Get Stronger
Novice Linear Progression
3-day novice linear progression — Starting-Strength-archetype. Squat every session, alternating Bench/DL (Day A) and OHP/Row (Day B). Add 2.5-5 kg lower-body, 1.25-2.5 kg upper-body every session. 12 weeks (or until LP genuinely stalls). The most-recommended beginner strength program in the modern lifting era.
- Category
- Get Stronger
- Length
- 12 weeks
- Frequency
- 3 days/week
- Est. session
- 55–75 min
Last updated: June 2026
About this program
The canonical novice strength program — three sessions per week, the six major compounds rotated across A and B days, weight added every single session. Per the Beginner Programming framework, novices produce session-to-session strength gains via neural adaptation + basic motor learning long before plate-stacking volume becomes necessary.
Designed for true beginners (less than 12 months of consistent barbell training) whose primary goal is foundational strength. Equipment: barbell, rack, bench, plates (commercial or home gym; microplates strongly recommended for OHP and bench progression). Skip this if you've trained consistently for over 12 months and your squat has plateaued — graduate to Madcow 5×5 or 5/3/1 BBB.
Linear progression is the entire program: hit the rep targets at the prescribed RPE 7-8, add 2.5-5 kg next session on lower-body lifts, 1.25-2.5 kg on upper-body. After 2-3 consecutive failures at the same weight, reset to 90% and ramp back up. OHP progresses slowest; microloading (0.5-1.25 kg increments) is essential for sustainable upper-body progression per the Progressive Overload framework. Backed by Rippetoe & Kelly, *Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training* (3rd ed., 2011) and Lon Kilgore's *Practical Programming for Strength Training* novice chapter.
Across 12 weeks expect 30-50 kg added to the squat, 20-40 kg to the deadlift, 15-25 kg to the bench, 10-15 kg to OHP and row. Most trainees stall by week 12-16; transition to Madcow 5×5 (weekly progression) when session-to-session linear progress ends.
Get Stronger · 12 weeks · 3 days/week
Start to finish
- Frequency
- 3 days/week
- Per session
- 55–75 min
Who it's for
Four ways to tell at a glance whether this block belongs in your week.
- 01The goal
- 3-day novice linear progression — Starting-Strength-archetype.
- 02The commitment
- A focused two-to-three days a week
- 03The arc
- 12 weeks, one continuous block
- 04The coaching
- Your coach drives the plan forward — it reads each session and moves you up the moment the work gets easier, so you keep progressing
How it progresses
12 weeks across 1 phase — your coach watches the effort in your logged sets and moves the weight up the moment a load starts getting easier, so you keep climbing instead of waiting on the calendar.
- Weeks 1–1260Intensity
Phase 1 · Standard
Linear Progression
Same protocol every week. Add weight every session as long as you hit the rep target at RPE 7-8. Reset 10% on 2-3 consecutive failures. Don't overthink it — the program is the progression.
Sessions in this program
The individual workouts this program schedules through the week — open any session for its full exercise list, sets, and coaching notes.
Why your coach builds it this way
The canonical novice strength program — three sessions per week, the six major compounds rotated across A and B days, weight added every single session. Per the Beginner Programming framework, novices produce session-to-session strength gains via neural adaptation + basic motor learning long before plate-stacking volume becomes necessary.
Designed for true beginners (less than 12 months of consistent barbell training) whose primary goal is foundational strength. Equipment: barbell, rack, bench, plates (commercial or home gym; microplates strongly recommended for OHP and bench progression). Skip this if you've trained consistently for over 12 months and your squat has plateaued — graduate to Madcow 5×5 or 5/3/1 BBB.
Linear progression is the entire program: hit the rep targets at the prescribed RPE 7-8, add 2.5-5 kg next session on lower-body lifts, 1.25-2.5 kg on upper-body. After 2-3 consecutive failures at the same weight, reset to 90% and ramp back up. OHP progresses slowest; microloading (0.5-1.25 kg increments) is essential for sustainable upper-body progression per the Progressive Overload framework. Backed by Rippetoe & Kelly, *Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training* (3rd ed., 2011) and Lon Kilgore's *Practical Programming for Strength Training* novice chapter.
Across 12 weeks expect 30-50 kg added to the squat, 20-40 kg to the deadlift, 15-25 kg to the bench, 10-15 kg to OHP and row. Most trainees stall by week 12-16; transition to Madcow 5×5 (weekly progression) when session-to-session linear progress ends.
The principles behind it
Common questions
The facts most people check before they commit a block to it.
01How long is the Novice Linear Progression program?
Novice Linear Progression runs 12 weeks at 3 days a week. In Squatly, the coach tunes it to you, so the plan keeps moving with your training.
02Who is Novice Linear Progression for?
3-day novice linear progression — Starting-Strength-archetype. It sits in the Get Stronger category, and the coach reads your training to tell you whether it's the right fit before you commit a block to it.
03How does Novice Linear Progression progress over the weeks?
It runs as a single linear Progression block. Each phase has a job — accumulate work, push intensity, or back off to absorb it — and the coach moves your load when your logged sets earn it, not on a fixed schedule.
04Does the coach adjust Novice Linear Progression to me?
Yes. The program is the starting structure; the coach reads your e1RM trend, your weekly volume, and your effort on each lift, then tells you when to push — when a load is getting easier, it's time to add weight. It shows you the trend lines behind every call, and you accept, edit, or reject it. With every workout, the plan gets more yours.
Keep moving forward.
The program sets the structure. Your coach drives it forward — reading your numbers and pushing the weight up as you get stronger, so the plan stays yours and you keep progressing.
iOS · Works offline
Aleks · Coach
Proposal — add weight