Full Gym Blocks
Equipment tier: full gym — barbell, plates, rack, bench, pull-up bar.
Source of truth for full-gym blocks. Each
## slugsection is one block. All full-gym blocks are foundation kind.
Schema reference
See bodyweight-blocks.md for the full schema and field definitions.
Intensity scaling
- high — sets and RPE as written
- moderate — sets as written, RPE − 1 (min 5)
- low — sets − 1 per exercise (min 2; exercises authored at < 3 sets unchanged), RPE − 2 (min 4)
Foundation
basic-barbell-a
Three-movement barbell foundation, variant A. Squat, press, deadlift — the most universally transferable strength stimulus in any sport. Heavy enough that every set matters. Load is what the athlete chooses; the block structure stays fixed.
- Kind: foundation
- Intent: max_strength
- Equipment: full gym
- Target: Full Body
- Phases: base, build
- Neuromuscular Load: high
- Metabolic Load: low
Exercises
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Deadlift | 1 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
basic-barbell-b
Three-movement barbell foundation, variant B. Alternates with A across the week for push/pull balance and rotates the hinge pattern. Bench is the horizontal push, row is the horizontal pull, squat anchors the lower body.
- Kind: foundation
- Intent: max_strength
- Equipment: full gym
- Target: Full Body
- Phases: base, build
- Neuromuscular Load: high
- Metabolic Load: low
Exercises
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Bench Press | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 5 | 8 | 150s |
lower-focus
Heavy lower-body session. Three compound lower patterns with no upper body work. Used when upper body is prioritized on a different day, or when running load calls for targeted lower-body support.
- Kind: foundation
- Intent: max_strength
- Equipment: full gym
- Target: Lower Body
- Phases: base, build, peak
- Neuromuscular Load: high
- Metabolic Load: low
Exercises
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Walking Lunge | 3 | 8 each side | 7 | 120s |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 6 | 8 | 150s |
upper-push-focus
Heavy upper-body pressing. Two barbell presses covering horizontal and vertical planes. Short block — pair with a sport-specific finisher, or combine with upper-pull-focus for a full upper-body session.
- Kind: foundation
- Intent: max_strength
- Equipment: full gym
- Target: Upper Push
- Phases: base, build, peak
- Neuromuscular Load: high
- Metabolic Load: low
Exercises
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Press | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Overhead Press | 3 | 6 | 8 | 150s |
upper-pull-focus
Heavy upper-body pulling. Pull-ups and rows covering vertical and horizontal pull. Counterbalances forward-shoulder posture from running and desk work. Pair with upper-push-focus for a full upper session, or run standalone with a finisher.
- Kind: foundation
- Intent: max_strength
- Equipment: full gym
- Target: Upper Pull
- Phases: base, build, peak
- Neuromuscular Load: high
- Metabolic Load: low
Exercises
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pull-Up | 3 | 5 | 8 | 180s |
| Barbell Row | 3 | 6 | 8 | 150s |