3 days a week
Strength
Three days a week, heavier loads, fewer reps — built around the position stand’s strength parameters.
For getting stronger rather than larger: heavier loads at around 80% of your one-rep max, two to three sets per exercise, three sessions a week. The lift selection is small on purpose — strength comes from repeating a handful of movements often enough to get good at them, not from variety.
The sessions
Day 1 — Squat focus
Roughly 55 minutes
Lower body strength
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 5 @ ~80% 1RM |
| Bench press | 3 × 5 @ ~80% 1RM |
| Barbell row | 3 × 6–8 |
| Hanging knee raise | 2 × 8–12 |
Day 2 — Press focus
Roughly 50 minutes
Upper body strength
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Overhead press | 3 × 5 @ ~80% 1RM |
| DeadliftTwo heavy sets is plenty here. | 2 × 5 |
| Pull-up or lat pulldown | 3 × 6–8 |
| Farmer carry | 3 × 30 metres |
Day 3 — Repeat and vary
Roughly 55 minutes
Lower body, lighter and faster
| Exercise | Sets × reps |
|---|---|
| Front squat or box squat | 3 × 5 |
| Incline bench press | 3 × 6–8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8 |
| Face pullShoulder health, cheap to do. | 3 × 12–15 |
How it moves forward
Add a small increment to the main lifts each week while all sets stay clean. When a lift stalls twice, drop it by about 10% and build back up. Stalling is information, not failure.
This may suit you if
- · You have a few months of consistent lifting behind you
- · Your technique on the main lifts is reliable
- · Getting stronger matters more to you than getting bigger
What this rests on
Clinical guideline · 2026
Train all major muscle groups at least twice a week. For strength, lift around 80% of one-rep max for 2–3 sets per exercise; for size, aim for roughly 10 sets per muscle group per week. The stand emphasises that consistency matters more than programme complexity.
ACSM Position Stand on Resistance Training for Healthy Adults · American College of Sports Medicine
Systematic review · 2025
Across meta-regression, muscle growth increases with weekly volume with diminishing returns; roughly 5–9 weekly sets per muscle is a solid minimum and 10 or more produced the best results. Training a muscle twice a week beats once when volume is equal.
The Resistance Training Dose Response: meta-regressions on volume and frequency · Sports Medicine