The best free barbell and rack programs, compared
11 barbell + a rack programs, every one free and shown in full on its own page. Pick by how many days you can train, then by what you have to train with.
- 2 days a week: 2-Day Barbell Full Body
- 3 days a week: 20-Rep Squat, 5/3/1 For Beginners, Basic Beginner Routine, Ivysaur 4-4-8, Novice 5×5 Linear Progression, Phrak's Greyskull LP, Reg Park 5×5, Madcow 5×5, Olympic Lifter, Texas Method
All 11, line by line
| Program | Days | Session | Length | Level | Equipment | By |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Day Barbell Full Body | 2 | 30–40 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Traditional |
| 20-Rep Squat | 3 | 40–50 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Traditional |
| 5/3/1 For Beginners | 3 | 60–80 min | 4-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Jim Wendler |
| Basic Beginner Routine | 3 | 35–45 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | r/Fitness |
| Ivysaur 4-4-8 | 3 | 40–50 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | r/Fitness |
| Novice 5×5 Linear Progression | 3 | 40–50 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Traditional |
| Phrak's Greyskull LP | 3 | 25–35 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Phrak & John Sheaffer |
| Reg Park 5×5 | 3 | 45–60 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Reg Park |
| Madcow 5×5 | 3 | 55–75 min | Ongoing | Intermediate | Barbell + a rack | Traditional |
| Olympic Lifter | 3 | 45–65 min | Ongoing | Intermediate | Barbell + a rack | Durata |
| Texas Method | 3 | 40–50 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Intermediate | Barbell + a rack | Mark Rippetoe & Glenn Pendlay |
Session times are worked out from each program's sets, reps and rests: the same estimate the app shows.
Who each one suits
2-Day Barbell Full Body
Best forPick this if the honest answer to "how many days can you train, every week, without fail?" is two.
ProgressionPlain session-to-session linear progression, the same engine that drives every novice barbell program: finish all your fives and the bar goes up next time — 5 kg on squat and deadlift, 2.5 kg on bench, press and row.
20-Rep Squat
Best forRun it if you want size fast and already squat competently — the set only works if your technique holds up while your lungs and will are failing.
ProgressionThe squat adds 2.5 kg every single session you complete all twenty reps — no weekly waves, no percentages, just 7.5 kg a week onto a set of twenty.
5/3/1 For Beginners
Best forRun this as your first structured program, or straight after a stalled linear progression like StrongLifts.
ProgressionEverything keys off a training max set at about 90% of your best single — Durata can seed it from the estimated 1RM of any recent hard set.
Basic Beginner Routine
Best forThis is for the person who has never trained with a barbell and wants the shortest path to basic competence.
ProgressionSquats and deadlifts go up 5 kg every session you complete all your reps; bench, press and rows go up 2.5 kg.
Ivysaur 4-4-8
Best forThis suits the novice who finds grinding sets of five joyless and would rather chase a rep number.
ProgressionThe weight goes up every week on every lift — that is the whole point of the program.
Novice 5×5 Linear Progression
Best forThis is a true novice program — for someone whose lifts still go up simply because they trained.
ProgressionSquat, bench, press and row add 2.5 kg every completed workout; the deadlift adds 5 kg.
Phrak's Greyskull LP
Best forPick this over a fixed-set routine if you want feedback, not just weight on the bar.
ProgressionEvery successful session adds 2.5 kg to the bar.
Reg Park 5×5
Best forThis is a beginner routine in the classical mould: if you can only remember one workout, this full body 5x5 is it.
ProgressionProgress is session-to-session, the way Park ran it: complete all 25 reps on a lift and it goes up next workout — 5 kg on squat and deadlift, 2.5 kg on bench, press and row.
Madcow 5×5
Best forPick the madcow 5x5 program when session-to-session jumps have stopped sticking but week-to-week ones still can — typically after several months of a novice barbell routine.
ProgressionEach lift runs off a single training max — Monday's top-set weight — and every set all week is a percentage of it.
Olympic Lifter
Best forThis is for lifters who already know the movements and want a structured week to build them — you've had some coaching or put in serious technique work, and you can snatch and clean & jerk safely, even if lightly.
ProgressionThe fast lifts micro-load: make all five doubles on the snatch or clean & jerk and the bar goes up 1 kg next session; miss twice at a weight and it drops 10% so you can rebuild speed and timing.
Texas Method
Best forThis is a program for early intermediates who still want a PR on the bar every week and can pay for it in food and sleep.
ProgressionFriday decides everything.
Common questions
How many days a week do these barbell + a rack programs take?
From 2 to 3 days a week. 2 days: 2-Day Barbell Full Body. 3 days: 20-Rep Squat, 5/3/1 For Beginners, Basic Beginner Routine, Ivysaur 4-4-8, Novice 5×5 Linear Progression, Phrak's Greyskull LP, Reg Park 5×5, Madcow 5×5, Olympic Lifter and Texas Method.
Which of these has the shortest sessions?
Phrak's Greyskull LP, at about 25–35 minutes a session. Session times are worked out from each program's sets, reps and rests, the same estimate the app shows.
Which ones suit a beginner?
2-Day Barbell Full Body, 20-Rep Squat, 5/3/1 For Beginners, Basic Beginner Routine, Ivysaur 4-4-8, Novice 5×5 Linear Progression, Phrak's Greyskull LP and Reg Park 5×5. They are written for lifters in their first year or so of training.
Are these programs free?
Yes. All 11 are free to run in Durata, and every set of every session is shown on each program's own page.
Run any of them in Durata
Every program here is free in Durata, with each one's own progression worked out for you as you log.