Your First Barbell
Eight weeks for someone who has never trained with a bar. It starts empty, and it ends with your first real numbers.
- Weeks
- 3 8 weeks · with a trainer
- Days a week
- 3
- Level
- Beginner
- Gear
- A barbell, plates, a rack and a flat bench. The bar starts empty, so there is no plate maths on day one.
The sessions Three days a week
Each session lands on its day in your calendar, with every set written in the event. Tap a movement to see it drawn.
Week 1
Day 1 Squat & Bench
- Back Squat 3 × 5
- Bench Press 3 × 5
- Inverted Row 3 × 8
- Plank 3 × 30 sec
Take your time setting the rack heights — that is part of the session, not a delay before it.
Day 2 Hinge & Press
- Deadlift 3 × 5
- Overhead Press 3 × 5
- Push-up 3 × 8
- Dead Bug 3 × 10
Set the bar down between deadlift reps and start each one from a dead stop. Five singles that look identical beat five reps that blur.
Day 3 Practice
- Back Squat 3 × 8
- Bench Press 3 × 8
- Barbell Row 3 × 10
- Glute Bridge 3 × 12
Same lifts as the first day, lighter and for more reps. The row is a deadlift you hold halfway down — hips back, back flat, pull to your hip.
Week by week
- Week 1 · Introduce
- Week 2 · Build
- Week 3 · Build
- Week 4 · Deload with a trainer
- Week 5 · Push with a trainer
- Week 6 · Push with a trainer
- Week 7 · Peak with a trainer
- Week 8 · Deload and test with a trainer
What it trains
Chest · Abdominals · Middle back · Quadriceps · Glutes · Lower back · Shoulders
Questions
How do I add this to my calendar?
Tap Add to my calendar. Pick your days and your first session, then type your name and email. We email you a link. Open it and tap Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. For any other app, copy the link. The plan arrives as its own calendar. Each session lands on its date with every set written in the event, so you can read it with no signal.
What do I need?
A barbell, plates, a rack and a flat bench. The bar starts empty, so there is no plate maths on day one. Train 3 days a week.
What happens when the three weeks end?
You get the first three weeks free. The day after your last session, an event called “Keep going with Your First Barbell” lands in your calendar. No new sessions arrive after it. Get all 8 weeks free with a trainer. Ask your trainer for their physicalfeed page, open it and tap Move my plan here. Your calendar and what you have logged come with you. You can add a coach any time, you don't need to wait the three weeks.
Plans like this one
Get all 8 weeks free with a trainer.
Ask your trainer
physicalfeed works best with a professional trainer. If your trainer doesn’t have a physicalfeed, ask them why.