The best free beginner programs, compared
20 beginner 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, Dumbbell Only Full Body
- 3 days a week: 20-Rep Squat, 5/3/1 For Beginners, 5×5 Linear Progression + Accessories, Basic Beginner Routine, Dumbbell + Bench Full Body, Fierce 5, Ivysaur 4-4-8, Kettlebell Full Body, Leangains RPT, Novice 5×5 Linear Progression, Phrak's Greyskull LP, r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine, Reg Park 5×5, Strong Curves (Beginner)
- 4 days a week: GZCLP, Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine
- 5 days a week: 28-Day Shred
- 6 days a week: 60-Day Cut
All 20, 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 |
| Dumbbell Only Full Body | 2 | 45–60 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Dumbbells only | 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 |
| 5×5 Linear Progression + Accessories | 3 | 65–90 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Full gym | Traditional |
| Basic Beginner Routine | 3 | 35–45 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | r/Fitness |
| Dumbbell + Bench Full Body | 3 | 40–55 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Dumbbells only | Traditional |
| Fierce 5 | 3 | 45–65 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Full gym | r/Fitness |
| Ivysaur 4-4-8 | 3 | 40–50 min | 2-week cycle, repeats | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | r/Fitness |
| Kettlebell Full Body | 3 | 55–70 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Kettlebells | Traditional |
| Leangains RPT | 3 | 35–50 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Full gym | Martin Berkhan |
| 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 |
| r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine | 3 | 30–45 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Bodyweight | r/bodyweightfitness |
| Reg Park 5×5 | 3 | 45–60 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Barbell + a rack | Reg Park |
| Strong Curves (Beginner) | 3 | 40–50 min | 12 weeks | Beginner | Full gym | Bret Contreras & Glen Cordoza |
| GZCLP | 4 | 35–45 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Full gym | Cody Lefever |
| Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine | 4 | 45–60 min | Ongoing | Beginner | Full gym | Lyle McDonald |
| 28-Day Shred | 5 | 25–35 min | 4 weeks | Beginner | Full gym | Durata |
| 60-Day Cut | 6 | 30–40 min | 8 weeks | Beginner | Full gym | Durata |
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.
Dumbbell Only Full Body
Best forRun this if your equipment starts and ends at dumbbells — a home gym corner, a hotel fitness room, a garage with adjustables.
ProgressionDumbbells jump in big steps — often 2 kg or more per hand — so adding weight every session is a dead end.
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.
5×5 Linear Progression + Accessories
Best forRun this when you want linear-progression strength but refuse to wait a year for arms.
ProgressionThe mains progress exactly as the base program: 2.5 kg per completed session on squat, bench, press and row, 5 kg on the deadlift, with a 10% deload after three straight misses.
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.
Dumbbell + Bench Full Body
Best forThis is the right pick if your home gym is dumbbells plus a bench and you want a plan that uses both properly rather than a barbell program with awkward substitutions.
ProgressionEverything runs on wide-range double progression, the sane way to progress when your weights only exist in fixed jumps.
Fierce 5
Best forChoose Fierce 5 as the balanced take on novice lifting: arms, rear delts and calves grow from week one alongside the squat, without adding a fourth training day.
ProgressionSquats and deadlifts climb 5 kg per successful session; bench, press and Pendlay rows climb 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.
Kettlebell Full Body
Best forMade for anyone whose gym is a bell or two in the living room, a garage, or a park — minimal equipment, no barbell, no machines.
ProgressionEvery weighted movement runs double progression inside its rep range — swings work 12–20, goblet squats, rows and high pulls 8–12, cleans and presses 5–8.
Leangains RPT
Best forReverse pyramid training suits intermediate lifters who prefer intensity to volume and want maximum return from three short sessions — which is exactly why it's the standard recommendation for training through a cut, where recovery is scarce and every set has to count.
ProgressionEach lift progresses off its top set alone.
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.
r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine
Best forFor anyone who wants real strength training with no weights — students, travellers, home trainees with a doorway pull-up bar and not much else.
ProgressionThe rule is simple and unforgiving: work each movement from 3×5 up to 3×8 with strict, controlled reps — no kipping, no half range.
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.
Strong Curves (Beginner)
Best forAnyone whose first goal is building the glutes and lower body — the book was written for women, but the programming is just good lower-body hypertrophy training and works for anyone.
ProgressionProgression works on two levels, exactly as the book writes it.
GZCLP
Best forThis is a beginner program in the best sense: the decisions are automated, the sessions are recoverable, and the built-in accessory work means you're adding size while the numbers climb.
ProgressionEach tier progresses by its own rule, which is the quiet genius of the system.
Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine
Best forThe generic bulking routine is for intermediates in a deliberate calorie surplus — the name is a contract, and running it while cutting misses the design entirely.
ProgressionEverything advances by double progression.
28-Day Shred
Best forRun this if you want a short, sharp cut with a visible finish line — four weeks before a holiday, or a quick lean-out between building phases.
ProgressionThe lifting runs double progression: keep the weight, push every set to the top of its rep range (8–12 on most lifts, 5–8 on the deadlift), then add 2.5 kg and start again — deliberately modest jumps, because in a deficit the reps are where the progress lives.
60-Day Cut
Best forThis is the middle step of the fat-loss track — the right length when you have a realistic amount of fat to lose and enough patience to lose it without starving.
ProgressionEvery lift follows double progression: same weight until all sets reach the ceiling of the rep range (mostly 10–15 here, higher-rep than a barbell program because dumbbell and machine work tolerates it), then a 2.5 kg bump and back to the floor of the range.
Common questions
How many days a week do these beginner programs take?
From 2 to 6 days a week. 2 days: 2-Day Barbell Full Body and Dumbbell Only Full Body. 3 days: 20-Rep Squat, 5/3/1 For Beginners, 5×5 Linear Progression + Accessories, Basic Beginner Routine, Dumbbell + Bench Full Body, Fierce 5, Ivysaur 4-4-8, Kettlebell Full Body, Leangains RPT, Novice 5×5 Linear Progression, Phrak's Greyskull LP, r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine, Reg Park 5×5 and Strong Curves (Beginner). 4 days: GZCLP and Lyle McDonald's Generic Bulking Routine. 5 days: 28-Day Shred. 6 days: 60-Day Cut.
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.
Can I run any of them without a gym?
Yes: Dumbbell Only Full Body (dumbbells only), Dumbbell + Bench Full Body (dumbbells only), Kettlebell Full Body (kettlebells) and r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine (bodyweight). The rest need a barbell or a full gym.
Are these programs free?
Yes. All 20 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.