Build muscle – foundation, 8 weeks

Three full-body workouts a week with a rest day in between, plus one mobility session. This is a well-supported layout for anyone with less than a year of training: every muscle is trained three times a week and technique is sharpened by repetition.

How it works

Muscle grows from progressive overload – lifting a little heavier, doing one more rep or one more set over time. The rule in this program: when you hit the top of the rep range on all sets, add weight next workout. If you miss the bottom of the range, reduce. That is why the app shows last time's weight on every set.

Rest 90 seconds between sets. The last two reps of each set should be hard – but keep one or two reps in reserve (RIR 1–2). Going to complete failure every set rarely builds more muscle according to studies, but clearly more fatigue.

Weeks 5–8

The workouts switch to intermediate level: more free weights, slightly higher volume. Week 8 is a deload week: same weights, half the sets. Much of the adaptation happens between workouts, not during them.

Protein and sleep

Aim for 1.6–2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day across three or four meals, and seven to nine hours of sleep. With that in place you get more out of the program.