AJACS FREE Foundations Program-A Training Program 

for Beginning Trainees 

 
Who is this program for? 
 
-This program is written for those that are new to lifting, and want a 
foundational program to begin building muscle 
 
I have written this to be as basic as possible. It’s the first step “start 
from 0” program you can do when you first get a gym membership and 
want to get your body moving and working, and learning the basic 
patterns of how to lift weights and perform a productive workout.  
 
This program is not designed to fix your old injuries, solve your mobility 
problems, or a magical solution to some complicated physical problem.  
 
If you need to solve such things, HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER and get 
expert coaching and direction on how to do so.  
 
This program is not a beginner program in the sense that is “easy”, 
rather it is very simple in its design and setup.  
 
 
This program uses the bodyweight, dumbbells, and the barbell.  
 
If you are not comfortable using the barbell at all, you can elect NOT to 
use it, and only perform the bodyweight and dumbbell portions of the 
workout.  
 
I’m not there to coach you, and it is up to you to learn the movements 

Sold to
yogiagan@gmail.com
correctly.   
 
I only include machines for ONE movement in this program, which is lat 
pulldowns (and it is interchangeable with pullups as well). While you 
may have access to machines, I elected to make this program simple to 
use and workable in any gym, hence why there are no machine 
movements other than that one exercise. Machines can be very useful, 
but I have no way of knowing what kind of machines you specifically 
have access to. Lat pulldowns are typically the only machine that is 
reliably of the same design at every gym. 
 
The Foundational Patterns of Movement 
 
To  begin  with,  understand  that  there  are  no  such  things  as  "perfect" 
exercises,  or  any  singular  "best  exercise".  Get  that  idea  out  of  your 
head completely.  
 
Instead,  consider  the  perspective  that  the  human  body  follows 
common  PATTERNS  of  direction,  and  subsequent  movement.  You 
intuitively  already  know  this.  You  know  you  can  stand,  you  can  squat 
down,  you  pick  things  up,  you  can move objects. Every human being on 
earth, regardless of height, size, gender, we all do the same motions.  
 
There  are  seven  “big”  patterns  that  comprise  human  movement.  Each 
patterns  can  be  broken  down  into  smaller  parts,  but  overall,  these 
seven patterns represent the “whole” of moving. They are  
 
1. Hip Hinge (deadlift) 
2. Squat 
3. Lunge (Single Leg) 
 4. Push/Press (Upper Body) 
5. Pull (Upper Body) 
6. Twist (Rotation)  
7. Loaded Carry 
 
If  you  are  “good”  at  exercising,  you  should  be  good  at  moving.  Being 
good  at  moving  means  being  strong,  fast,  and  muscular.  Being  good  at 
moving means being able to do the 7 foundational movements.  
 
If  your  training  neglects  these  movements,  if  it  does  not  include  the 
compound  version  of  these  movements,  or  you do not use appropriate 
variety, then you will very likely become dysfunctional with time.  
 
As  a  personal  trainer,  I  assess  clients 24/7. Part of what I assess them is 
their  ability  to  do  the  foundational  movements.  If  someone  workouts 
on  their  own,  and  they  come  to  me,  I  will  do  a  series  of  simple  test  to 
determine  if  they  can  do  the  above.  Quite  often  they  cannot.  People 
train  legs  but  they  cannot  squat.  They  train  back  but  they  cannot  do  a 
single chin-up. They train chest but dips are impossible for them.  
 
You  could  say  these  people  are  not  training  “functionally”.  Function 
training=effective  training  that  gets  you  bigger,  faster,  stronger.  If  your 
training does none of those things, your training is non functional.  
 
Every  exercise  you  can  think  falls  into  one  or  more  of  those  seven 
movements.  Those  movements  can  further  simplified  into  TWO 
categories though 
 
Pressing  movements-movements  where  you  project  force outward and 
upward (bench press, squats, shoulder pressing)  
 
Pulling  movements-movement  where you produce force inwards (rows, 
deadlifts, pullups)  
 
In  this  program,  for  the  sake  of  simplicity,  you  perform  pushing  and 
pulling  movements.  This  will  prepare  you  to  move  onto  higher  level 
exercises in the future with greater coordination and muscle demands.  
 
A Quick Primer on the different forms of resistance training 
 
Bodyweight Movements- 
 
Bodyweight training was historically referred to as “calisthenics”, and it 
simply refers to ANY kind of resistance training movement that uses 
your own bodyweight as the resistance.  
 
Why should you use your bodyweight? A number of reasons  
 
1. It’s the most direct way to build muscle. Performing the foundational 
5 movements in this program will put muscle on the arms, chest, back, 
shoulders, and lower body swiftly, with a noticeable increase in 
strength.  
 
2. It develops kinesthetic awareness-also called special awareness, 
mastering your bodyweight with basic movement is an excellent way to 
improve overall athleticism  
 
3. It gives you the strength and muscle base for external loads-Getting 
strong at bodyweight movements gets you stronger at lifting weights, 
and vice versa. Rather than think you should do only one or the other, 
do BOTH and enjoy the synergistic effect.  
 
4. Exercises can be done almost anywhere-Free weights require a gym 
of some kind, and machines take up space. With your body though, you 
are your own machine. So even if you are traveling, or have limited 
space, you can still perform a bodyweight workout routine and 
maintain your results 
 
5. Results come FAST-Bodyweight exercises can noticeably improve 
week to week, and this makes training them very encouraging for new 
trainees  
 
 
Dumbbells- 
 
The name “Dumbbell” originates from a practice of removing the bell 
from large cathedral (church) bells in England hundreds of years ago. 
Removing the bell would “dumb” the bell.  
 
Bellringers were well recognized for immense back and arm 
development that came from having to manually ring these enormous 
bells in the large cathedrals. To practice and develop the strength for 
this labor, they would practice with “dumbbells”.  
 
Over many years, this name eventually came to refer to any sort of 
spherical weight that was used for physical resistance training. 
 
Dumbbells in modern times come in every kind of weight, from 1lb all 
the way up to 200lbs, and they vary in design. Some are solid metal, 
some are plated together. Some around circular, others are hexagonal.  
 
Regardless, dumbbells are extremely versatile, and can in fact be used 
entirely by themselves to craft a muscular physique. See my “DB 
Reconstruction” program is this is something that interests you in the 
future (password is “dummy” to access).  
 
Dumbbell movements are nearly infinite. While the basic movements 
are tried and proven, the ways to modify them are too many to count. 
DBs can be added to bodyweight movements, or DB movements can be 
changed to target very specific aspects of a muscle.  
 
In this program, we will cover the “Essential 8” Dumbbell movements 
that any man should be able to perform with good technique  
 
 
Machines 
 
Machines are not in this program, but some education on them would 
be useful. Machines are often marketed as “state of the art”, but in 
reality they’ve existed for thousands of years. Various lifting 
apparatuses have been discovered in many cultures worldwide, from 
loaded carts, to stones and logs that were meant to be picked up and 
flipped, to even mechanical machines that could be pressed or picked 
up.  
 
Modern machines today are simple in what they do: they apply 
resistance along a specific direction of movement.  
 
Some machines mimic compound exercises very well. A seated row, or 
a smith machine, or a machine shoulder press, all can be effective for 
building muscle growth.  
 
Often times machines are criticized as being inferior to free weights, 
but this is not true. Machines can be equally effective at building 
muscle and strength, and the effectiveness of a machine must be 
considered in the context of how it is used. Keep in mind that the 
weight you use on machines does not often directly translate to free 
weight movements, but at the same time, getting strong on machines 
WILL get you stronger at free weights, and vice versa. 
 
All tools are equally effective, and the only reason they wouldn’t “work” 
for building muscle is if they were used improperly.  
 
The Barbell 
 
The Barbell has a special place in the fitness world. The barbell can be 
loaded to relative “infinity”, and because the barbell is perfectly 
balanced in how it’s handled and moved, it is very easy to assess 
strength levels when using it. Because the barbell weights 45lbs, or 
20kg, it requires a degree of starting strength as well.  
 
While the barbell lifts can form the cornerstones of most programs, 
they are not the “be all end all” answer to everyone’s musclebuilding 
desires. Depending on your own anthropometrics (body dimensions) 
you may be well suited for the barbell lifts, or find that certain lifts do 
not quite fit your body type. Regardless, it is good to be at least familiar 
with the lifts themselves, even if they do not all became a “main” 
movement in your training. Handling the barbell is an excellent way to 
develop total body strength, and learn technical setup cues that carry 
over in all other manners of resistance training 
 
Other Training Implements: Cables, SandBags, Kettlebells, Battling 
Ropes, Suspension Training 
 
Once you learn the basic compound movements, you’ll realize that 
there are many many ways to create exercises out of them. Some 
movements are effective, some not so much. While it is impossible to 
rank all exercises (there are thousands), I’d encourage you to 
experiment with everything. Part of the training process is a self 
discovery process, and everyone has their own preferences and needs. 
Don’t believe that training must always be rigid with no flexibility at all. 
If you find an implement or exercise that challenges you, and that you 
can assess progress on, include it in your training at some pointing to 
master it. Programs are not permanent 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lifelong Training Principles to Follow 
 
● You want to utilize compound movements for the majority of your 
exercises. Compound movements stimulate more muscle growth 
and promote greater strength adaptations. The only muscle 
groups which can be trained exclusively in isolation are calves, 
biceps, and sometimes triceps and shoulders.  
 
● All exercises will always be done with a full range of motion. In 
some cases, you may want to limit the range of motion due to 
 joint issue or to keep sustained tension on the target muscle, but 
otherwise plan on all exercises being done with complete ROM 
● An effective workout could be as short as 20 minutes, or as long 
as 120, depending on how much volume you wish to train with. 
The critical question is whether that workout helped you to make 
progress. If it did, it was a good workout. That said, an effective 
resistance training workout should be about 45-60 minutes in 
length.  
● Get a logbook and record your training. This is best accomplished 
with a simple spiral bound notebook and handwriting notes. I do 
not believe digital record keeping is best for recording training 
performance 
● Simple linear progression is accomplished through THREE 
different ways 
I. Improved coordination and a decrease in physical exertion with 
a given weight and reps 
II. Improved endurance from improved coordination and 
adaptation, which allows you to do more reps with the same 
weight 
III. Increasing the weight after your coordination has improved 
and you can perform more reps.  
When a set of 6 goes from being hard to easy, and then becomes 
a set of 7, then 8, then 9, then 10, 11 and 12, only THEN do you 
increase the weight.  
● As a general Heuristic, do not increase weight until you can 
perform DOUBLE the amount of reps you performed at the 
beginning with the given weight.  
● You MUST stretch after you are done training. If you have no idea 
how to static stretch, then purchase the r​ ecommended book on 
static stretching.  
 
 
Training Schedule 
 
This is as simple as it gets. You have an A, B, C, and D workout.  
The schedule is Push, Pull, Legs, Press 

Push=Chest and Triceps  

Pull= Back and Biceps 
Legs=calves, quads, hams, glutes 
Press=Shoulders, Lats (the lats are heavily involved in stabilizing the 
shoulders during pressing)  
 
You will train 4 days weekly. If you cannot train 4 days weekly, you can 
train 3 days weekly, ABC, DAB, CDA, so on and so forth.  

If you miss a scheduled training day, you perform it the next time you 
are in the gym.  

Each workout consists of 3-4 movements. All the exercises are 

compound movements.  
 
For warming up, perform 1-2 light sets, and perform whatever stretches 
are necessary for YOU, so that your joints feel prepared to lift. This will 
vary individual to individual. Walking for 5-10 minutes followed by 
dynamic stretching is my best general recommendation.  

Training Program 

Workout A-Push 

1. Incline Barbell Bench Press 5 sets x 5 reps  

 2. Flat DB Chest Press 4 sets x 8-10 reps 
3. Moderate grip Pushups or Dips 3 sets x 10-20 reps, or positive 
failure (whichever comes first)  

Workout B-Pull 

1. Seated Cable Row, T-Bar Row, Bent-Over or Chest Supported 5 

sets x 6-10 reps 
2. 1-Arm DB Rows 3 sets x 8-12 reps 
3. Pullups/Chinups or Pulldowns 4 sets x 6-10 reps 

Workout C-Squat 

1. Barbell Back Squat 5 sets x 5 reps 

2. DB Goblet Squat 4 sets x 8-12 reps 
3. Walking Lunges 4 sets x 8-12 steps 
4. Bodyweight Calf Raises 100 total reps, however many sets 
necessary 

Workout D 

1. Seated DB Shoulder Press 5 sets x 8-12 reps 

2. Seated Row or Chest Supported DB row 3 sets x 15-20 reps 
3. Lat Pulldowns/Chinups 4 sets x AMAP 

That is the whole Program 

Simple, effective, easy to track, and you’ll be doing the “meat and 
potato” movements that all good training programs are built around. 
While this program does not obviously teach you EVERY exercise, if you 
can become proficient in the ones above, you’ll have the strength base 
to make future progress and get more customized with your training.  
 
Training Notes and Q&As 
 
1. What if I have NO idea how to do this exercise?  
 
I recommend the following fitness youtube channels 
 
AthleanX 
MountainDog1 
Alan Thrall 
Jeff Nippard 
 
Understand that you will need to TRY THINGS and be brave and 
experiment. Learning to train is a learning curve  
 
2. How fast should I perform these movements?  
 
>You should lift at a “normal” tempo, meaning not using momentum, 
jerking, and free falling to do a lift. Your movements should be precise 
and done with the control. The specific number of seconds going down 
and up do not matter. 
 
3. How heavy should I go?  
 
>You want to be able to perform the given number of reps listed for 
each exercise. If you are uncertain as to the weight you should use, 
perform a warmup set first with a light weight that you know you are 
fully capable of lifting. For DB movements, 10lbs is usually appropriate. 
For barbell movements, perform reps with only the barbell first. Over 
time, you will become familiar with your strength levels, and be able to 
accurately assess what your starting point should be. Again this 
requires experimentation. If a movement feels extremely easy, increase 
the repetitions or the level of resistance.  
 
4. How long should I rest?  
 
>Keep rest periods to about 1-2 minute between sets. It can be less 
than that if you are feeling particularly energetic.  
 
5. When should I add weight?  
 
>Add weight when you can perform the maximum number of reps per 
set for the given exercise. When you add weight, increase the weight so 
that you are forced to perform the lowest possible reps per set.  
 
6. Should I eat before I train?  
 
>I would suggest having a meal of carbs, protein, and some fat before 
training. I’d also suggest you consume protein soon after training post 
workout.  
 
7. Do you recommend any supplements? 
 
I recommend the following 
 
7-8 hours of sleep nightly 
A healthy whole foods diet  
Protein powder, IF it is convenient and makes your life easier. Use the 
code AJAC235 at Truenutrition for 5% off.  
 
8. What comes after this program 
 
I’d select one of the following 
 
Achilles-for a focus on upper body “mirror” muscles 
 
Cobra Program-For a focus on the back muscles  
 
Posterior Power-which focus on the posterior chain and the legs