5x5 for strength, 3 days

How to run the programme

Train three days a week with a rest day between sessions, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The workouts alternate: week one is A, B, A and week two B, A, B. The squat is in both workouts, so you squat every session. The programme suits beginners who want to get strong: few exercises, clear numbers and a heavier bar almost every time.

All five sets are done with the same weight. Before them, warm up with a few lighter sets, doing fewer reps as the weight goes up. Start light, with an empty bar or a weight you can move with good technique and plenty to spare. The first weeks should feel too easy, because the steady increases do the work. The deadlift is a single set of five, as it comes after the squats and is hard on the whole body.

How to progress

When you complete all five sets of five, add the smallest step next time you do the lift, often 2.5 kg on the bar (1.25 kg each side). The bench press and overhead press usually stall sooner than the legs, and smaller plates help there if your gym has them. Rest two to three minutes between sets, and longer, up to five minutes, once the weights get heavy.

If you miss a rep, keep the same weight next time. Write down every set in a training log, and you will always know what goes on the bar next session.

When you stall

If you miss the same weight three sessions in a row, the lift has stalled. Drop the weight by about 10 per cent and build back up with the same steps, aiming to get past the old weight. If several lifts stall at once, take a deload week. Sooner or later you can no longer add weight every session, and then a plan with more exercises, such as upper and lower body, is a better fit.

If you can't squat with a bar yet, start with the goblet squat. If an exercise hurts, rather than just feeling heavy, stop doing it and have a doctor or physiotherapist take a look.