you can stand, you can squat
down, you pick things up, you can move objects. Every human being on
earth, regardless of height, size, gender, we all do the same motions.
There are seven “big” patterns that comprise human movement. Each
patterns can be broken down into smaller parts, but overall, these
seven patterns represent the “whole” of moving. They are
1. Hip Hinge (deadlift)
2. Squat
3. Lunge (Single Leg)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Push/Press (Upper Body)
Pull (Upper Body)
Twist (Rotation)
Loaded Carry
If you are “good” at exercising, you should be good at moving. Being
good at moving means being strong, fast, and muscular. Being good at
moving means being able to do the 7 foundational movements.
If your training neglects these movements, if it does not include the
compound version of these movements, or you do not use appropriate
variety, then you will very likely become dysfunctional with time.
As a personal trainer, I assess clients 24/7. Part of what I assess them is
their ability to do the foundational movements. If someone workouts
on their own, and they come to me, I will do a series of simple test to
determine if they can do the above. Quite often they cannot. People
train legs but they cannot squat. They train back but they cannot do a
single chin-up. They train chest but dips are impossible for them.
You could say these people are not training “functionally”. Function
training=effective training that gets you bigger, faster, stronger. If your
training does none of those things, your training is non functional.
Every exercise you can think falls into one or more of those seven
movements. Those movements can further simplified into TWO
categories though
Pressing movements-movements where you project force outward and
upward (bench press, squats, shoulder pressing)
Pulling movements-movement where you produce force inwards (rows,
deadlifts, pullups)
In this program, for the sake of simplicity, you perform pushing and
pulling movements. This will prepare you to move onto higher level
exercises in the future with greater coordination and muscle demands.
A Quick Primer on the different forms of resistance training
Bodyweight MovementsBodyweight training was historically referred to as “calisthenics”, and it
simply refers to ANY kind of resistance training movement that uses
your own bodyweight as the resistance.
Why should you use your bodyweight? A number of reasons
1. It’s the most direct way to build muscle. Performing the foundational
5 movements in this program will put muscle on the arms, chest, back,
shoulders, and lower body swiftly, with a noticeable increase in
strength.
2. It develops kinesthetic awareness-also called special awareness,
mastering your bodyweight with basic movement is an excellent way to
improve overall athleticism
3. It gives you the strength and muscle base for external loads-Getting
strong at bodyweight movements gets you stronger at lifting weights,
and vice versa. Rather than think you should do only one or the other,
do BOTH and enjoy the synergistic effect.
4. Exercises can be done almost anywhere-Free weights require a gym
of some kind, and machines take up space. With your body though, you
are your own machine. So even if you are traveling, or have limited
space, you can still perform a bodyweight workout routine and
maintain your results
5. Results come FAST-Bodyweight exercises can noticeably improve
week to week, and this makes training them very encouraging for new
trainees
DumbbellsThe name “Dumbbell” originates from a practice of removing the bell
from large cathedral (church) bells in England hundreds of years ago.
Removing the bell would “dumb” the bell.
Bellringers were well recognized for immense back and arm
development that came from having to manually ring these enormous
bells in the large cathedrals. To practice and develop the strength for
this labor, they would practice with “dumbbells”.
Over many years, this name eventually came to refer to any sort of
spherical weight that was used for physical resistance training.
Dumbbells in modern times come in every kind of weight, from 1lb all
the way up to 200lbs, and they vary in design. Some are solid metal,
some are plated together. Some around circular, others are hexagonal.
Regardless, dumbbells are extremely versatile, and can in fact be used
entirely by themselves to craft a muscular physique. See my “DB
Reconstruction” program is this is something that interests you in the
future (password is “dummy” to access).
Dumbbell movements are nearly infinite. While the basic movements
are tried and proven, the ways to modify them are too many to count.
DBs can be added to bodyweight movements, or DB movements can be
changed to target very specific aspects of a muscle.
In this program, we will cover the “Essential 8” Dumbbell movements
that any man should be able to perform with good technique
Machines
Machines are not in this program, but some education on them would
be useful. Machines are often marketed as “state of the art”, but in
reality they’ve existed for thousands of years. Various lifting
apparatuses have been discovered in many cultures worldwide, from
loaded carts, to stones and logs that were meant to be picked up and
flipped, to even mechanical machines that could be pressed or picked
up.
Modern machines today are simple in what they do: they apply
resistance along a specific direction of movement.
Some machines mimic compound exercises very well. A seated row, or
a smith machine, or a machine shoulder press, all can be effective for
building muscle growth.
Often times machines are criticized as being inferior to free weights,
but this is not true. Machines can be equally effective at building
muscle and strength, and the effectiveness of a machine must be
considered in the context of how it is used. Keep in mind that the
weight you use on machines does not often directly translate to free
weight movements, but at the same time, getting strong on machines
WILL get you stronger at free weights, and vice versa.
All tools are equally effective, and the only reason they wouldn’t “work”
for building muscle is if they were used improperly.
The Barbell
The Barbell has a special place in the fitness world. The barbell can be
loaded to relative “infinity”, and because the barbell is perfectly
balanced in how it’s handled and moved, it is very easy to assess
strength levels when using it. Because the barbell weights 45lbs, or
20kg, it requires a degree of starting strength as well.
While the barbell lifts can form the cornerstones of most programs,
they are not the “be all end all” answer to everyone’s musclebuilding
desires. Depending on your own anthropometrics (body dimensions)
you may be well suited for the barbell lifts, or find that certain lifts do
not quite fit your body type. Regardless, it is good to be at least familiar
with the lifts themselves, even if they do not all became a “main”
movement in your training. Handling the barbell is an excellent way to
develop total body strength, and learn technical setup cues that carry
over in all other manners of resistance training
Other Training Implements: Cables, SandBags, Kettlebells, Battling
Ropes, Suspension Training
Once you learn the basic compound movements, you’ll realize that
there are many many ways to create exercises out of them. Some
movements are effective, some not so much. While it is impossible to
rank all exercises (there are thousands), I’d encourage you to
experiment with everything. Part of the training process is a self
discovery process, and everyone has their own preferences and needs.
Don’t believe that training must always be rigid with no flexibility at all.
If you find an implement or exercise that challenges you, and that you
can assess progress on, include it in your training at some pointing to
master it. Programs are not permanent
Lifelong Training Principles to Follow
● You want to utilize compound movements for the majority of your
exercises. Compound movements stimulate more muscle growth
and promote greater strength adaptations. The only muscle
groups which can be trained exclusively in isolation are calves,
biceps, and sometimes triceps and shoulders.
● All exercises will always be done with a full range of motion. In
some cases, you may want to limit the range of motion due to
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joint issue or to keep sustained tension on the target muscle, but
otherwise plan on all exercises being done with complete ROM
An effective workout could be as short as 20 minutes, or as long
as 120, depending on how much volume you wish to train with.
The critical question is whether that workout helped you to make
progress. If it did, it was a good workout. That said, an effective
resistance training workout should be about 45-60 minutes in
length.
Get a logbook and record your training. This is best accomplished
with a simple spiral bound notebook and handwriting notes. I do
not believe digital record keeping is best for recording training
performance
Simple linear progression is accomplished through THREE
different ways
I. Improved coordination and a decrease in physical exertion with
a given weight and reps
II. Improved endurance from improved coordination and
adaptation, which allows you to do more reps with the same
weight
III. Increasing the weight after your coordination has improved
and you can perform more reps.
When a set of 6 goes from being hard to easy, and then becomes
a set of 7, then 8, then 9, then 10, 11 and 12, only THEN do you
increase the weight.
As a general Heuristic, do not increase weight until you can
perform DOUBLE the amount of reps you performed at the
beginning with the given weight.
You MUST stretch after you are done training. If you have no idea
how to static stretch, then purchase the r​ ecommended book on
static stretching.
Training Schedule
This is as simple as it gets. You have an A, B, C, and D workout.
The schedule is Push, Pull, Legs, Press
Push=Chest and Triceps
Pull= Back and Biceps
Legs=calves, quads, hams, glutes
Press=Shoulders, Lats (the lats are heavily involved in stabilizing the
shoulders during pressing)
You will train 4 days weekly. If you cannot train 4 days weekly, you can
train 3 days weekly, ABC, DAB, CDA, so on and so forth.
If you miss a scheduled training day, you perform it the next time you
are in the gym.
Each workout consists of 3-4 movements. All the exercises are
compound movements.
For warming up, perform 1-2 light sets, and perform whatever stretches
are necessary for YOU, so that your joints feel prepared to lift. This will
vary individual to individual. Walking for 5-10 minutes followed by
dynamic stretching is my best general recommendation.
Training Program
Workout A-Push
1. Incline Barbell Bench Press 5 sets x 5 reps
2. Flat DB Chest Press 4 sets x 8-10 reps
3. Moderate grip Pushups or Dips 3 sets x 10-20 reps, or positive
failure (whichever comes first)
Workout B-Pull
1. Seated Cable Row, T-Bar Row, Bent-Over or Chest Supported 5
sets x 6-10 reps
2. 1-Arm DB Rows 3 sets x 8-12 reps
3. Pullups/Chinups or Pulldowns 4 sets x 6-10 reps
Workout C-Squat
1.
2.
3.
4.
Barbell Back Squat 5 sets x 5 reps
DB Goblet Squat 4 sets x 8-12 reps
Walking Lunges 4 sets x 8-12 steps
Bodyweight Calf Raises 100 total reps, however many sets
necessary
Workout D
1. Seated DB Shoulder Press 5 sets x 8-12 reps
2. Seated Row or Chest Supported DB row 3 sets x 15-20 reps
3. Lat Pulldowns/Chinups 4 sets x AMAP
That is the whole Program
Simple, effective, easy to track, and you’ll be doing the “meat and
potato” movements that all good training programs are built around.
While this program does not obviously teach you EVERY exercise, if you
can become proficient in the ones above, you’ll have the strength base
to make future progress and get more customized with your training.
Training Notes and Q&As
1. What if I have NO idea how to do this exercise?
I recommend the following fitness youtube channels
AthleanX
MountainDog1
Alan Thrall
Jeff Nippard
Understand that you will need to TRY THINGS and be brave and
experiment. Learning to train is a learning curve
2. How fast should I perform these movements?
>You should lift at a “normal” tempo, meaning not using momentum,
jerking, and free falling to do a lift. Your movements should be precise
and done with the control. The specific number of seconds going down
and up do not matter.
3. How heavy should I go?
>You want to be able to perform the given number of reps listed for
each exercise. If you are uncertain as to the weight you should use,
perform a warmup set first with a light weight that you know you are
fully capable of lifting. For DB movements, 10lbs is usually appropriate.
For barbell movements, perform reps with only the barbell first. Over
time, you will become familiar with your strength levels, and be able to
accurately assess what your starting point should be. Again this
requires experimentation. If a movement feels extremely easy, increase
the repetitions or the level of resistance.
4. How long should I rest?
>Keep rest periods to about 1-2 minute between sets. It can be less
than that if you are feeling particularly energetic.
5. When should I add weight?
>Add weight when you can perform the maximum number of reps per
set for the given exercise. When you add weight, increase the weight so
that you are forced to perform the lowest possible reps per set.
6. Should I eat before I train?
>I would suggest having a meal of carbs, protein, and some fat before
training. I’d also suggest you consume protein soon after training post
workout.
7. Do you recommend any supplements?
I recommend the following
7-8 hours of sleep nightly
A healthy whole foods diet
Protein powder, IF it is convenient and makes your life easier. Use the
code AJAC235 at Truenutrition for 5% off.
8. What comes after this program
I’d select one of the following
Achilles-for a focus on upper body “mirror” muscles
Cobra Program-For a focus on the back muscles
Posterior Power-which focus on the posterior chain and the legs