Which Program Is Right for You?

I get a lot of emails and social media messages every week asking something along the lines of "Which of your programs is right for me?"

So I thought I'd do an updated list of which programs to consider based on your goals and/or preferences.

I don't consider myself to be a specialist in anyone type of programming. I train a lot of different types of clients with different goals. My philosophy is not to try and make the client "fit" into my program, but rather try and find (or design) the program that is the best fit for that particular client. My goal for the client is not just results in the short term, but to try and facilitate consistency and high effort levels over the long term. That is, after all, what brings about the greatest results.

Consistency + Effort + Time = Results

This means that the programming choice needs to fit the client's physiological needs, but also their mental and emotional preferences.

Hopefully this little write up will help point you in the right direction:

Training Templates

Basic Barbell Programs.

Full Body (or mostly full body) at every session, minimal assistance work, focus on the Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press. Perfect for general strength and muscle building with minimal equipment.

Garage Gym Warrior 1. Heavy-Light-Medium programming. 9 week loading phase, ~4 week taper/peak. Some lifters skip the taper/peak and repeat the 9 week loading phase several times before tapering/peaking. This strategy also works well for lifters on a weight cut.

Garage Gym Warrior 2 Most conservative on volume/intensity. Great for older lifters, or those balancing training with other activities.

Garage Gym Warrior 3 highest volume of the 3 GGW programs, excellent for more advanced trainees.

Classic Heavy-Light-Medium Program. 6 weeks loading, 6 weeks tapering/peaking. Simple, basic, effective.

The Over-60 Basic Barbell Program. Two days per week, low volume, low frequency, and built around the squat, bench, deadlift, and press. This is the best fit for older lifters who need the minimum effective dose, or for any lifter in a season where recovery and schedule are the limiting factors.

The KSC Texas Method. A more detailed version of the standard Texas Method. Incorporates the use of volume cycling for more sustained use.

The KSC Texas Method 2. An all-new 9-week Texas Method block on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday split, with a built-in test or meet week at the end. This is a good choice if you like the Texas Method structure but want the whole cycle laid out for you from Week 1 through the peak.

The Baker Barbell 5 x 5. This program is 3-days per week but runs on an upper-lower split for greater recovery. This program isn't easy but has been wildly effective for strength & size.

A sample sequence using these programs might be.......

Classic Heavy Light Medium or Garage Gym Warrior 1 (Average volume / intensity). Could do with or without the peaking phase.

Garage Gym 3 (higher average volume) or Classic Heavy Light Medium

KSC Texas Method, KSC Texas Method 2, or Baker Barbell 5x5 (higher average intensity)

Garage Gym Warrior 2 (lower average volume/intensity)

Strength Focused Split Routines.

These are the split routines for lifters who want more than a 3-day full-body template. Some are powerlifting-focused, some are power-building, but they all keep the main lifts in the center of the program.

The Baker Barbell 4-Day Power-Building Program. This is the bridge program: four days per week, built around the bench, squat, press, and deadlift, with real assistance work for chest, back, arms, shoulders, and legs. If your goal is to keep driving the main lifts while finally looking like you lift, start here.

The Baker Barbell 5 & 10 Week Power Lifting Program. This is two programs in one. The main program is the 10-week 4 day split. The bonus 5 week program is actually a 3 day per week full body variation of the Texas Method.

The KSC Method for Raw Power Lifting. A fun little 7-week repeatable training cycle.

Hypertrophy Focused Programming.

The Baker Barbell Upper/Lower Hypertrophy Plan. A detailed program with 3 different volume tiers (low, medium, high). This is a lot more than just a program. It's also a great "manual" for how to train specifically for muscle building. If training for hypertrophy/bodybuilding is your goal, I highly recommend this product, even if you don't follow the exact program inside. Tactics, techniques, and principles will be universally applicable to many training programs.

Flexible Hypertrophy. This is the legs / push / pull option. It can be run 3, 4, 5, or 6 days per week, so it's the best fit for lifters who want hypertrophy programming but don't have the exact same schedule every week. Pick the schedule you can actually execute.

The KSC Method for Power-Building. Perhaps my favorite program. While it's biased towards hypertrophy training, this program is fantastic for strength gains as well. If you are looking for how to follow my "8-5-2" protocol.....it's in this program!!! Like the upper/lower program, this program is stocked full of good practical information on how to train for size & strength.

Strength & Mass After 40. This was the first actual template I released. I did so after getting some fantastic results with several private clients who were 40+ and looking to continue to get stronger while "getting jacked." It's still one of my most popular programs. This program follows a "5-3'1" approach to the main lifts. However, many clients wind up switching that up to an "8-5-2" approach after several cycles.

The Busy Dad Strength & Muscle-Building Program. Six short sessions per week, about 30 minutes each. This is for the guy with a real job, kids, and very little uninterrupted training time who would rather train hard for half an hour than pretend he has 90 minutes four times per week. Strength, hypertrophy, and conditioning are all in the plan.

Arm Specialization Program. This will grow your guns fast. However, this program is a lot more than just biceps and triceps. This is a fantastic overall program for muscular development of the entire body.

Shoulder Specialization Program. Same idea as the arm program, but biased toward delts and traps. It is still full-body training, not just twelve weeks of lateral raises. Use it when shoulders and upper back need to be brought up without letting the rest of the body go to hell.

Bundles.

If you already know you want to run several cycles, the bundles are the better buy. The Garage Gym Warrior Bundle includes all three Garage Gym Warrior programs. The Basic Barbell Program Bundle includes the basic barbell strength templates. Nothing complicated here. Same PDFs, lower combined price.

The Baker Barbell Club - Online Group Coaching

The templates above give you guidance and structure to train on your own with programs that are proven to work. However, some trainees would like a little more guidance as they work their way through a program. The online group coaching is an easy and affordable way to get 1:1 programming guidance, ask questions, troubleshoot programming, get form checks on your lifts and exercises, and interact in a supportive environment with other lifters.

Many club members follow one of the above templates and also use the club for guidance and support as they go. Some members do their own programming but still like the support and guidance of club membership.

Most club members follow one of the three programming tracks provided with membership. All members get access to all 3 tracks - you choose which track you want to follow.

The Basic Barbell Track. This programming is in line with many of the basic barbell templates in terms of structure and philosophy. We usually alternate between 3 day per week full body programming and 4-day per week upper-lower splits. This track is focused on the main barbell lifts (Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Press) with a minimum of assistance work. This is ideal for garage gym athletes working with minimal equipment or those that just prefer a simple and basic approach to strength training.

The Conjugate Track. If you're interested in the Conjugate Method or "Westside" programming - this is for you. This is a 4-day per week program focusing on the Max Effort Method, The Dynamic Effort Method, and the Repetition Effort Method. If you like to train heavy, train explosively, and get JACKED....this program is for you. This program is designed for the raw lifter.

The Body Building Track. If you are purely interested in muscle building and physique development then this is your program. This program is 5-6 days per week but can be modified to 3-4 days per week as needed. This programs requires access to a full gym or a very well equipped home gym.

Sign up for the Baker Barbell Club Online Coaching Group HERE.

Full Training Program Template Menu is HERE (including options for program bundles).