Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
Squat (p. 96) 2 15 Normal 60
Superset with full rest
Static lunge (p 123) 2 15 ea Normal 60
Two-point dumbell row with elbow out (p. 158) 2 15 ea Normal 60
Superset with full rest
Push-up (p 135) 2 15 Normal 60
Swiss-ball crunch (p. 169) 2 20 Normal 60



Exercise Sets Reps Tempo Rest
Deadlift (p. 106) 2 15 Normal 60
Superset with full rest
Step-up (p. 126) 2 15 ea Normal 60
Dumbbell one-arm shoulder press (p. 143) 2 15 ea Normal 60
Superset with full rest
Close-grip lat pulldown (p. 152) 2 15 Normal 60
Reverse crunch (p. 172) 2 20 Normal 60


This is just a beginner break-in workout, some will have to be changed because I train at home and am limited in equipment.

My knee's are not ready for the lunge & I don't have the gear for lat pulldowns.

Still waiting for my chin-up bar to arrive ...

NROL break-in, workouts A and B. Don't know why someone bothered posting it complete with page numbers.

I am new to powerlifting but a lifetime athlete, so take my comment for what it is.

If your goals are muscular endurance, then your sets x reps is OK. If you are going for strength, you need something on the order of 5 x 5 with HEAVY weights.

You are only doing 30 pushups a workout? Not to be insulting, but is that all you can handle at this point? The same goes for the 40 crunches. Honestly, pushups and crunches only take about 1 second, 2 seconds max, to execute. If you only plan on spending 30-60 seconds on a bodyweight compound-press exercise per week, then you can more or less expect minimal gains.

Good on you for selecting exercises like the squat and deadlift. Most newbies (myself included) overlooked those in the beginning.

I am pretty good regarding ab workouts as I was a swimmer for years. Crunches suck. Try something like ... Lie on your back with your hands under your butt. Raise your feet 6" from the ground and do all sorts of things from this position. Hip ab/adduction, raise/lower, trunk rotation, you name it. You will feel it all throughout the anterior and lateral part of your core.

Hopefully some of the bigger gents give you something to chew on as well.

What are your goals?
What equipment do you have available?

Why the high rep range for all the exercises?
Personally, I find mixing high and low rep ranges to be more effective. ex: A. squat 5x5, B. lunge 2x12-15

This is from New Rules of Lifting, by Cosgrove. It's a 4 week program designed for those who have never lifted before, as a kind of break in routine.

WOW progress is blazing away!!!
I can almost do a chin-up!
And im up to 2 sets of 10 push-ups I am soooo amazing lol.