- Level
- Beginner
- Days a week
- 3 days
- Goal
- General fitness
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- How long
- 6–12 months
- Created by
- r/bodyweightfitness
The Recommended Routine is the beginner program maintained by the r/bodyweightfitness community. Three days a week you warm up, then work through three pairs of exercises (a pull with a squat, a dip with a hinge, a row with a push-up) and a core triplet. Each exercise is a progression: an easy version to start, with harder versions to move to as you get stronger.
The full routine, with videos for every step of every progression, lives on the subreddit’s wiki. This page summarises how it works and how to log it; follow the wiki for the details.
This page explains the program in our own words. All credit for it goes to r/bodyweightfitness. The original: The Recommended Routine on the r/bodyweightfitness wiki. Read it for the full detail.
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants to get strong without a gym. You need a pull-up bar, something to dip on (parallel bars, rings or two sturdy chairs) and, ideally, a set of gymnastics rings for rows.
It suits people who travel, train at home, or simply prefer gymnastics-style strength. Because each exercise is a progression rather than a fixed movement, complete beginners and fairly strong lifters can both find a starting point.
If you want to build big legs or a big deadlift, bodyweight work alone will eventually limit you; the squat and hinge progressions get hard but never as heavy as a loaded barbell.
The weekly schedule
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Full routine |
| Wednesday | Full routine |
| Friday | Full routine |
Every workout
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pull-up progression | 3 × 5–8 | Paired with the squat progression |
| Squat progression | 3 × 5–8 | Bodyweight squat towards pistol squat |
| Dip progression | 3 × 5–8 | Paired with the hinge progression |
| Hinge progression | 3 × 5–8 | Romanian deadlift to single-leg versions |
| Row progression | 3 × 5–8 | Inverted rows, then harder angles |
| Push-up progression | 3 × 5–8 | Incline push-ups towards harder variations |
| Core triplet | 3 × 8–12 each | Anti-extension, anti-rotation, extension |
Each line is a progression: start at the step you can do for the target reps.
Each pair is done as alternating sets: a set of the first exercise, rest, a set of the second, rest, three rounds. The warm-up and the exact steps in each progression are on the wiki.
How to progress
When you can do 3 sets of 8 on a step, move to the next, harder step in that progression and start again at 3 sets of 5.
Progress each exercise on its own. You might be two steps along the push-up progression and still on the first step of the pull-up progression, and that is normal.
Log the step and reps for every set. With progressions, it is easy to lose track of where you are, and the log is what tells you when to move on.
Stalls and deloads
If you stall on a step for several weeks, the wiki suggests intermediate steps or adding a little volume. There are no fixed deload weeks.
How long to run it
Most people run it six to twelve months. When you reach the last steps of the progressions, look at the intermediate bodyweight routines or add weight.
Sessions take about an hour including the warm-up. The routine is meant to be the whole of your strength training, three times a week, with other activities like running fitted around it.
What to do next
Add load with a weight vest or move to the home dumbbell program, or a gym program such as GZCLP.
Common mistakes
Starting too far along a progression
Pick the step you can do 5 clean reps of, not the one you can scrape 2 of.
Half-rep pull-ups and dips
Full range is the point. Use an easier step rather than shortening the rep.
Running it in Splyt
Build each workout above as a template in Splyt. When you finish a session, the weights you actually lifted carry into the next run of that template, so every set shows last time’s numbers beside it and you can see at a glance whether to add weight. Log on iPhone or Apple Watch, and the Watch counts your reps for you.
Have the program in a spreadsheet or screenshot already? Import it and Splyt turns it into editable templates. Use the one-rep max calculator to set a training max, the warm-up calculator for warm-up sets in whole plates, and strength standards to see where your lifts sit for your bodyweight.
Questions
Can you get strong with bodyweight only?
Yes, especially in the upper body. The progressions get very hard; most people never reach the final steps.
What equipment do I need?
A pull-up bar and somewhere to do dips. Gymnastics rings are the single best addition.
How long does the Recommended Routine take?
About an hour per session including the warm-up, three times a week.
Similar programs
- Home dumbbell program — beginner, 3–4 days
- 3-day full body beginner program — beginner, 3 days
- Every program, by level and days
More for your training
- Workout splits: how push pull legs, upper/lower and full body compare
- Ready-made workouts for every muscle and piece of equipment
- The exercise library: how to do every lift above
- Strength standards by lift and bodyweight
Run this program in Splyt, the workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch that remembers what you lifted. Get Splyt free on the App Store