8-Week Basic Strength Plan | T Nation 01/01/18, 1'54 AM

8-Week Basic Strength Plan

by Tim Henriques | 03/15/11

Sometimes, the answer is simply that you need to get stronger.

Being stronger in the basic barbell lifts makes everything else you do in the gym easier. It
makes it easier to get bigger, build endurance, and perform conditioning work. It's even
easier to cut up when you're stronger as you can handle a higher load and perform more
work in the gym.

Unfortunately, this simple fact – that strength is paramount – has been forgotten in many
modern-day programs. Instead, misguided trainees chase a pump or a burn, or do endless
high-rep circuits to the point of projectile vomiting. While there's nothing wrong with some
ass-whupping hard work or getting your swole on, these are all of secondary importance to
increasing the load.

Just visit any commercial gym to see for yourself. Lots of people lifting, but how many are
constantly trying to push more weight? And how many are making noticeable progress?

That's the purpose of this program – to make you noticeably stronger than you are today in
8 weeks. In turn this will make whatever your long-term goal is (build muscle, lose fat,
perform better) easier to accomplish. It really is a no-brainer, provided you do your part.

What I need from you is a simple commitment. You're required to train hard with weights,
three days a week for 90 minutes each day. That's it. If that's too big of a commitment for
you, then you might want to head off to another site. Craigslist has a fitness forum. Feel
free to get your wisdom there in between the ads for concert tickets and escort services.

The routine is as follows:

Day 1: Chest and Back

Day 2: Legs and Lower Back
Day 3: Shoulders and Arms

A Monday, Wednesday, Friday setup works great with this routine but it's flexible, so pick
three days that fit into your schedule. If you just have to be in the gym more frequently, then
you can add in some off-day core work, conditioning, foam rolling, stretching, etc., but you
should always be fresh and ready for the main lifting day when it comes. If you're not,
reduce the outside work.

Every week is laid out for you. The exercises are presented in the order that they're to be
performed. Only work sets are listed. Warm-up as much as required; a few sets before the
first work set of the first exercise is usually sufficient.

Do what's listed here, no more, no less. If you fail on a main lift on the first week of the
program it means you've no idea what your 1RM is and you way overestimated it. Only in
weeks 3 & 4 and 7 & 8 should you have any chance of failing, and if you set up things
properly from the get go you shouldn't fail in a main lift for the entire two months.

However, that doesn't mean you won't work hard, it just means you won't fail. There's a
difference. Blasting out reps to failure is a helpful way to test strength, not necessarily
develop it. The plan here is to reign in the ball busting sets for 8 weeks in exchange for
intelligent progressive loading.

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But don't worry, you'll get a chance to bust ass at week 9, when you show off all the new
strength you developed. How much strength? It's common for an intermediate level lifter to
put 10-25 lbs. on their bench and 20-50 lbs. on their squat and deadlift with a routine like
this. Think those plates on the bar won't be noticeable in the mirror? Think again.

Chest and Back

Weeks 1-4

Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Bench Press 5 x 8 @ 60% 4 x 8 @ 65% 3 x 8 @ 70% 2 x 8 @ 75%

1 x 3 @ 75% 1 x 3 @ 80% 1 x 3 @ 85% 1 x 3 @ 90%

Incline Press 5x8 4x8 3x8 2x8

3-Board Press 5x5 4x5 3x5 2x5

Pull-Up 32 reps 32 reps 32 reps 32 reps

Minimum 4 sets Minimum 3 sets Minimum 2 sets Minimum 2 sets

45° Bent-Over 3x8 3x8 3x8 3x8

Row

Dead-Stop 3 x 12 3 x 12 3 x 10 3 x 10
Dumbbell Row

Weeks 5-8

Exercise Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8

Bench Press 5 x 5 @ 65% 4 x 5 @ 70% 3 x 5 @ 75% 2 x 5 @ 80%

1 x 1 @ 80% 1 x 1 @ 85% 1 x 1 @ 90% 1 x 1 @ 95%

Incline Press 5x5 4x5 3x5 2x5

3-Board Press 5x3 4x3 3x3 2x3

Pull-Up 40 reps 40 reps 40 reps 40 reps

Minimum 4 sets Minimum 3 sets Minimum 2 sets Minimum 2 sets

45° Bent-Over 3x8 3x8 3x8 3x8

Row

Dead-Stop 3x8 3x8 3x6 3x6

Dumbbell Row

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Legs and Lower Back

Weeks 1-4

Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Squat 5 x 8 @ 60% 4 x 8 @ 65% 3 x 8 @ 70% 2 x 8 @ 75%

1 x 3 @ 75% 1 x 3 @ 80% 1 x 3 @ 85% 1 x 3 @ 90%

Deadlift 3 x 8 @ 65% 2 x 8 @ 65% 1 x 8 @ 65% 1 x 8 @ 70%

1 x 8 @ 70% 1 x 8 @ 75% 1 x 8 @ 80%

Leg Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x
8 8 8 8

Front Squat 5x8 4x8 3x8 2x8

Glute Ham Raise 10 reps 12 reps 14 reps 16 reps

Weeks 5-8

Exercise Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8

Squat 5 x 5 @ 65% 4 x 5 @ 70% 3 x 5 @ 75% 2 x 5 @ 80%

1 x 1 @ 80% 1 x 1 @ 85% 1 x 1 @ 90% 1 x 1 @ 95%

Deadlift 3 x 5 @ 75% 2 x 5 @ 75% 1 x 5 @ 75% 1 x 5 @ 80%

1 x 5 @ 80% 1 x 8 @ 85% 1 x 5 @ 90%

Leg Press 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x 1 x 12, 1 x 10, 1 x
8 8 8 8

Front Squat 5x5 4x5 3x5 2x5

Glute Ham Raise 18 reps 20 reps 22 reps 24 reps

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Shoulders and Arms

Weeks 1-4

Exercise Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4

Military Press 5x8 4x8 3x8 2x8

Power Lateral 2 x 12 3 x 12 4 x 12 5 x 12
Raise

Power Rear 2 x 12 3 x 12 4 x 12 5 x 12
Deltoid Raise

Close Grip Bench 5x8 4x8 3x8 2x8

Pullover 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8
Skullcrusher

V-Grip Triceps 3 x 12 3 x 12 3 x 12 3 x 12
Pushdown

EZ Biceps Curl 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6

Tim's Curl 3x8 3x8 3x8 3x8

Weeks 5-8

Exercise Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8

Military Press 5x5 4x5 3x5 2x5

Power Lateral 2x8 3x8 4x8 5x8

Raise

Power Rear 2x8 3x8 4x8 5x8

Deltoid Raise

Close Grip Bench 5x5 4x5 3x5 2x5

Pullover 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8 1x12, 1x10, 1x8
Skullcrusher

V-Grip Triceps 3 x 12 3 x 12 3 x 12 3 x 12
Pushdown

EZ Biceps Curl 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6 1x10, 1x8, 1x6

Tim's Curl 3x8 3x8 3x8 3x8

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The Exercises

Bench Press

You know this one. Touch the chest and press back up. If you're a powerlifter, you can
pause all reps on weeks 5-8 to build strength at the bottom.

Incline Bench Press

Touch your upper chest, just below the clavicle. These are straight sets (no change in
weight each set). Each week try to add 5-10 lbs. Training weights for incline pressing are
usually about 80% of bench press loads so use that as a gauge.

3-Board Press

Briefly pause the bar on the boards. Straight sets, increasing the weight about 5% each
week. (So start light.)

45° Bent-Over Row

VIDEO

Ascending sets (weight increases each set), about 10% increase each set. Each week the
weight should go up 5-10 lbs. per set so it might look like this:

Week 1: 165x8, 185x8, 205x8

Week 2: 175x8, 195x8, 215x8, etc.

It's important to start light so you can make continual progress. Straps are okay, so is a little
leg kick. I prefer a supinated grip here but overhand is acceptable.

Dead-Stop Dumbbell Row

This is similar to a standard one-arm DB row except for each rep the weight is paused on
the floor for one full second. This eliminates momentum and provides a nice stretch for the
lats. Go a little lighter than normal as the pause increases the difficulty. These are straight
sets; do the same weight for two weeks in a row. When the program calls to drop the reps
simply increase the weight by 5-10 lbs.

Leg Press

These are ascending sets; increase by about 10% each set. Every week go up 5-10 lbs.
per set – most males can handle a 10-pound increase per week for the full 8 weeks if they
push themselves.

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Front Squat

Straight sets, each week increase the weight by about 5%. Front squat strength can vary –
if this exercise is new to you don't be afraid to start light. Ultimately, most lifters front squat
about 75% of their back squat but don't rush into that weight until you're ready.

Glute Ham Raise

The number given is the total reps to perform; take as many sets as necessary to get there.
These are the "knees on the pad" version to hit the hamstrings more. As your strength
increases, try to use less total sets to get the number of reps prescribed.

Military Press

This is done standing with a barbell, although if necessary you can substitute the seated
dumbbell military press if your shoulders doth protest too much. Perform straight sets,
increase the weight each week by 5-10 lbs. Most lifters can military press about 60-70% of
their bench press as a rough guideline.

Power Raise
VIDEO

Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and maintain that angle throughout the exercises. These
are easier than strict lateral or rear delt raises, so go 5-15 lbs. heavier than normal. Perform
straight sets, and use the same weight for each month – increase the volume by adding
one set a week to build adaptation.

Close-Grip Bench Press

Take a grip that's 10-14" wide from index finger to index finger. (Two fingers on the grip and
two fingers on the smooth also works well.) Perform straight sets, increase the weight each
week by about 5-15 lbs. Most lifters usually close grip 80-90% of their bench press as a
rough guideline.

Pullover Skullcrusher
VIDEO

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I love these. Combine a pullover motion with a traditional triceps skullcrusher to increase
the recruitment of the long head. Use an EZ bar and increase the weight each set by about
10%. Be sure to start light, and go up by 2.5-5 lbs. per set each week. These are easier
than regular skull crushers once you master the form.

V-Grip Triceps Pushdown

Perform straight sets and go up in weight as you feel you can.

EZ Biceps Curl

Perform ascending sets and increase the weight by about 10% each set. Shoot for an
increase of about 2.5-5 lbs. per set each week. A little swing is okay but in the final position
your back should not be excessively arched.

Tim's Curl

Perform straight sets and go up 5 lbs. every other week. This is a compound set using
dumbbells. Start with a set of supinated curls (perform the twist by at least the halfway
point), and then after 30 seconds rest, do a hammer curl for the same number of reps. Rest
90 seconds and repeat for a total of three sets each. The goal is to do the same weight on
the hammer curls as the supinated curls, but you can use 5-10 lbs. less if you have to.

Stronger = Better
There are infinite ways to make a program more complicated, but when it comes to getting
results, complicated does not equal better. If what you see in the mirror isn't matching the
effort you're investing, I suggest taking a step back and focusing on the basics. Getting
stronger in the old school barbell lifts is never, ever a step backwards. Start this program
now and you're 8 weeks away from real progress.

What's stopping you?

Tim Henriques
Tim Henriques has been a competition powerlifter for over 20 years. He was a collegiate All
American Powerlifter with USA Powerlifting. In 2003 Tim deadlifted 700 pounds (at 198), setting
the Virginia State Record. (https://facebook.com/tim.henriques.1)

Follow Tim Henriques on Facebook (https://facebook.com/tim.henriques.1)

03/15/11

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