Hi BBM team,
Feel free to kick this over to the unmoderated sub if you think that would be more appropriate.
I’ve finally got my wife (25F / 5’5” / 118 lbs) into strength training a couple weeks ago and I’m responsible for her programming. I’d say her baseline conditioning and lower body strength is probably better than most novices, but she is a complete beginner to lifting. Her goal is 50% strength 50% aesthetics, while maintaining a level of cardiovascular conditioning for hobbies like running and hiking. She basically just wants to get generally stronger, fitter, and get rid of her “noodle arms.”
She can only commit to lifting 2x/week between her job as a veterinarian and her other activities and commitments. While it’s not optimal, I assume she can still make some decent progress on a 2x/week program. How does the following program look? I followed a Greyskull approach to the main lifts.
Tuesday:
Squat: 2x5, 1x5+
Bench: 2x5, 1x5+
RDL: 3x8
Lat Pulldowns: Myo reps
Friday or Saturday:
Deadlift: 2x5, 1x5+
Press: 2x5, 1x5+
Standing Lunges: 3x8
Biceps Curls & Triceps Extensions: 2x10-12, supersets
1-2x/week MISS cardio (typically running)
1x/week isometric abs work
I plan on seeing how she progresses at 5lbs/week for squat & deadlift, and 2.5lbs/week for bench & press for a while, then change up her programming once that’s no longer manageable. The secondary and tertiary lifts will just progress as she’s able, as I don’t think it’s completely necessary to have a progression schedule for them.
My only real concern - is 2 sets of 5 reps, followed by an “AMRAP” set (obviously stopping short of true failure or significant technique breakdown) too much for a novice woman? I just figured that her recovery shouldn’t be too difficult since she’d be doing each of the other main compound lifts only 1x/week and only lifting 2x/week in general. Obviously, I could have her just do it and see how she responds, but if you feel strongly about it then I can adjust now. I don’t want to repeat my mistake of being a wuss about deadlift volume when I did the SSNLP years ago, but I also don’t want to get her burned out or injured.
Any feedback would be appreciated!
Nate