Programme · Novice · 3 days a week
r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine
r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine is a common novice general fitness programme. The community-standard beginner calisthenics routine — 3 pairs, a core triplet, 3 days a week. VALDA has it in its programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then keeps track of where you are on each progression.
Free to start, 1 programme at a time. Already have the app? Open in VALDA takes you straight to it.
Is r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine for you?
Anyone starting from scratch with little or no equipment. Also lifters without barbell access, and travellers who need a routine that runs anywhere with a bar to row from.
At a glance
- Level
- Novice
- Goal
- General fitness
- Time
- 3 days a week, ~60 min a session
The r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine as published in the subreddit wiki. One full-body session run three times a week: six strength movements in three supersetted pairs, then a three-movement core triplet. Every slot is a progression ladder rather than a fixed exercise, so the routine scales from someone who cannot yet do a push-up to someone doing shrimp squats and pseudo planche push-ups.
3 sessions
| Session | Exercises |
|---|---|
| Session 1 |
|
| Session 2 |
|
| Session 3 |
|
- 1 Pull-up progression: one of Scapular Pull, Arch Hang, Negative Pull-Up or Pull Up.
- 2 Squat progression: one of Assisted Squat, Bodyweight Squat, Split Squat, Bulgarian Split Squat, Beginner Shrimp Squat, Intermediate Shrimp Squat or Advanced Shrimp Squat.
- 3 Dip progression: one of Parallel Bar Support Hold, Negative Dip or Dip.
- 4 Hinge progression: one of Bodyweight Romanian Deadlift, Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift, Banded Nordic Curl Negative, Banded Nordic Curl or Nordic Curl.
- 5 Row progression: one of Vertical Row, Incline Row, Inverted Row or Wide Row.
- 6 Push-up progression: one of Wall Push-Up, Incline Push-Up, Push Up, Diamond Push Up or Pseudo Planche Push-Up.
Three identical sessions a week with a rest day between. Pull-up paired with squat, dip paired with hinge, row paired with push-up — three sets of 5-8 reps each, alternating between the pair with 90 seconds between sets. Then three rounds of an anti-extension, an anti-rotation and an extension movement with 60 seconds rest. A 5-10 minute dynamic warm-up comes first.
How the weights move
You do not add weight — you change the exercise. Pick the hardest variation you can do for 3 sets of 5, add a rep per set each session until you reach 3 sets of 8, then step up to the next variation and start again at 3 sets of 5. Static holds graduate at 3 sets of 30 seconds. VALDA shows you the ladder for each slot and lets you pick your rung; it does not move you up automatically.
r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine, with the maths done
- Sessions set up from the programme, ready to log
- Starting weights worked out from the programme's own rules and your estimated maxes, with a default where VALDA has no history yet. You can change any of them
- Each progression tracked, and you choose when to move up a step
- Log sets from your phone, Apple Watch or Wear OS watch
r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine questions
Who is r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine for?
Anyone starting from scratch with little or no equipment. Also lifters without barbell access, and travellers who need a routine that runs anywhere with a bar to row from.
How many days a week is r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine?
As VALDA runs it: 3 days a week, ~60 min a session.
How does progression work on r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine?
You do not add weight — you change the exercise. Pick the hardest variation you can do for 3 sets of 5, add a rep per set each session until you reach 3 sets of 8, then step up to the next variation and start again at 3 sets of 5. Static holds graduate at 3 sets of 30 seconds. VALDA shows you the ladder for each slot and lets you pick your rung; it does not move you up automatically.
Can I run r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine in VALDA?
Yes. It's in VALDA's programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then keeps track of where you are on each progression. You can start it on the free plan, 1 programme at a time. Automatic progression: Free: 6 sessions · Pro: unlimited.
Is VALDA affiliated with r/bodyweightfitness community?
No. VALDA is not affiliated with or endorsed by r/bodyweightfitness community. This page describes the programme as VALDA runs it.
Where r/bodyweightfitness Recommended Routine comes from
The Recommended Routine is maintained by the r/bodyweightfitness moderators as a living document and has been revised repeatedly since it was first published; this is the version released in the Summer of 2018. The subreddit distributes it free and explicitly asks that nobody be charged for it.
VALDA is not affiliated with or endorsed by r/bodyweightfitness community. The programme belongs to its author; this page describes it as VALDA runs it.
This page describes a common training programme for information. It isn't a personal prescription.