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

 

3 Day Per Week 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.

Glow’s Power & Strength.  A collaborative effort between myself and local Houston strength coach and former D1 track & field athlete Brandon Glowacki.  An excellent program for athletes or those lifters who want to incorporate more explosive barbell training into their programming.  Multiple versions included – with and without olympic lifts and their variants.  A highly underrated program!!!!

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

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, Baker Barbell 5×5, or Glow’s Power & Strength  (higher average intensity)

Garage Gym Warrior 2 (lower average volume/intensity)

 

Strength Focused Split Routines.

These programs are 4-day upper/lower programs focused on the Squat, Bench, Deadlift

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.

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.

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.

 

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.  

(The current web page is a little out of date in terms of our offerings….what was formerly the Power-Building Track has now been split into the Conjugate Track and the Body Building Track.  In addition, we have our own private Forum for those of you who are not on Facebook.  We’ll be updating the page shortly).

 

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