Beginners

For most typical beginners, we highly advise beginning with the basic strength and conditioning program to take advantage of what is called the Novice Effect. Building a solid foundation of strength makes everything else you do EASIER, this program typically last 2-5 months depending on your genetic potential and nutrition. Once the beginning strength program has concluded, we can then transition to either a fat loss program or an accumulation program.

Here is an example of why we prefer strength first…

As a new client, if your max squat was 100lbs when you first started on a fat loss program, typically fat loss programs designed by most trainers have you performing high reps. So, as an example of squatting for fat loss, you would perform at 55% to 65% of your 1 rep max, which leaves you squatting 55lbs to 65lbs for 12-15 reps per set.

Now let’s say you began with strength for 2-5 months and your gain 70lbs, 80lbs, or 100lbs, on your 1 rep max, Here’s what your lifts would look like:

 
+70lbs – 170lbs 1 rep max,
55% would be 93.5lbs for 15 reps
65% would be 105lbs for 12 reps
 
+80 – 180lbs 1 rep max,
55% would be 99lbs for 15 reps
65% would be 117lbs for 12 reps,
 
+100 – 200lbs 1 rep max,
55% would be 110lbs for 15 reps
65% would be 130lbs for 12 reps.
 

As you can see, the stronger you are, the more effective other programs will be.